VAINGLORY
No matter how good a MOBA player you are individually, the team that knows where to be and when will usually come out on top. In Vainglory, a mostly excellent iOS MOBA, the key to victory is to play in the same physical room with your two teammates. As good as it is at distilling the fast-paced, skill-heavy action of the genre into a mobile format with 10 strong heroes and a great three-lane map, coordinating with an online team is a tremendous challenge.
Vainglory isn’t an attempt to approximate genre giants League of Legends and Dota 2 on an iPad -- it’s a strong, carefully constructed MOBA that exists on its own terms, and welcomes newcomers with open arms. It’s scaled down, rather than scaled back, and that’s a crucial misstep in most other MOBAs on the platform.
Developer Super Evil Megacorp has done a marvelous job with Vainglory’s map design, which leverages a superb jungle to give its simplistic design interesting layers. When working with my LAN team, we dominated nearly every game, usually because we refused to give up that place of opportunity. Capturing jungle control points increases your gold and minion strength, giving you more of an advantage as matches progress. Controlling those points is imperative – equally important to lane dominance – because it can turn the tide of a game.
Additionally, the 10 compelling heroes stand out. All are entertaining to play, and have fun relationships in combat. SAW, the lumbering machine-gunner, dominates in lane, but is too slow to jungle effectively. As such, laning with Petal and her three damage-dealing pets almost assures lane control, and she can dip into the jungle so a stronger SAW can kill on his own. Their designs are fun, too -- Joule with her mech suit, Krul with a glowing sword planted through his chest, and Ringo with his monk garb and gargantuan guns.
It’s difficult to comment on balance, however, because my team’s ability to verbally call for assistance or to plan out our attacks was always an enormous advantage. Allowing players to coordinate the strategy necessary to outplay another team, and without text or voice chat, multiplayer loses the nuance and effectiveness. Also concerning, Vainglory often pops up with messages like “Ally has been killed,” or “Enemy has been killed,” but not which has been killed. This makes it difficult to know who’s still in play to support or slaughter you. But sitting side by side, my team could set up huge plays, recover from bad ones, keep each other alive, and roam the dense jungle beneath the main lane hunting for easy kills. We almost felt bad about it – even first-timers will feel powerful playing this way.
This is simultaneously satisfying and concerning. Vainglory matches last around 20 minutes, typically because one team snowballs out of control and becomes too powerful for the enemy team to gain an inch. If one side takes an early lead based on quick kills and jungle control, they’ll have the advantage at the 15 minute mark, when the enormous, game-ending Kraken creature spawns. Capture the Kraken, and it’ll flatten enemy turrets. If you’re lucky, you can turn around a losing battle by gaining control of Kraken -- the monster absorbs massive amounts of damage, allowing you to wipe out distracted opponents -- but it was rare in my experience, because the game is effectively decided by that point.
Frequent lopsided battles may indicate balance issues in Vainglory, though like most MOBAs it’s frequently patched. But in a game prone to one team already running away with it 15 minutes in, unleashing a Kraken seems like an excessive addition of insult to injury.
In a mediocre MOBA, these wouldn’t be notable issues. But, because Vainglory succeeds handily in translating the best of MOBAs onto phones and tablets, it drew my attention toward finer details. Vainglory is commendable in this way -- its characters, map, and general design are so good that I think about how it’s balanced, rather than how it failed to accomplish the fundamentals.
Vainglory’s touch controls work beautifully on an iPad, which has enough real estate to effectively scroll across the map, navigate your hero, and have a skill-based ability hit its mark. On iPhone, even on the large iPhone 6 Plus, Vainglory feels cramped, and alerting teammates with visual pings, attacking specific enemies, and keeping track of the action can be challenging.
I’m hoping to see more added to Vainglory. With 10 heroes, many matches see similar team compositions based on which characters are free that week – which, to be fair, is generally more than half the roster. On the other hand, some are arbitrarily, prohibitively expensive to buy permanently, to the point that purchasing premium currency seems the only option. It’s inoffensive, but inconsistent, and therefore annoying – but I’ve been completely satisfied playing free heroes.
