Paragon – Game review. Paragon review: chasing two birds with one stone You're a sharpie, my friend

In the MOBA genre, despite the huge competition with League of Legends in the West and Dota 2 in our country, new projects are constantly appearing. This time our attention was drawn to a third-person game in the above-mentioned genre from Epic Games - Paragon. The game is called a strategy everywhere for some reason unknown to me, but I assure you that this is another multi-player arena 5 vs 5.

Have you seen a more beautiful MOBA? - I haven’t.

An open beta test started on August 16, and everyone can try out the new product from the creators of such series as Unreal Tournament and Gears of War. Paragon is available on PC and PS4.

MOBA from Epic Games

It’s not fate for the developers to release a big interesting project and at the same time not attach their own launcher for “other needs”, it’s hard to imagine how avid players will need this launcher.

In the menu you can find information on heroes and cards, a store with various “cosmetics” and boosts for your account, statistics and ParagonTV for watching games inside the client.

If you have ever played any game in the Unreal Tournament series, from the first minutes you will experience a familiar feeling, because the game looks exactly like the latest Unreal Tournament. I would even swear that the same people worked on the models and environments. In my opinion, inheriting something from Unreal is a bold and unusual step in developing a MOBA game. On the other hand, when playing MOBAs, we habitually look at the area in order to analyze the game and make the right decisions. So here it’s much more difficult, you have a third-person camera, and no matter what you do, something incredible will happen on the screen at this time.

The dynamism of the MOBA genre really suits it

It’s impossible to look at this game without comparing it to Unreal Tournament, especially to the “War” mode, where we needed to build a connection from our core to the enemy’s and then destroy it. Paragon - 1 in 1 "War" mode with the exception of characters.

However, we have the usual three lanes, forest creatures and various improvements scattered around the map, like Dota "runes" or buffs for defeating League of Legends creatures.

At the moment, only 22 characters are available, and they are already divided into classes: spellcasters, tanks, fighters, support, rangers, assassins.

And three game modes: 5 vs 5, 5 vs AI, 1+4AI vs 5.

Successful borrowing

Let's start with account progress; believe it or not, I found only one difference from Heroes of the Storm. You have two currencies: “Reputation”, obtained by rubbing a hole in a chair, gives various improvements to game progress, “Coins” - an injection of real money, does not affect the gameplay, only “cosmetics”. As you level up your account, you will receive new heroes and cards.

Each character has its own progress, which unlocks new appearances, emotions, etc.

Cards
There are no items in the game, instead we have a completely new card mechanic.

But the already familiar mechanics of collecting these cards...

There are sets of cards that can be obtained by increasing the level of a hero or account, as well as by completing tasks.

The game asks you to assemble a deck of cards before the battle begins. Throughout the match, you have access to a resource - “Card Points”, which can be collected throughout one battle. For these points you can place the card in equipment, which has 3 more slots for upgrades. This is how you build your style. There are also tokens in the game - these are cards that are not filled with improvements and are taken mainly to start the game (health and mana potions, wards, jungle items). When building your deck, it's important to think about each stage of the game. Cards played at the beginning can be destroyed, returning card points to yourself. This way you can scroll through more useful cards during the game.

Smile and wave

It’s impossible to ignore Paragon’s combat system. Each blow or ability is accompanied by special effects on the entire screen and sounds at all frequencies, abilities have a maximum tactile sensation, you feel like you are activating each ability. Visual and sound accompaniment does not let you get bored, even if you run from one position to another or return from the place of resurrection. But do not forget the main things, Paragon is a MOBA, and cold calculation comes first here. In the heat of battle, it is very easy to lose control of the vital forces of your character.

During the first games, it is impossible to match your strengths with those of the enemy, and the death of a character in a matter of seconds becomes commonplace.

In terms of demolishing towers, picking up power-ups and killing forest creatures, you’re unlikely to see anything new.

For killing forest creatures we gain experience and strengthening in battle.

And our goal is still the same, to destroy the enemy core (throne).

Finishing the match in Hollywood style.

Post-match statistics are familiar to all MOBAs, with the exception of information on cards, instead of the items that everyone is so used to.

MOBA for a couple of evenings or a new cyber discipline?

