MU Origin – March 31, 2022
Genre: MMORPG | Developer: Webzen | Platforms: Android, iOS | Payment Model: Free2Play
What kind of game is this? Mu Origin is a mobile MMORPG and belongs to the same universe as MU Legend, a PC game. You create a character from 5 different classes, but you cannot change their appearance. The game is played in isometric perspective.
As is typical for mobile games, there is an auto-play feature and numerous upgrade systems. Visually, the interface also appears a bit cluttered, more so than in most mobile games.
Additionally, there are some quite intrusive reminders of the shop and the things that can be purchased.
Why is it being shut down? Mu Origin had rather average ratings in the Play Store and App Store. The shutdown is likely mainly due to the fact that there is already a successor with Mu Origin 2 and that Mu Origin 3 will be released in 2022.
Both are more modern, graphically nicer, and will likely be played more often than the first part.
Is it worth playing it again? Mu Origin offers hardly any features or reasons to take another look at the old title. The successors offer more of an incentive than the first part of the series.
Additionally, it complicates matters that downloading from the two stores of Apple and Google is no longer possible. You would have to find a manual download link for it.
If you are looking for good mobile MMORPGs, you will find them in this list:
Heroes of Newerth – June 20, 2022
Genre: MOBA | Developer: S2 Games | Platforms: PC | Payment Model: Free2Play
What kind of game is this? Heroes of Newerth is a MOBA like League of Legends, launched in May 2010. The basic principle of the two games is very similar:
- Each team consists of two teams of five players battling each other. The players take on the role of different champions.
- The goal is to destroy the enemy base.
- There are three lanes and a jungle, just like in LoL.
However, Heroes of Newerth is more oriented toward the DOTA mod. The game is darker and not as beginner-friendly as LoL. It also employs the “deny” technique, meaning you can intentionally kill your own minions and towers so the enemy does not get the gold and experience points.
Another major difference was the payment model. While LoL was released as a free-to-play title, players had to buy Heroes of Newerth as a pay-to-play title at first. In return, they had all champions unlocked right away. It wasn’t until 2011 that it switched to a free-to-play model.
Why is it being shut down? Heroes of Newerth has not been able to compete with the numbers of LoL and DOTA 2 for years. While it was once the strongest competitor to League of Legends at the beginning, the game fell into obscurity starting in 2016.
Reasons for this also included balance issues, which created negative headlines especially after the switch to free-to-play. In 2015, there was a change at the developer studio and a new publisher took over. But even then, regular updates were reduced.
Is it worth playing it again? Sort of. If you’re in the mood for a dark MOBA and looking for an alternative to LoL or DOTA 2, you will definitely find some fun hours in Heroes of Newerth. However, nothing has changed in the game for a long time, and waiting times for matches are significantly longer than with the competition.
For nostalgia, it is definitely worth playing a round, but the game can no longer offer any real uniqueness.
Besides the online games that will definitely die in 2022, there are also some titles that have the potential to do so. We have played a bit of Nostradamus and looked into the future:
- 1
- 2
