So the other day I tried out the new MOBA by Cartoon Network, Adventure Time: Battle Party. Then I um, played it the following day. Maybe I even played it at home with two friends – it’s all been a blur recently. To put it quite bluntly, the game is a very simplified MOBA, and is pretty damn fun.
I know what you’re thinking. Andrew-bro, that game is designed for like nine year olds. To this I’d respond with something clever along the lines of “you’re designed for nine year olds!” The stripped down simplicity of the game undeniably allows a younger crowd to actually play a game in the MOBA genre. On top of that, the game has no form of cross-team chat. Since you start with all the characters, get a ton of coins from doing the tutorial, and only need a few backpacks, you have all the tools you need right from the start.
At times your opponents are going to appear young, and you ARE going to feel bad about that. Without sounding like an elitist a-hole, you'll be able to recognize this through their general skill level and lack of MOBA experience. With that said, when you play at night, you’ll notice that your opponents get much tougher. So don’t build up a guise of false-awesomeness. Once you start seeing team comps, less guest players, and tactics – you know it’s on. There is also an ELO system, so if you commit enough time to the game, you'll eventually be placed in the correct skill level.
As an Adventure Time fan, this game pleases my senses. With a cast of fifteen characters, you have quite a variety of play styles at your disposal. Some of the character’s other skins are even alternative characters – such as Jake having a Cake skin or Princess Bubblegum having a Prince Gumball skin. Battle Party is completely free-to-play with no microtransactions. It’s also a Unity-Browser game, so there is literally no downloading and you can play from anywhere.
The game is dumbed down from other MOBAs in various ways. You only have three abilities, you never have to level abilities or buy items, and character diversity comes from items called backpacks. You can permanently buy backpacks from the store that you can set once per match. When your character levels in match you can choose one of five abilities attached to the selected backpack. That’s it. There is even an auto-function that will do this ONE thing for you if you don’t want to.
Matches are on a timer, and points are rewarded through fighting and killing other players and taking down towers. You can win by destroying the enemy’s base or by having more points by the end of the timer. There are also three shrines you can capture for power boosts. While the game is really simplified, there's still some strategy involved. If you spend the entire match destroying the other team but someone destroys your base, you lose.
At face value, it can be hard to take this game seriously – I get that. Despite that, it’s fun and worth a shot; especially for the price and convenience. You will feel bad about yourself at times. The game would benefit from some sort of filter system based off age, but that would be exploited by those looking to feel godly. If you want a challenge, play in the wee hours of the night. While the game is a great standalone title, it’s also a a great intro into the MOBA genre. Already I’ve seen people play it that HATE MOBAs. Get out there and have a true Battle Party!
Historian, teacher, writer, gamer, cheat master, and tech guru: follow on Twitter @AndrewC_GZ