Paragon is impressive in its scope and the presence of a large and varied gameplay decoration, but behind all this it is very difficult to see the essence of a strategic MOBA game, and here I will not even begin to drag in the confusing map system, about which I still had questions after spending time in the game. Paragon is “young and inexperienced” for the cyber discipline, but this in no way takes away from the fact that it is worth playing for fun for a couple of evenings.

Aloha people! Kind people in the moderator chat shared with me the key to access the early alpha version of the new MOBA game Paragon.

This game has been on everyone’s lips for a long time, mainly thanks to the gorgeous presentation videos demonstrating all the beauty and splendor of the Unreal Engine 4. In addition, the developers are positioning Paragon as a third-person MOBA shooter, and there are not many such games at the moment. In general, I personally am interested in looking at a new project of an interesting genre, based on the most modern graphics engine in the world, they write

Please remember that this review is based on a very early version of the game.

Sir is sir! Sergeant Grafouni has arrived at your disposal!

Paragon is based on the Unreal Engine 4 graphics engine, one of the most powerful and beautiful engines of our time. The developers did not disappoint and the graphics demonstrated in the presentation videos do not differ from the real graphics in the game itself.

I really liked the animation of the skills and effects - explosions, smoke, lightning, energy domes and traps, shots from pistols and rocket launchers, everything looks simply amazing. Animation fits organically into the overall picture due to its naturalness and smoothness.

The textures in the game are high resolution, well detailed and in some places very realistic. At times, it appears that some of the textures were created using actual photographs of the surfaces of various objects.
Designers and artists paid a lot of attention to the characters we will play with. Details of clothing, body features, weapons in hands, animation of movement, running and skills - everything is drawn in very detail and is pleasing to the eye.

And all this magnificence is well optimized. I know of at least 5 different configurations on which people ran the game, and even on a weak i3+GTX 560Ti the game ran quite well.
My current configuration is as follows: Intel Core i7 3770k 4 Ghz/ 16 Gb DDR/ GTX 770. At maximum settings the game produces 70-80 FPS.

Of course, there is a fly in the ointment in this ointment. During movement, the developers actively use Motin Blur, which creates the effect of speed and at the same time significantly blurs the image around the hero. In general, the blur effect is not as powerful as in any Chinese trash games, but is quite tolerable. You can play with this.

In addition, in some places there are low-resolution textures, I can’t say that this is so noticeable, but sometimes the eye stumbles upon them.

In general, it has long been known that often during alpha testing, developers deliberately reduce the quality of graphics so as not to overload the server and user computers. This is done for the simple reason that the game contains a lot of unnecessary technical code, which puts a serious burden on the systems.

But even now the game looks better than any existing game of a similar genre and focus.

Game process

PARAGON is a third-person shooter MOBA. You have a map with three passages along which minions move. There is your base and the enemy's. Ideally, you need to destroy all the security towers on the lines, get to the enemy base, and destroy the core. It should be remembered that security towers cause a lot of damage and need to be hit from behind the creeps. Also, over time, enemy buildings can be restored, so you should not hesitate to move forward.

The space between the lines is the so-called “forest” in which you can capture camps with monsters and receive buffs that will help your team win faster.

In fact, in the previous paragraph I described the essence of almost any MOBA game. DOTA. LOL, SMITE, HOTS - they all work according to similar rules. The differences are only in the nuances... You shouldn’t call Paragon a new word in the genre, it’s not at all like that. The game is closest to SMITE, I even came across a statement on European forums that Paragon is a new generation SMITE. To some extent I agree with this statement. Although, of course, there are some differences. And I'm sure that the further the game develops, the more differences and nuances there will be

Each hero has five skills that he uses in the game. They are assigned to the keys Q E R LMB RMB. As the game progresses and levels increase, you will upgrade these skills. Every point invested in a skill makes it stronger. Attacks will become more powerful, healing will restore more health, shields will absorb more damage, etc.

In addition, each hero has 6 slots for cards - 4 for active skills and 2 for passive ones. But, in fact, cards with a passive effect can be inserted into active cells.

What are cards? In DOTA, you buy items from the store with bonuses to critical damage, basic attack, recovery, or health and mana. In LoL you buy items, and there is also a skill tree for heroes. In HOTS, at certain levels you choose skills from a given list.