Frequent lopsided battles may indicate balance issues in Vainglory, though like most MOBAs it’s frequently patched. But in a game prone to one team already running away with it 15 minutes in, unleashing a Kraken seems like an excessive addition of insult to injury.
In a mediocre MOBA, these wouldn’t be notable issues. But, because Vainglory succeeds handily in translating the best of MOBAs onto phones and tablets, it drew my attention toward finer details. Vainglory is commendable in this way -- its characters, map, and general design are so good that I think about how it’s balanced, rather than how it failed to accomplish the fundamentals.
Vainglory’s touch controls work beautifully on an iPad, which has enough real estate to effectively scroll across the map, navigate your hero, and have a skill-based ability hit its mark. On iPhone, even on the large iPhone 6 Plus, Vainglory feels cramped, and alerting teammates with visual pings, attacking specific enemies, and keeping track of the action can be challenging.
I’m hoping to see more added to Vainglory. With 10 heroes, many matches see similar team compositions based on which characters are free that week – which, to be fair, is generally more than half the roster. On the other hand, some are arbitrarily, prohibitively expensive to buy permanently, to the point that purchasing premium currency seems the only option. It’s inoffensive, but inconsistent, and therefore annoying – but I’ve been completely satisfied playing free heroes.
While soft-launched for nearly half a year, it really wasn’t until we saw Vainglory [Free / Free] during Apple’s September event that we’ve been keeping a close eye on it. Super Evil Megacorp’s keynote presentation was more than just a cool demonstration of Metal — it was also a pretty damn cool looking MOBA in its own right. With its recent end of its lengthy soft launch period and subsequent debut in the US Apple Store, we thought we’d take it for a spin and see how it compares to other iOS MOBAs. Suffice to say, I think Vainglory is one of the best genre offerings available and sets the bar in terms of visuals, balance and controls.
For those that haven’t been exposed to MOBAs before, here’s a quick tutorial. Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas have been around on the PC for quite awhile, with DOTA (now DOTA 2) and League of Legends being the most popular of the genre. Players choose from a variety of heroes, each with their own special abilities, and participate in 3v3 team battles with the goal being to slowly make your way to the enemy stronghold and take out their base (or, in the case of Vainglory, taking out the Vain).
MOBAs typically feature creeps, which are automated allies (and opponents) that blindly charge towards the opposing base, attacking anything in sight. A lot of the action in MOBAs takes place in lanes, which feature towers that must be attacked (or defended) and are the paths that creeps run down. In essence, MOBAs charge you with using your hero to destroy the opposing creeps, attack/defend against heroes, gain experience and gold, improve your character and eventually make your way to enemy base to win.
Vainglory includes each of the major MOBA elements but modifies them to fit its own playstyle. For example, the game includes creeps (called Minions), but its map only one lane, simplifying lane management. However, the game has a pretty robust jungle area with plenty of over brush that can hide your heroes. The jungle also has plenty of neutral creeps and a shop in the middle for item purchasing needs. Vainglory’s jungles also include three important keys to victory: Minion Mines, a Gold Mine, and the Kraken. Minion Mines are initially controlled by a strong neutral Minion Miner. Take him out, and your minions last longer and deal more damage, increasing their likelihood of taking on opposing minions, heroes and towers.
The Gold Mine is another important feature. A powerful Gold Miner constantly mines gold in the middle of the jungle. Kill him and your team earns all the gold he has collected and will continue to earn gold as the game plays on. Both types of mines can also be stolen by the enemy, making for a pretty good back-and-forth battle that takes place in the jungle at the same time as lane battles. The Kraken is the final piece of the puzzle: a powerful enemy replaces the gold miner at the 16 minute mark and requires the entire team to take him out. However, if you do so, you recruit the Kraken to your side and he’ll slowly make his way to the enemy base, taking down opposing turrets, heroes and eventually the Vain itself. He can be stopped, but for most teams, having the Kraken launched against you is a death sentence.
