Riot Games Releases an Explosive First Look at VALORANT’s Gameplay

Riot Games, known for their worldwide MOBA sensation League of Legends, has an intriguing first look at their new project in development. Today Riot released a preview of their new competitive multiplayer first-person shooter game, Valorant (previously Project A), and fans of Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will feel right at home in its fast-paced, explosive action.

The five-on-five tactical shooter, featuring a playable cast of characters with “hypernatural” powers, is currently planned for a Summer 2020 release. Get your first look at footage of alpha gameplay straight from Riot Games below.

It’s worth noting that our first look at the game is an unscripted playtest, rather than an epic cinematic trailer, suggesting Riot Games is emphasizing gameplay above all else. The footage features the voices of an internal developers and some scattered character dialogue as the players attempt to plant a bomb in the enemy’s territory to win the round.

“Each match is five-versus-five with 25 total rounds, so the first team to take 13 rounds wins the match,” reports Polygon in a hands-on preview.

While there’s no direct look at the playable characters, called Agents, in the gameplay footage, there are a few tantalizing peeks at the blade-wielding and gun-toting characters now available. Head over to Polygon for more detailed looks at these and other playable Valorant characters with names like Viper, Brimstone, Omen, and Sage.

Riot Games

The key art features two of those characters both wielding elemental powers. This is Phoenix and Jett, two Agents in the game. Both of the striking characters are also heavily armed, with belts of ammo and weapons hanging around their waists.

“Jett’s agile and evasive fighting style lets her take risks no one else can,” says Riot Games. “She runs circles around every skirmish, cutting enemies up before they even know what hit them.” (Count us as new fans.) As for Phoenix, “[His] star power shines through in his fighting style, igniting the battlefield with flash and flare. Whether he’s got backup or not, he’s rushing in to fight on his own terms.”

The game’s website emphasizes creativity in your match strategy, saying, “Everyone’s got guns and a unique set of abilities, so how do you beat someone with the speed of wind? Use your own moves to outplay them and beat them to the shot.”

The website also promises an attention to accuracy and precision during development, including “a global spread of datacenters aimed at <35ms for players in major cities around the world, a netcode we’ve been obsessing over for years, and a commitment to anti-cheat from day one.”

In other words, if you lose, don’t blame it on lag.

“Shooting in Valorant is precise, consequential, and highly-lethal—we want you to win on your skill and strategy alone,” says Riot Games.

Intrigued? Be sure to watch the gameplay trailer above, and follow the new social media accounts for the game for more information and a chance to get into the closed beta early.

Featured Image: Riot Games