What gives a fantastic medieval universe that is combined with huge robots straight out of the imagination of a science fiction author? It's a question I never thought I would have to ask myself... And yet Toylogic leads me to think about it with Warlander! It's hard to describe such an eclectic game, but I could sum it up as an action-oriented multiplayer online game, with mechanics drawn from hack and slash, MOBA and Battle Royale.
Warlander was not playable at gamescom. It was presented to us thanks to the support of a video of about fifteen minutes, followed by an interview with Yoichi Take (director and president of Toylogic). You should know that this presentation will be completed following a game session, the embargo of which falls in a few days! Stay tuned if you like the game...
Multiplayer game requires, character creation brings a lot of diversity to obtain a unique avatar. It would be a shame to find your perfect clone during a battle, among the 100 players who can join the fight. We find the usual parameters: hair, eyes and faces, to the details of the color of his equipment. A character has at creation a pool of points, which are to be spent on their weapons and armor, according to different levels of rarity. Various characters can be created, which form a deck, playable at will in one of two modes: 2x20 or 5x20 (each group of twenty being called an army). For a maximum of one hundred players involved.
With each game, the characters gain levels, evolving up to a maximum of five, with skills to be unlocked at each level. Divided into groups of four, including one who has the role of commander, the players are required to combine the strengths of their respective classes. The warrior shines in melee. The clerk is the Swiss army knife of the team: he heals and brings his colleagues back to life. This does not in any way affect his ability to defend himself, thanks to his mass and his shield, and his ability to help the work of others with his debuffs. The mage is the offensive force, capable of delivering a large amount of damage with his elemental spells. A few of his spells also provide defensive utilities like fog.
At the start, the main objective is to capture one of the towers which unlocks a spawn point. Enemy progress can be controlled with destructible bridges. Different bonuses can be collected or activated, called cataclysms. Robots and devastating tornadoes fall into this category of events that can turn the tide of battle. The front of the battle advances little by little, until it is time to attack the enemy fortress. To attack the walls, you must build a ram. A powerful war machine that must be pushed and protected, without succumbing to the defenders' attempts to retaliate. The victory is given to the first team which succeeds in destroying the heart of the enemy citadel. Or, it is decided by score after a defined period (fifteen to twenty minutes).
Intrigued by the creative process that led to such a mix of genres, I started by asking Yoichi Take, through his interpreter, what were the studio's inspirations. Warlander was born at a time when MOBAs were very popular. Toylogic wanted to offer a similar experience, with a host of side activities, allowing all players to have fun, whether they want to fight in contact, shoot from a distance, help their allies or destroy a castle. Without forgetting an important part of strategy. But as surprising the players remains important, the idea germinated to add unexpected elements. Hence these cataclysms, and this robot which is a surprise to say the least monumental! History will explain the reason for his presence. It seems that there is a logical explanation despite the clash of times.
There are no plans to add new classes. Three classes offer a good balance and implement well in the current mechanics. Eventually, new capabilities may be added. But nothing that changes the dynamics of the trio. On the other hand, the studio has many ideas for the future of the game: maps, equipment, cataclysms, modes. And robots! More robots. Because, as Yoichi Take points out, what would a Japanese game be without robots? I take this opportunity to remind you that they also need to add dragons, like our mascot, which he takes with a smile and a little "well noted". More seriously, among the ideas currently being studied, a 4 versus 4 mode, or wars that would allow different communities to compete. But that still needs to be refined based on feedback from early players who should be able to join the fight soon thanks to an upcoming beta.
The rest as soon as I can reveal more about my game session!