As you can imagine, Vainglory has what it takes to be an incredibly deep game simply from the setup. Its heroes take that depth even further. Heroes are generally classified into the MOBA archetypes, which some designed for laning, others for jungling and others still for utility roles. Heroes are well balanced and while some require more timing and game awareness to play, I found each to be immensely enjoyable in their own way. Vainglory’s shop system also complements its heroes well, with a plethora of items to purchase that improve stats or offer consumables.
Visually, Vainglory is absolutely beautiful and takes full advantage of Metal (one of the main reasons it was featured in Apple’s keynote). On my iPhone 6, I was met with cool visual effects, highly detailed heroes and backdrops, and no slowdown at all. Admittedly, visuals are probably not on the short list of what makes a great MOBA, but it’s still cool to play a game that looks this great on your iOS device. Relatedly, I never had an issue with latency or freezes in the dozens of matches I’ve played online.
Controls are another important facet for mobile MOBAs and Vainglory executes them near flawlessly. Everything is controlled via taps and menus, power selection, and targeting are all implemented in such a way that I hardly ever had issues with mis-tapping. In fact, I was pretty impressed with how every facet of Vainglory felt tailored to touch controls. Even the in-game ‘Help’ menus, which offer a wealth of information at a glance for your heroes, are implemented well. Speaking of help menus, Vainglory has some of the best tutorial videos I’ve seen yet on an iOS MOBA.
Hero selection itself is where the game’s freemium elements come into play. Heroes are rotated but can be purchased permanently via Glory (the game’s in-game currency which is earned with every battle) or ICE (the premium currency). It’s important to note that I considered no aspect of Vainglory’s freemium facets to be considered pay-to-win. Instead, its monetization favors the more established free-to-play MOBAs and is very fair.
So Vainglory’s parts are all excellent, how well does it play as a whole? Quite awesomely. Battles are relatively lengthy (15-30 minutes) but are a bit less complicated than most desktop MOBAs. However, the great balance of all the heroes, combined with the decent amount of activities to do within the game’s map means there are a variety of ways to aid your team. In fact, the only issue I’ve had so far is with players going AFK during battles. However, Vainglory includes a ‘Karma’ system that rewards players that stick around to the end of the match. The hope is players that don’t leave matches early will eventually only be paired with similar players, minimizing matchmaking with dropouts.
I absolutely love everything that Vainglory has to offer. It’s a full MOBA experience that offers all the strategy and excitement that the genre is known for while modifying and tailoring the core concepts to mobile. Streamlining some facets (like lanes) while retaining hero and power/upgrade depth makes for battles that never feel boring. Vainglory also retains that awesome MOBA feeling of domination when all three team members are in sync. It’s an important aspect which should encourage players to develop a robust friend system for party gameplay.
Seeing how Vainglory is free, there’s really no reason not to check it out. However, I’d go even further and say that it’s probably the best MOBA on iOS and offers both an awesome experience for MOBA veterans while also providing an approachable avenue for novices. Simply put, you owe it to yourself to check out Super Evil Megacorp’s latest masterpiece.
As you can imagine, Vainglory has what it takes to be an incredibly deep game simply from the setup. Its heroes take that depth even further. Heroes are generally classified into the MOBA archetypes, which some designed for laning, others for jungling and others still for utility roles. Heroes are well balanced and while some require more timing and game awareness to play, I found each to be immensely enjoyable in their own way. Vainglory’s shop system also complements its heroes well, with a plethora of items to purchase that improve stats or offer consumables.
Visually, Vainglory is absolutely beautiful and takes full advantage of Metal (one of the main reasons it was featured in Apple’s keynote). On my iPhone 6, I was met with cool visual effects, highly detailed heroes and backdrops, and no slowdown at all. Admittedly, visuals are probably not on the short list of what makes a great MOBA, but it’s still cool to play a game that looks this great on your iOS device. Relatedly, I never had an issue with latency or freezes in the dozens of matches I’ve played online.
