Vainglory is a mobile-exclusive multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)-style game like League of Legends or Dota 2, but, unlike those two, Vainglory is limited to three-on-three matches.
I’ve been looking for something new to play on my phone. I wanted something outside of traditional “pick up and go” mobile games, and I also wanted something that avoided the black hole that I like to call “necessary progression microtransactions,” which are in-game purchases that one has to buy if they even hope to keep up with the top content in a game.
Since I already knew about Vainglory and was interested in its mechanics and gameplay, I figured it was time for me to give it a shot and see if the game was as enjoyable and as esports-ready as so many have told me that it is. While the formula for MOBA-style games isn’t new to me (I have sunk around 1,500 hours into League of Legends over the past seven years), the aspect of a touchscreen MOBA was a huge draw… and also a huge question-mark factor.
After playing a couple of the quicker game modes and skipping over the basic tutorials, I was hooked. Everything was new to me—the menus, the items, the characters, and even the gameplay, to an extent, was new. As for the esports side of the game, I’m still learning the ins and outs of the systems that developer Super Evil Megacorp (SEM) has built up for Vainglory.
SEM is hosting the first world championship for the game in the second week of December and, apparently, will be revealing its take on the traditional five-on-five formula, as well as crowning this year’s champion.
How big the game will grow in the esports scene remains to be seen, but, considering how well made Vainglory is, I’m definitely interested in its future. For anyone looking for a game similar to what I was looking for, Vainglory is the one. Play a couple matches, explore different characters, and see how you like it. You won’t be disappointed.