Maps in PARAGON are the same. Additional features for your hero. Do you like high and frequent crits from heroes? Place cards that passively increase the chance of critical damage. Do you lack energy and health in battle? Buy active skill cards and replenish energy and health without returning to base.
In the future, when you master the heroes, you will build decks for them yourself, so as not to take anything superfluous and unnecessary. Do you like how Feng Mao quickly cuts down enemies with his blade? Build a deck for attack speed, and towards the end of the match he will look like a fan, grinding enemy heroes and minions with its blades.

While at the base and choosing one of the installed cards, you can improve it with three other cards. For example, to a card that gives attack speed, you can add attack speed twice and add physical damage once. Well, improvements for other cards work in a similar way.

Whatever one may say, it still reminds me of collecting items in LoL or DOTA. I haven't played these games much, but I remember that before you buy a cool blade for 3200 gold that gives a big bonus to crit and damage, you collect parts of this blade, first a sword for 700 gold, then upgrade to a sword for 1200, etc. Until you collect the maximum possible and expensive option.

The cards in Paragon have a somewhat similar system. We install a standard card and improve it to the maximum. True, so far it looks simpler and less variable than itemization in LoL or DOTA.

There are quite a few classes in the game: Fighter, Caster, Tank, Assassin, Ranger. But, in fact, they fit into three quite standard archetypes - tank, support and assassin.
A guy with two pistols, a girl with a bow and arrow, a mysterious guy in a hood, someone with knives, a thug with a big club - sound familiar? They are all here. Archers, fighters, magicians, robbers with invisibility, tanks, healers. Unfortunately, I personally was not pleased with the game with any original classes or archetypes. Everything is very standard, but at the same time it’s quite interesting to play.

There is currently no balance in Paragon. Some heroes are too strong, while others are too weak. It’s too early to create any setups and combinations. This is an alpha version of the game, and at this stage they usually don’t do balance work.

The biggest flaw in Paragon's gameplay is the overall dullness of the whole experience. During the game everything goes quite slowly and unhurriedly. Boredom rules the game, there is no action, no drive, no fights when milliseconds decide, and one ult, used at the right time, can decide the outcome of the battle.
There are no “sweaty” skating rinks here, and none are expected. And this minus negates all the advantages of the game for now. I know many players who, after 10-20 battles, simply gave up on the game and the reasons are still the same - boring and necessary, the gameplay is too slow. In my opinion, the developers should think about this aspect of the game.

At the end of each game you will see statistics that will tell you and your team which one of you is a ruck and which one is a pro player.

The captain's whore!

The European shouted in broken Russian, meaning that we should listen to the captain. In Paragon, as in any MOBA game, team play is very important. If there is a guy on your team for whom the goal of his whole life is to stand in one place and kill passing mobs, then it will be very difficult for you to win. To win, team coordination, understanding of the current situation and the ability to play with your character are important. Just standing there and beating other people's minions is a recipe for loss. Groups made up of random players require at least minimal coordination. Otherwise, you will lose even to bots.

The game already has the ability to create groups of friends, I advise you to take advantage of it. I think that in the future they will add ranked battles, group leagues, etc. For now, players only have access to random battles on one map.

Playing alone is difficult. Today I lost a game against bots, three of our guys bravely farmed minions... they didn’t react even when the enemies started hitting the core at our base. And what’s surprising is that in every MOBA game there are such brave guys. They stand in the chosen direction and spend the entire game hitting enemy minions. Probably, there is some kind of secret community of such guys who are privy to the secret of the world conspiracy of minions and that is why they destroy them so furiously.

Astalavista baby

In conclusion, I would like to say that the game is in a very early testing stage. What would you understand, so early, here is a screenshot of the mob camp

As you can see, there aren't even any textures. Moreover, some maps lack descriptions or are not fully displayed. The descriptions of some skills are mixed in Russian and English; in addition, some skills work either too weakly or too strongly, or do not work properly at all.