Controls are another important facet for mobile MOBAs and Vainglory executes them near flawlessly. Everything is controlled via taps and menus, power selection, and targeting are all implemented in such a way that I hardly ever had issues with mis-tapping. In fact, I was pretty impressed with how every facet of Vainglory felt tailored to touch controls. Even the in-game ‘Help’ menus, which offer a wealth of information at a glance for your heroes, are implemented well. Speaking of help menus, Vainglory has some of the best tutorial videos I’ve seen yet on an iOS MOBA.
Hero selection itself is where the game’s freemium elements come into play. Heroes are rotated but can be purchased permanently via Glory (the game’s in-game currency which is earned with every battle) or ICE (the premium currency). It’s important to note that I considered no aspect of Vainglory’s freemium facets to be considered pay-to-win. Instead, its monetization favors the more established free-to-play MOBAs and is very fair.
So Vainglory’s parts are all excellent, how well does it play as a whole? Quite awesomely. Battles are relatively lengthy (15-30 minutes) but are a bit less complicated than most desktop MOBAs. However, the great balance of all the heroes, combined with the decent amount of activities to do within the game’s map means there are a variety of ways to aid your team. In fact, the only issue I’ve had so far is with players going AFK during battles. However, Vainglory includes a ‘Karma’ system that rewards players that stick around to the end of the match. The hope is players that don’t leave matches early will eventually only be paired with similar players, minimizing matchmaking with dropouts.
I absolutely love everything that Vainglory has to offer. It’s a full MOBA experience that offers all the strategy and excitement that the genre is known for while modifying and tailoring the core concepts to mobile. Streamlining some facets (like lanes) while retaining hero and power/upgrade depth makes for battles that never feel boring. Vainglory also retains that awesome MOBA feeling of domination when all three team members are in sync. It’s an important aspect which should encourage players to develop a robust friend system for party gameplay.
Seeing how Vainglory is free, there’s really no reason not to check it out. However, I’d go even further and say that it’s probably the best MOBA on iOS and offers both an awesome experience for MOBA veterans while also providing an approachable avenue for novices. Simply put, you owe it to yourself to check out Super Evil Megacorp’s latest masterpiece.
Key facts about Vainglory
- Vainglory emphasizes the importance of working together with your teammates rather than individual skills, rewarding those who play well together.
- The game has won the award of the game of the year for mobile devices, with its iOS version being praised by critics.
- There are a total of 20 Vainglory heroes for players to choose from, although the initial roster consisted of just 10 characters.
- The multiplayer online battle arena game features some of the best graphics available in a video game of this type for smartphones and tablets.
- An average Vainglory game takes around 20 minutes, but given the fact that players use mobile devices, the rate of abandonment is pretty high.
The Vainglory games
Vainglory was not supposed to be a clone of League of Legends and Dota 2 and introduces some original concepts, while being aimed exclusively at mobile users. The popular MOBA concepts still apply and Vainglory games are quite difficult to play, as they tend to spiral out of control after the first 15 minutes of the game. If one team manages to take the lead and build on that advantage, it is virtually impossible for the other side to close the gap.
The roster of Vainglory characters consists of only 20 heroes, which is several times less than what its counterparts for PCs have to offer. Initially there were only 10 of them available, but their number was doubled in December 2015 when new heroes were introduced. They have interesting relationships during the game and each of them comes with unique abilities. That’s why it is essential for players to choose the proper heroes and try to come up with the ideal setup to dominate the lane and win in the late game.
In addition to the heroes and their specific abilities, the Kraken creature plays a very important role in Vainglory games. It spawns at the 15 minute mark and the team that has the advantage will have an excellent chance at taking control of this monster. It is strong enough to win a game single-handedly, so it is one of the few chances a losing team has to turn the game around.
