[REVIEW] Awesomenauts

Leighton Lagerwerf
(PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC [REVIEWED])

At first glance, I knew this game was not my glass of scotch. At second glance, I still knew this wasn’t my game. After my third look, and with a few drinks in me due to the previous glances, this game finally started to look good.

The story basically involves a waging war between the red and blue armies over a liquid metal known as “Solar”. The armies attempt to ensure victory by hiring mercenaries to fight at their disposal. The Awesomenauts are these mercenaries; hired to do the dirty work, and to take the heat for it as well; not so awesome at all. The story lacks since it is an online game, but some more back story to each character would have sufficed instead.

The graphics are not demanding at all, so the market for this game is vast. To elaborate more on the graphics, the game comes off like a Saturday morning cartoon. The game is narrated like it would in the said cartoon sense. The controls are not of a foreign origin, they are simply comprised of using the age-old “W, A, S, D” for movement and the mouse for aiming. When it comes to games I am always critiquing the graphics. The graphics are usually the deciding factor and with Awesomenauts it manages to pass the test.

Awesomenauts gives the player the choice of playable characters. I should have mentioned this previously: it is strictly online-based with 3-on-3 matches. The first mission the game allows you to play is the typical training mission, and story orientation. Afterwards, you unlock the choice to enter practice matches, as well as online matches. The option for a quick match is present as well, in order to appease those who are impatient. At first, this was not so appealing, but after a few matches and some getting used to the controls, it became fun.

As you progress via winning matches, you gain experience, which of course leads to leveling up. As you level up, you unlock more maps for online play, as well as more playable characters. Each character has a certain skill that can be used in combat, but the only downside is that you are required to purchase these skills before use. Purchases in this game are done at the in-game store using currency that is picked up after killing an enemy bot, or player. This level-up way of playing has been seen multiple times over, but the addition of a prestige was too much in my opinion. To some it may be great to reach the highest rank, and then restart to do it all over again, but to me that is a waste of valuable time.

If you wish to succeed in any conflict this game throws at you, then start off each match by collecting mass amounts of Solar tokens that are spread across the map and dropped by enemies. This will grant you the choice to purchase upgrades that increase the effectiveness of your special skills or attacks in general. Everything after that will come with ease.

The maps themselves are not large which makes traversing from base to base, or turret to turret, less tedious and more engaging. The addition of a third party is a great balance to the matches, as well. This third party includes the alien natives of the map that drop health globes upon being killed. There is an alien “boss” that drops Solar tokens and a larger health globe, but it’s considerably difficult to kill. 

All together, with the main attraction of online gameplay, and a diverse character and map selection, Awesomenauts is a well-rounded and built MOBA for the not-so-demanding gamer that wants to sit down and play something fun.