Personally, I was waiting for a big patch. We played in the early alpha, and while that was the case, all the bugs in the game were the norm. But, on March 18th, the early access phase started for those who purchased the founders' packs. In theory, the developers should have rolled out a big patch that would fix at least the most glaring problems. Well, at least the mobs in the forest could have been covered with textures? After all, in theory, those who bought early access sets need to show the game in the most favorable light. But the developers are in no hurry with patches. In fact, we now have a VERY crude version of the game, barely out of internal testing.

For me personally, Paragon looks like a very promising project. I'm not ready to actively play it at the moment, most likely I'll take a timeout and closely monitor the development of the game. I think that in the next six months the game will change beyond recognition, and I’m sure for the better.

As for the starter kits, I haven’t bought them yet; I already have access to the game using the alpha tester key. But my brother is already seriously thinking about buying the founder’s “Master” set. Well, if everything goes well, then I’ll catch up with the purchase. I think the game has good potential and will get better and better in the future.

There is also Gigantic from Motiga, Paladins from HiRez, and also Overwatch, to which Blizzard devotes the largest portion of its advertising campaign.

The same situation occurred in the late 90s, when third-party developers like the creators of Nerf Arena Blast began to look up to the famous Quake 3 and UT. History repeats itself, and now the MOBA genre is in a fever. And no, MOBAs are not just about strategies like Defense of the Ancients, and Paragon is proof of that.

Too many comparisons

Paragon is a 3rd person shooter that is also a MOBA. How did this happen? Look, there is a large map and three long paths connecting enemy bases along which the “creeps” advance. There are also defensive towers, unique heroes numbering 5 in one team, and a lot of spectacular abilities. In addition, the shooting here is somewhat slower than in the flagships of the genre, plus an attack over vast distances simply does not cause damage (for the sake of balance).

In such an orthodox MOBA at first glance, you watch your hero from behind and shoot through the sight, move using the WASD keys and rotate the camera with the mouse.

You can understand how all this plays by looking at the latest Smite project, although there all actions are carried out in the same plane: you can turn right and left, but never up and down.

In Paragon, 3D is used with might and main, which is why the versatility of tactics surpasses all competitors in the genre. For example, playing on the inattention of opponents here is very exciting: an air attack on a hesitant opponent, due to the surprise, very often brings victory. And the mound in the center of the left lane gives an advantage in both visibility and defense.

As for the development of characters, in this regard the game does not deviate from the canons. Although, in addition to the skills that open with the level, there is another scale of so-called card points. With them you can purchase cards from the deck that you compose before the start of the game.

Basically, cards provide stat boosts, while abilities are unlocked, as usual, for experience and LvL. You need to be careful when choosing cards: those that are too cheap will not allow you to develop after the middle of the game, those that are too expensive will at least not allow you to survive until the end of the game.

This deck system is reminiscent of the runes in League of Legends, although it is much more flexible. By the way, cards for the deck will have to be knocked out, received for victories, or purchased.

Fans of card collecting will find plenty to explore, although there is a risk in the future that overly clever fans will discover a generic deck - a problem that plagues most card games.

X is tired of fighting, let's look at the stars

The Paragon developers made the right decision by choosing their own engine, Unreal Engine 4 (if only they had chosen another). One of the most advanced today, it amazes with its elaboration of the environment and the detail of objects.

Not only does UE 4 transform Paragon and take it to the next level, it also shows its capabilities and limits, which is good advertising. The game really looks like the screenshots. And don’t expect Ubisoft’s favorite activity called “downgrading” from Epic Games, because it’s simply not profitable for the studio.

The world around us refers us to futurism and is reminiscent of the old cartoon “Planet of Monsters”. Stone and iron people, robots and spacesuits, bows charged with energy - what a mixture, are you really not interested?

You only have to look at the beauty of the local main bases, whose height of buildings and the majesty of ancient trees are guaranteed to drop your jaw, to believe in the graphical perfection of Unreal Engine 4.

Gigantism is also characteristic of some heroes (and there are several dozen of them here). Thus, Muriel is able to teleport to an ally and cover him with a huge shield, which is very annoying to opponents. The character types are familiar.

"Steel" is a tank that can stun players by jumping on them from high points. "Twinblast" is a shooter with a pair of pistols, rolls and bombs. "Kallari" is a melee ninja. And “Grux” is another tank that replenishes HP through kills.