Vainglory was not supposed to be a clone of League of Legends and Dota 2 and introduces some original concepts, while being aimed exclusively at mobile users. The popular MOBA concepts still apply and Vainglory games are quite difficult to play, as they tend to spiral out of control after the first 15 minutes of the game. If one team manages to take the lead and build on that advantage, it is virtually impossible for the other side to close the gap.
The roster of Vainglory characters consists of only 20 heroes, which is several times less than what its counterparts for PCs have to offer. Initially there were only 10 of them available, but their number was doubled in December 2015 when new heroes were introduced. They have interesting relationships during the game and each of them comes with unique abilities. That’s why it is essential for players to choose the proper heroes and try to come up with the ideal setup to dominate the lane and win in the late game.
In addition to the heroes and their specific abilities, the Kraken creature plays a very important role in Vainglory games. It spawns at the 15 minute mark and the team that has the advantage will have an excellent chance at taking control of this monster. It is strong enough to win a game single-handedly, so it is one of the few chances a losing team has to turn the game around.
What is Vainglory?
Vainglory is a multiplayer online battle arena game developed for mobile devices by Super Evil Megacorp since 2012 and released in late 2014. It runs smoothly on iOS and Android powered tablets and smartphones, while offering a real alternative for mobile users with a keen eye for MOBA games. It is supposed to be played exclusively in multiplayer version, while offering a roster of 20 unique characters.
Vainglory is a multiplayer online battle arena game developed for mobile devices by Super Evil Megacorp since 2012 and released in late 2014. It runs smoothly on iOS and Android powered tablets and smartphones, while offering a real alternative for mobile users with a keen eye for MOBA games. It is supposed to be played exclusively in multiplayer version, while offering a roster of 20 unique characters.
Gameplay of Vainglory
Vainglory stays true to the standard concepts of multiplayer online battle arena games, making it easy for League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm players to pick up the rules. Mastering the game is a real challenge and there are a couple of differences that make the game suitable for mobile devices. Each team consists of only three players as smartphones and tablets can’t accommodate a full team of five heroes.
Players try to conquer the opponents’ base and destroy the main structure, while advancing on the lanes that connect the bases. Minions spawn in both bases and proceed into the opposite direction, while being gunned down by players. Heroes level out whenever they annihilate these computer-controlled minions, improve their abilities and accumulate the resources necessary to upgrade their arsenal.
Vainglory’s name derives from the Vain Crystal. This is the central structure in the opposing base and the one that each team tries to destroy. Finding the ideal setup and using the right heroes can make the difference between victory and defeat. Some heroes have high damage output but move slowly and are prone to moving impairing effects. Others are mobile and have plenty of escape mechanisms but deal less damage.
Vainglory is a free to play game and each week players get to choose between the available free heroes. As they play the game, they accumulate points which can be spent to unlock all the characters forever. Those who want to speed up their gaming activity and don’t want to wait until they have the necessary points can purchase Immensely Concentrated Evil points with real money. The good news is that paying customers don’t have an edge over those who play for free.
Plot of Vainglory
Vainglory follows the popular routine of most multiplayer online-based action video games and the emphasis is on the gameplay rather than the storyline. With just 10 original characters and another 10 added in December 2015, it doesn’t have a narrative, as there is no plot whatsoever. The available heroes come with a short description, but this serves the purpose of making it easy for players to remember them.
Dedicated to mobile users, a Vain Glory game is supposed to last less than 20 minutes and action starts all over again after one team wins. The bottom line is that even though this videogame doesn’t have a storyline it doesn’t need one to be enjoyable. Given the popularity of the game, it is only fair to assume that more characters are going to be added, yet no single player campaign is to be expected.
Development of Vainglory
Vain Glory was the result of one year of development but the stellar results can easily be explained by taking a look at the name of the game developers. The ones who founded Super Evil Megacorp used to work for industry leaders and brought their tremendous experience and original concepts to the table. Released on iOS and Android devices the game is an original approach to the MOBA genre, but clearly influenced by industry giants such as Heroes of the Storm and Dota 2.
