In a short teaser video, Riot Games’ upcoming first-person shooter Valorant showcases a new character and their toxic abilities. Riot has been making waves within the gaming community after its announcement of multiple upcoming games.
The title for this upcoming shooter was initially leaked via a Riot Games trademark filing, however, as more information came out, users began to realize that it was a clever marketing rollout. For one, Valorant already had a Twitter page with many important Esports players and journalists already following. Once the information was out, the full reveal was posted on the game’s official YouTube channel in the form of a round of gameplay similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In fact, Valorant seeks to blend the fast-paced, twitch-oriented gameplay of Counter-Strike and the character systems found in Overwatch. This unique blend has many players excited and some critical.
On the official Valorant Twitter page, a teaser for the soon-to-be playable character Viper was recently posted. Viper seems to use poisons and toxins as a way to shroud herself from enemies, and the integrity of her poison gas field drops when she isn’t inside of it. Over the course of the last two weeks, Valorant has uploaded other teasers as well. One was for Phoenix, a fire-slinging character, while others were clips of gameplay and even previews of certain maps. This clip, showcasing the end of a round, was longer than the one posted for Phoenix and is embedded below:
Some users have gone on forums such as Reddit to criticize the game, calling the art style far too minimalist and impersonal. Others criticize the nature of the game itself, calling it an amalgam of two styles that simply don’t go hand-in-hand and saying that the CS:GO style of gameplay doesn’t fit with game-changing abilities which could create an unfair environment and unequal playing field. While Counter-Strike involves fast reflexes, Overwatch has a slower time-to-kill ratio and is oriented around character abilities and their impact on the battlefield. Some of the users on Twitter have even complained that Viper’s abilities appear too powerful, especially considering how enemies inside of her toxic could become easier for her to see.
While some players remain worried, many pro players who have had hands-on experience with Valorant are very positive about it. The tactical nature of the gameplay mixed with likable, striking characters could prove Valorant a cross-market success. After all, Riot has found worldwide success with League of Legends, a character-based MOBA that has branched out into various mediums, including hit music videos in the Korean Pop genre. Riot aims to bridge two kinds of first-person shooter subgenres into a definitive vision. The hype that Valorant is generating is palpable, even through the light criticism. Pre-launch trailers for the game have gathered millions of views, and with an impending beta, Valorant will soon be in the hands of the players.
Source: Twitter