Crucible, Amazon’s first shooter, has already been released today, May 20th. MeinMMO editor Leya Jankowski played the MOBA hybrid in advance and subsequently conducted an interview with the Creative Director, Eric Flannum. Crucible is reminiscent of Paragon and Gigantic, a third-person MOBA and a hero shooter that are still sorely missed.
If Paragon and Gigantic hadn’t died, I would still passionately play them today. Many who fell in love with the games and their heroes feel the same way. Both adopted features from MOBAs like League of Legends, with Paragon doing so much more than Gigantic.
What made Paragon and Gigantic so great? Paragon was ahead of its time and impressed visually with Unreal Engine 4. Gigantic ran on Unreal Engine 3 and had a colorful, minimalist comic look that you had to like. However, I am not just referring to aesthetics when I say “great”; both managed to unite the two genres of hero shooter and MOBA. The hybrids produced unforgettable and unique heroes, required tactical thinking for the arena maps, and point capture features.
Before I begin to reminisce with a heavy heart, I will briefly explain what kind of new shooter Amazon is sending into the fray. After all, this is about a new, fresh hope!
This is Amazon’s Crucible:
- free, competitive hero shooter developed by the new studio Relentless, which is part of Amazon
- it combines hero shooters like Overwatch, battle royales like Fortnite, and MOBAs like League of Legends
- three modes can be played where you compete in teams against other groups
- you have 10 unique heroes at your disposal, which you level up during matches and unlock upgrades for their skills