Heroes of the Storm Review (PC)

excellent
key review info
  • Game: Heroes of the Storm
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Heroes of the Storm final review

Blizzard has played a huge role in the development of the multiplayer online battle arena genre, despite not actually making such an experience. From the Aeon of Strife mod for StarCraft 1 to Defense of the Ancients for Warcraft 3, these mods, made by Blizzard fans with its tools, made it possible for huge properties to appear, including Dota 2 or League of Legends.

For the last few years, Blizzard has tried to make its own entry in the genre, but the project hasn't exactly gone through the best of stages, first surfacing as Blizzard Dota, then as Blizzard All-Stars, and more recently as Heroes of the Storm.

The latest installment, which takes the biggest liberties with the regular strategies employed by MOBAs, is the winning ticket, at least judging by the popular alpha and beta stages that took place in recent times.

The final version of Heroes of the Storm is now available around the world and it's time to make a serious judgment about the potential of the multiplayer experience and whether or not it can make an imprint on the popular genre.

Does Heroes of the Storm manage to deliver a winning interpretation of MOBA mechanics or should the storm just take it away? Let's find out.

Story

Heroes of the Storm doesn't have an exact plot per se, but it does try to offer some motivation about the whole conflict and why Blizzard's different franchises and universes are crossing over. The giant Nexus is apparently drawing in both heroes and villains from across realms, ranging from Warcraft and Diablo to Starcraft and even lesser-known developer properties like The Lost Vikings.

This not only produces a pretty funny tutorial sequence, with Jim Raynor from Starcraft and Uther from Warcraft, but also a few interesting dialogs between the various heroes during regular matches. You'll often see and hear interesting exchanges, and The Lost Vikings takes the cake by breaking the fourth wall and talking about game graphics and other such things.

Try different skins in HotS
Try different skins in HotS

Gameplay and Multiplayer

Most assuredly, Blizzard is late to the MOBA party with Heroes of the Storm, as Dota 2 or League of Legends have a considerable advantage over it as they've both been available on the market for quite a few years.

Even so, Heroes of the Storm manages to distance itself from those games, and while it does feature some mechanics that are common in both those titles, Blizzard’s game introduces many new things that elevate the experience to new heights and into interesting directions.

At its core, two teams of five heroes go up against one another, with the ultimate goal being to destroy the opposing faction's Nexus. Each hero has, as standard, three different active abilities, one passive skill, and two different Heroic ultimates, although you can pick only one during a match. At different levels, starting from 1 and up until level 20, you get to pick more talents, which include boosts to existing abilities, new passive perks, or new active ones. Waves of "creeps" spawn at exact intervals and go through the lanes, stopping to kill each other or attack enemies in their path.

While these characteristics are shared by almost all MOBAs, Heroes of the Storm packs many new ones. There are no individual levels for your heroes, instead there's a single one for the whole team. As such, everyone levels up at the same time, no matter their actual contribution to a match. This does pose a few problems, as no matter how good your individual play is, you can't carry a game. It also puts a bigger emphasis on teamwork, as players must be in all the lanes, at least until level 10, so that you have your heroic abilities.

There are also way more maps than just the unique one in Dota 2 or the couple of levels in League of Legends. As of right now, there are seven battlegrounds, most of them with three main lanes and different mini-activities. These really spice things up, and if you concentrate, you can make or break a match. For example, in Blackheart's Bay, you try to gather doubloons so that the dreaded ghost pirate ship can bomb your opponent's structures.

It's hard to describe all the different mini-games, as they do take some time to master, but most are quite back and forth and don't offer a clear winning patch for one team or the other.

There are also neutral camps, with Siege giants and Mercenaries, which can be defeated or bribed to join one of the different lanes and push your opponent's structures. Special mention goes to the different Boss neutrals that can also be defeated and prompted to go down a lane and destroy everything in their wake.

Actual heroes are split into multiple categories, in the form of Warrior, Assassin, Specialist, and Support. Even so, some characters aren't fully representative of the characteristics you'd expect from their class, as Tassadar can't heal per se like other supports, while Raynor is quite tough to take down despite being a squishier assassin.

Their respective abilities are quite varied, and although some talents are shared between multiple characters, you won't feel like you're playing the same general character over and over again.

Of course, seeing as how Heroes of the Storm is free-to-play, there are also microtransactions. You can buy new heroes either through in-game gold, which is earned by completing matches or daily quests, or by reaching certain player and hero levels. You can also use real-world money to buy heroes, not to mention skins, XP boosters, and other such things.

There's a free rotation with seven heroes each week and you can take each character for a brief spin in a special AI match to see if you like them and their abilities before spending virtual or real currency on them.

In terms of actual game modes, you can practice alone, you can play with a team of AI allies or human ones against other AI foes, and you can also engage in quick matches with and against other humans. For those with a competitive urge, you can engage in the Hero League ranked matches and try to go from the standard Rank 50 to the highest ones. If you have friends, you can also engage, at level 40, in the Team League mode that allows you to form an official team and go up against others.

While the match modes are quite varied, at least for now, the matchmaking system isn't all that great, as players of wide skill and ranks are pitched against one another, so don't expect that many close encounters.

Go ham on the core in HotS
Go ham on the core in HotS

Visuals and Sound

Heroes of the Storm looks quite good and supports a wide array of graphics settings to ensure that it can run on different PC or laptop configurations. The visuals are quite impressive, as are the effects, even when you zoom in on the action instead of keeping the traditional isometric point of view.

The soundtrack is quite impressive and themed around the different battlegrounds. Heroes sound very good, and while some aren't brought back with the original voice actors from Warcraft 3, for example, they are still quite good.


The Good

  • Innovative MOBA mechanics
  • Lots of varied battlegrounds
  • Accessible to many players
  • Plenty of interesting heroes so far
  • Polished visuals
  • Short match length

The Bad

  • Matchmaking system needs work
  • Some heroes don't fit their class roles
  • Different maps require experience to master
  • Gold and XP aren't earned all that easy

Conclusion

Heroes of the Storm is one of the most accessible and most fun multiplayer online battle arena titles out there. Sure, it lacks the complexity of Dota 2 or League of Legends, but the short length of matches (around 20 minutes) and the polish that's characteristic of a Blizzard product make it stand out.

However, there still are a few things to nail down, such as the matchmaking system or the mechanics that govern acquiring experience and in-game gold, but so far, HotS seems like a winner for Blizzard and its players.

story 8
gameplay 9
concept 9
graphics 9
audio 9
multiplayer 8
final rating 9
Editor's review
excellent
 
NEXT REVIEW: Massive Chalice

Heroes of the Storm Screenshots (18 Images)

Heroes of the Storm final reviewRoll out in HotSPush with others in HotSSpectate when dead in HotSTry different skins in HotS
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