Paladins - The free-to-play competitor to Overwatch
As soon as a new game concept is developed that can assert itself and becomes successful, all companies naturally try to get a piece of the cake. For this purpose, existing systems are sometimes copied boldly or further developed. Last seen in the Battle Royal genre. After PUBG's success, new Battle Royal games or modes sprouted up on every corner. Fortnite has followed this hype, skillfully developed the genre further and is now at the top.
Now Hi-Rez-Studios in the hero shooter genre tries to create the same thing with Paladins. The Genreprimus Overwatch from the successful Blizzard company serves as a model here. Let's find out if Paladins is a worthy addition to the genre or just a blatant ripoff.
The Hero Shooter Genre
Blizzard has created a new genre with Overwatch, a clever combination of two genres. Heroes and their skills were taken from the popular MOBAs and planted in a shooter. The result was the hero shooters. These already existed with Teamfortress 2, but were far less popular and successful.
Two teams of five heroes each fight each other in different game modes. The typical role distribution of Tank, Healer and Damage Dealer must not be missing. Since this doesn't make much sense in normal Deathmatch rounds, it is usually fought on goal-based cards. It is necessary to occupy individual points on the map or to protect vehicles on their way through the map. Good team play is essential because of the very different heroes and the different classes. If you run off on your own in Rambo mode, as in Call of Duty, you will soon notice that you won't get very far with it.
What makes Paladins different?
The Payment Model
While Blizzard uses a mix of standard payment model and a free-to-play model, Paladins is completely free to play. Overwatch must be purchased for around 40$. However, all current and future heroes are immediately available. Only skins and other cosmetic items can be purchased for real money. The success and a huge turnover prove Blizzard right. No other game has made more money last year than Overwatch. Nevertheless, Hi-Rez Studios relies on tried and tested. The payment model is known from most free-to-play games. Heroes can be unlocked by in-game currency. These can be earned by playing them one by one. All other cosmetic items can only be purchased for real money. The prizes are also based on well-known games, such as League of Legends, and are therefore quite fair.
The Hero Specialization
At first glance, the heroes from Paladins look like a copy of the Overwatch heroes. It is easy to see clear similarities. The heroes are not only similar in appearance, the existing skills can also be found under other names in Paladins. However, it significantly expands the hero specialization compared to Overwatch. If the Overwatch heroes cannot be specialized at all, each Paladins hero can choose from three specializations at the beginning of a game. These usually improve one of the skills, which slightly changes the hero's focus.
There are also sets of trading cards. These can be put together freely before each match. With a card set, the heroes can be adapted even more clearly to their own playing style. If you use only one healing skill as a healer, this can be further improved with an extra healing bonus. If, on the other hand, you use the stunt, you could prolong the time your opponent is stunned. This makes Paladins in my eyes much more varied than Overwatch.
How does it feel to play it?
If you have already completed a few laps in Overwatch, you will immediately feel at home in Paladins. The very direct shooter control is easy to use and can also be freely configured.
The hit feedback is very clear and makes hits look very massive. You can easily keep an eye on both your own and your opponent's bar of life. All in all, the game interface is very clearly arranged.
Graphics
Like Overwatch, Paladins relies on a colourful comic style. This fits very well with the individual heroes and the design of the maps. Some of the heroes also reminded me very much of the League of Legends design.
In terms of graphics, however, Paladins makes no progress compared to Overwatch. The textures look a bit too washed out and the animations a bit too clumsy. But don't forget that Overwatch is a huge company and Paladins is a free-to-play game.
Conclusion
I must honestly admit that Overwatch has got me a little bored. I like to play it again and again, but at some point, you know the heroes inside out. Paladins counteract this with their trading cards and specializations. Of course, you can think what you want about trading cards, but here I find it really successfully implemented, without the system looking artificial. The game is also free. So why not just give it a go?!