After the soft launch of September 2014, it was released formerly in November and it was much appreciated by tablets users. The developers highlighted their intention of allowing players to relieve the memorable moments of LAN parties while using modern tablets and smartphones. Vainglory was so popular that European eSports tournament organizers announced a string of competitions that will be known as the Vainglory Cup.
Vainglory was praised by the critics, who appreciated the fine graphics and the attention paid by developers when crafting the level designs and the characters. Even though it was nominated and won the title of the best iOS game of 2014, Vainglory was also criticized for the steep learning curve. The absence of polished team communication features also prevented it from reaching its full potential.
Vainglory stays true to the standard concepts of multiplayer online battle arena games, making it easy for League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm players to pick up the rules. Mastering the game is a real challenge and there are a couple of differences that make the game suitable for mobile devices. Each team consists of only three players as smartphones and tablets can’t accommodate a full team of five heroes.
Players try to conquer the opponents’ base and destroy the main structure, while advancing on the lanes that connect the bases. Minions spawn in both bases and proceed into the opposite direction, while being gunned down by players. Heroes level out whenever they annihilate these computer-controlled minions, improve their abilities and accumulate the resources necessary to upgrade their arsenal.
Vainglory’s name derives from the Vain Crystal. This is the central structure in the opposing base and the one that each team tries to destroy. Finding the ideal setup and using the right heroes can make the difference between victory and defeat. Some heroes have high damage output but move slowly and are prone to moving impairing effects. Others are mobile and have plenty of escape mechanisms but deal less damage.
Vainglory is a free to play game and each week players get to choose between the available free heroes. As they play the game, they accumulate points which can be spent to unlock all the characters forever. Those who want to speed up their gaming activity and don’t want to wait until they have the necessary points can purchase Immensely Concentrated Evil points with real money. The good news is that paying customers don’t have an edge over those who play for free.
Plot of Vainglory
Vainglory follows the popular routine of most multiplayer online-based action video games and the emphasis is on the gameplay rather than the storyline. With just 10 original characters and another 10 added in December 2015, it doesn’t have a narrative, as there is no plot whatsoever. The available heroes come with a short description, but this serves the purpose of making it easy for players to remember them.
Dedicated to mobile users, a Vain Glory game is supposed to last less than 20 minutes and action starts all over again after one team wins. The bottom line is that even though this videogame doesn’t have a storyline it doesn’t need one to be enjoyable. Given the popularity of the game, it is only fair to assume that more characters are going to be added, yet no single player campaign is to be expected.
Development of Vainglory
Vain Glory was the result of one year of development but the stellar results can easily be explained by taking a look at the name of the game developers. The ones who founded Super Evil Megacorp used to work for industry leaders and brought their tremendous experience and original concepts to the table. Released on iOS and Android devices the game is an original approach to the MOBA genre, but clearly influenced by industry giants such as Heroes of the Storm and Dota 2.
After the soft launch of September 2014, it was released formerly in November and it was much appreciated by tablets users. The developers highlighted their intention of allowing players to relieve the memorable moments of LAN parties while using modern tablets and smartphones. Vainglory was so popular that European eSports tournament organizers announced a string of competitions that will be known as the Vainglory Cup.
Vainglory was praised by the critics, who appreciated the fine graphics and the attention paid by developers when crafting the level designs and the characters. Even though it was nominated and won the title of the best iOS game of 2014, Vainglory was also criticized for the steep learning curve. The absence of polished team communication features also prevented it from reaching its full potential.
Vainglory tournaments
Vainglory is quite popular among mobile users with a genuine passion for multiplayer online battle arena games. The fact that an average match takes less than 20 minutes makes it an excellent way to spend some quality time when you are on a short break. Vainglory tournaments are still in their infant stage, but with the advent of the Vainglory Cup, this MOBA game has the potential of turning into a fully fledged eSports contender.