How to play Paragon

Battles last about 40 minutes until someone stands up at the end. Sometimes the game drags on for up to an hour, and often ends after 30 minutes. Just like in Dota, the last time you hit a creep you get four times more experience. From HotS they borrowed the presence of a “mount”, a local vehicle that is activated instantly, which is a plus for the dynamics.

Replay system available. This is a separate feature created specifically for videos. You can speed up and slow down the action, rotate the camera in any direction, and finally cut out great moments.

Speaking about fights, only compliments arise. Despite the bright graphics, the abundance of special effects does not reduce the view or confuse, on the contrary, they add richness to everything that happens.

Three-dimensional gameplay, when battles take place both in the sky and on the ground, everything around explodes, steel rings, bullets fly, and the heroes shout something pathetically - all of the above together causes an indescribable feeling. Add to this the gorgeous graphics, and Paragon easily ranks among the flagships of the genre.

ADVANTAGES:

• Exciting and lively combat with tons of options and a 3D camera
• Best graphics among genre partners
• Variety of classes

FLAWS:

• The outcome of the game can be decided by just one random mistake.
• Having decks of cards is a controversial feature
• Characters that are lackluster in style

Multiplayer cross-platform projects in the gaming industry are becoming more and more popular every day. This is explained very simply - in this way, developers and publishers attract a much larger audience and, as a result, can count on higher profits.

One of the most notable and interesting cross-platform games in recent years has been Albion Online from Sandbox Interactive. Many gamers, already at the stage of closed beta tests, dubbed it the ideological heir to the legendary Ultima Online.

Trying to keep up with its main competitors, Epic Games, the company that gave the world Unreal Tournament, Gears of War and many other hits, decided to take aim at its piece of the pie in the multiplayer market. This spring, their new game Paragon appeared in Steam Early Access. But will the “epic” project be able to compare in popularity with competitors from Blizzard, Valve and Riot Games?

What does it represent?

It doesn't hurt to start off Paragon's review by mentioning that it's not your average MOBA, but rather a blend of the best of multiplayer battle arena and third-person action. In some aspects, this game looks more like an experimental one from Hi-Rez Studios than a classic LoL or DotA.

The project boasts excellent graphics and physics - it is created on the fourth version of the Unreal Engine, which speaks for itself. The team shooting game takes place in a fantasy setting in which characters from completely different worlds will collide. Not only does each hero have a set of unique abilities, but all of them can not only go directly, but also use workarounds. You can make your way to the desired location or go behind enemy lines in the project using underground tunnels, jumping over rocks and dozens of other ways.

In the second half of March, the game Paragon appeared in Steam Early Access. Its developers even offer to become one of the “founders” of the project for relatively modest money. At the same time, no matter which set the gamer chooses, his chances of winning will not change in any way - there is no “donation” as such in the project, and the invested amount will only affect character customization and access to additional content. In the summer, the creators of the multiplayer game promise to start open beta testing. And its final version should be expected closer to the end of the year.

Key Features

Fans of multiplayer battles will find many surprises in Paragon. Even now, at the early access stage, it is absolutely clear that this is an unusual and original project. And here are just a few of its main features and differences from its competitors:

An original setting and unusual game mechanics, crossing third-person team shooters and classic MOBAs.

A large number of pumpable characters, each with their own unique abilities. In the future, the developers promise to add three new heroes to the game every few weeks.

Battles (for the most part these are 5x5 battles) take place on maps with a classic layout for multiplayer battle arenas (three lines, two bases, the presence of creeps, etc.), but in terms of capabilities, each hero is significantly superior to their counterparts from LoL, DotA and others MOBA projects.

Donating in the game only affects the appearance of the character and the speed of receiving “exp”, without giving any significant advantages over users who do not pour real money into the project.

The balance of power is influenced by a variety of factors. For example, upgrading skills and making the right strategic decisions play an important role.

Verdict

Even if the Paragon game does not become a super hit immediately after its release, this project has every chance of becoming a new cyber discipline thanks to its high-quality graphics and almost perfect balance. So it makes sense to immerse yourself in this unusual universe now, so that by the time the final version is released, you will gain experience and get a small handicap over those who are just starting to get acquainted with the game.