Deadlock

The newest game from Valve is a MOBA that has such a strong foundation, it’s most likely going to become a mainstay in the gaming landscape.

The aesthetic here is a steampunk-esque, twenties era London. The character and map design all fit into this unique theme very well. Some character kits however are fairly generic and a few feel similar to one another. Most character abilities synergize with others in their kit though, so each character plays dynamically.

You gain power by killing minions or enemies, push lanes, and destroy enemy fortifications until there’s none left. You use your currency to purchase items at an in-game shop to power up your stats and level up abilities when you reach certain thresholds.

The fortifications you destroy here are living golems, which is a unique touch, but they don’t do much more than towers in other MOBAs.

The shop items do include some that you can tie to an ability, adding extra effects to that ability for endless experimentation options. It adds a really interesting layer of complexity to the system.

If one side gets far ahead, there’s no coming back. Most games feel heavily one-sided, but since the game is still in early access, this can be remedied.

They have some work to do before full release. This version feels really mechanically solid and they have a great foundation to build upon. I can see it sticking around for longer than any of the other Valve mainstays, just because of the genre. Only time will tell however.