"Paladins: Champions of the Realm" by Hi-Rez Studios is coming soon. The team-based shooter threatens to contend with Blizzard's hit game "Overwatch" soon.
IGN revealed that "Paladins" will launch on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for free. The game developer sated that since they started development, "Paladins" was intended for console play. Hi-Rez enlisted a number of major console gamers to ensure that the control scheme of "Paladins" will feel right. "Paladin" also uses a fair free-to-play model, where players can unlock each of the 17 available champions.
The initial 17 champions, plus more characters set to arrive after the main launch, will be available to players for $20. On the other hand, "Paladins" players can also opt to skip payment and unlock each champion for free by playing the game. "Paladins" gamers can use up to 85 abilities. The champions are categorized into Damage, Flank, Front Line and Support and each has an ultimate meter. The characters can use their ultimate skills when the meter is full. Filling the ultimate meter is done by dealing damage to enemies and at a slow passive rate.
GameSpot stated that players might notice how "Paladins" characters are similar to some "Overwatch" heroes. But Hi-Rez COO Todd Harris stated that these were actually available and playable long before their "Overwatch" counterparts. Furthermore, the game developer explained that "Paladins" was inspired by previous works like "Tribes: Ascend" and "Global Agenda," and not "Overwatch." However, Hi-Rez added that it also took some tips from the Blizzard shooter, although "Paladins" has been in development for a long time, with the closed beta having started in 2015.
"Paladins" is a fantasy-themed first-person shooter with MMO and MOBA elements. "Paladins" already has an open beta on PC. So far, there are over 1 million open beta players and the game has remained in the top 10 most-played games on Steam. "Paladins" appear to be very promising and will most likely acquire several "Overwatch" players when it officially releases. The "Paladins" game developer has yet to announce the official launch date.