The recent playoffs of KPL and LPL have reached a critical stage. I don't know if everyone is paying attention. I do think that this year's version changes have a big impact on the pace of the game, especially after the adjustments to jungle resources and map mechanisms. It's harder for weak lineups in the early stages to delay the late stages, and strong teams are competing for the early and mid-game rhythm. In this version of the environment, there are far fewer scenes of individual heroism that can create miracles through operation and awareness, and more of team collaboration and resource replacement. To be honest, as an old viewer, I not only like this more rigorous competitiveness, but also miss the drama of the previous chaos and comebacks.
Speaking of the impact of versions on the competitive environment, I recently found a similar feeling in "Ancient Souls". Although this game is a PVE-based dark action game, its combat mechanism is particularly focused on "choice" and "timing", and it plays like making decisions in a high-intensity game. For example, when facing elite monsters, should you choose to take damage and execute a set of explosive combos, or use the dodge invincibility frame to wait for the opponent to retreat and then counterattack. This idea is very close to the logic of judging the timing of group start and skill exchange in the game. Moreover, the two routes of "sacrifice" and "redemption" in the game not only affect the direction of the plot, but also the skills you obtain and the assisting gods are different. This is like the system selection in the version update. If you choose Odin's power of thunder, you will take the explosive suppression route, and if you choose Loki's trick, you will take the pull and deceive play. It is very interesting.
I just beat the giant BOSS in Muspelheim in the past two days. The feeling of oppression is really similar to watching the final team battle in the finals. The BOSS's skills have a very short forward swing, but each attack has an obvious displacement trajectory. As long as you can accurately read its hand-raising movement, use a sprint to face to avoid the sweep, and then connect it with the crushing slash of light attack and heavier attack, the fight will be particularly rhythmic. This process of "reading moves - reacting - counterattack" reminds me of the moment when I watched professional players avoid Sun Shangxiang and roll to strengthen the basic attack in a team battle. They all rely on experience and muscle memory to play the game.
And I heard that "Ancient Soul" will also add some competitive gameplay in the future, such as leaderboard challenges and multiplayer abyss mode. If a fair numerical environment can be created, then I think it is even more suitable for e-sports events than many traditional MOBAs, because action games are more enjoyable to watch and have higher operating limits. The audience will definitely be more passionate watching players show off their micro-control and reaction speed than watching operators perform last-minute hits. Of course, this is just my personal opinion. After all, there is no precedent for a pure PVE action game to hold events on the market. But based on the foundation of "Ancient Soul", if the balance can be done well, I think we can look forward to it.
Finally, talking about the game itself, if you are a friend who likes dark style and is interested in Nordic mythology, I strongly recommend giving "Ancient Soul" a try. The sense of impact is the first echelon on the mobile side, and the narrative method of three-line time travel and the choice of "redemption or sacrifice" make each pass a different experience. When you play, you can feel the sense of accomplishment of making the right decision at the edge of the limit, which is as satisfying as watching a player make a comeback against the wind in an e-sports competition. 😎
Okay, I will continue to research the materials of the True Skeleton Line. If you have time, you can come and talk about what you think should be done to make mobile games competitive, or which skill tree in Ancient Soul is more convenient. I will be in the comment area at any time.