The Official SMITE Magazine Issue 1 | Page 49

Review cultures and religions such as Zeus, Greek God of the Sky or Kali, Hindu Goddess of Destruction. A lot of the Gods available I hadn’t heard of such as Neith, Egyptian Weaver of Fate but Hi-Rez studios have gone to great lengths to help you understand their lore a lot better, should you wish to. The research into the lore really reflects upon the Gods’ designs as well, some in more subtle ways than others. One example would be Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Beauty. Her stockings show wave patterns which suggests the lore that she was born from the sea. It’s these small details that really make the game and surprise you after dozens of hours of play So, you’ve picked your God. Now it’s time to take to the battlegrounds but luckily, you’ve not just got the one to choose from. You’ve got an option of five different game modes: Joust, Conquest, Assault, Arena and Match of the Day. I won’t go into detail about these as, for the most part, they’re very similar to other MOBAs but suffice to say, if you want to know more about them, you can find information on their website Issue 1 • May 2014 or in the game. What I will say about the game modes, however, is that their design is bang on to their l o r e , much like the Gods. The look and feel of the different maps really helps to immerse you. Not only are you battling it out against other Gods, but are in their home territory whilst you do it. Along with this, Hi-Rez Studios have made an effort to create and alter the maps in such a way to create a balanced game that doesn’t slow down the pace too much. In a MOBA, pacing is a critical point and, from what I’ve seen, they’ve hit the nail on the head, if not somewhere near it. Smite gives itself justice )