The popular third person perspective, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game “Smite” was officially announced to be in development for PlayStation 4 (PS4).
Originally released on PC in Mar. 2014, then on Xbox One in Aug. 2015, developer Hi-Rez Studios has released a playable build of a PS4 version of the game.
A closed alpha test was launched the same day as the PS4 announcement, and players are still able to register to receive a key at their website. Those that receive a key are able to play the game in its current state, and provide the developers with feedback as to how the game is running, what bugs are present, and what should be changed to make play easier on the console.
Being a MOBA based on the gods of cultures around the world, the game features 72 playable characters, including Hercules (Greek), Amaterasu (Japanese), and Kukulkan (Mayan). The variety of gods allows players a wide selection of different characters, each with their own play style.
The current alpha build features four game modes: Arena, Joust, Conquest, and Assault. Players can queue up to play against artificial intelligence or against other players. Having four different modes to choose from allows players to decide what sort of game they want to play, as each have different levels of strategic intensity.
Arena is a furious combat session with the objective of killing the other team. Joust and Conquest focus more on making each team cooperate and synergize in order to destroy the enemy team’s base, with Joust having one lane and Conquest having three. Assault is an interesting game mode in the sense that the player has no say in what god they play as. Everyone’s character is picked randomly for them, and both teams of five must destroy the enemy team’s objectives in one lane.
As of right now, the game is running well. Minor bugs are present, such as automatically attacking forever right after respawning. Other aspects could also be improved upon with the interface, such as being able to see a god’s current stats during the match, and improved shop navigation.
The closed alpha is scheduled to go on for a little longer before Hi-Rez Studio’s will be switching over to a beta build of the game, which will also be closed. Go to www.smitegame.com to register and receive a key.
