What We Liked..
Zany Shard Card twists
Crisp and readable gunplay
Roles fit varied playstyles
.. and what we didn't
Aggressive monetization bloat
Card RNG can snowball
Balance swings between patches
FragPunk is a free-to-play, team-based FPS that splices hero abilities into a bomb-plant/defuse framework, then throws the rulebook in a blender with its signature Shard Cards
At the start of a match—and between rounds—teams draft modifiers that can bend reality in hilarious (and sometimes horrifying) ways: low gravity, headshots-only rules, or even quirks like boosting allies by shooting them with friendly bullets or crouching to “lay” healing eggs.
The result is a tactical shooter where positioning and economy still matter, but each round becomes a fresh puzzle you solve with your squad’s Lancers, loadouts, and card combos. It’s fast, it’s loud, and at its best, it captures that “one more round” energy better than many modern shooters.
Beneath the chaos lives a very readable shooter.
Weapons kick just enough to reward control, time-to-kill keeps fights spicy without being instantly over, and abilities are impactful without (usually) smothering gun skill.
The main mode, Shard Clash, is Counter-Strike-esque with a twist; if a match ends deadlocked, a sudden-death 1v1 Duel decides it—pure spectacle and a great “clip this” moment.
Maps lean colorful and legible over gritty realism, and the roster of Lancers covers scouts, controllers, duelists, and explosive experts, so you can fill a role even if your aim’s still waking up.
What We Liked..
A fun twist on battle royales
Free to play
Fair way to earn cosmetics
.. and what we didn't
Lack of maps and modes
Queue times are long
Optimization issues
Cuisine Royal is a refreshing battle royale game that pits players against each other either in solo, duo or squad groups on a large open map. The game features similar gameplay to other battle royale titles such as gearing up through searching houses and other buildings on the map for weapons, and moving to secured locations when the safe timer is up. Cuisine Royale stands out by letting players use kitchen utensils like cooking pans, pots and chef knives as part of the equipment players can fight with.
For a free to play game, Cuisine Royale offers some limited character progression through its crafting system that lets you earn cool looking rewards like masks and outfits. While there are three sever locations currently, the player base fluctuates and it can be hard to find matches off prime time hours.
What We Liked..
Guardian vs. Guardian hook is unique
Plenty of hero builds and customization
Varied selection of heroes with multiple roles to choose from
Regular updates and new content
.. and what we didn't
Cash shop limits hero selection for new players
Matchmaking limited due to limited players
Your team of five must strategically capture points, called power circles, in order to grant your Guardian enough power to attack the enemy Guardian, at which point you get the awesome privilege of seeing your gigantic creature dart across the map to give the enemy a good walloping, causing the enemy Guardian to become vulnerable to damage. If your Guardian overpowers the enemy’s enough, then it will be instantly wounded, and you won’t even need to attack it yourself. Talk about a sense of satisfaction (or overwhelming weight of your failures if you’re on the other end).
The game currently features 21 heroes, with more arriving as time goes on, and three maps, plus the expected assortment of skins for both heroes and weapons.
What We Liked..
Distinctive
gratifying hero synergies
Destructible cover shapes tactics
Punchy comic-book presentation
.. and what we didn't
Balance swings and burst spam
Visual clutter in clustered fights
Monetization clarity still pending
Marvel Rivals is a fast-paced 6v6 hero shooter from NetEase that mashes Saturday-morning energy with competitive tactics. You pick from an ever-growing Marvel roster—from iconic blasters to bruisers and tricksters—and dive into objective-driven modes where abilities, cooldowns, and positioning matter as much as your aim. The hook isn’t just capes and quips; it’s the game’s signature hero synergies: certain pairs (or teams) can chain skills into spectacular team-up ultimates that change the flow of a fight. One moment your squad is scrapping on a capture point; the next, a duo unleashes a cinematic combo that deletes cover, repositions enemies, or turns a chokepoint into a highlight reel.
Maps pull from familiar Marvel locales—shiny cityscapes, mythic realms, high-tech fortresses—and lean into destructible cover. Blowing holes in barricades creates new sightlines and flanking routes, so rounds evolve as teams terraform the battlefield with their powers. It’s visually loud in a good way: comic-book panel flourishes, bold silhouettes, and effects that sell each hero’s identity without losing legibility (most of the time).
The pacing is aggressive but readable: frontline tanks initiate, blasters and skirmishers clean up, and supports/controllers keep the engine running with heals, shields, snares, and debuff flips. The result is a brawl that rewards coordinated pushes and cleverly timed ultimates over lone-wolf heroics. Expect the usual F2P trimmings—skins, emotes, and likely a battle pass—with balance and unlocks being a living conversation over time.
Caveats? Early builds showed balance volatility (superhero rosters are hard to equalize), occasional readability spikes when six ultimates collide, and onboarding that could do more to teach the synergy ecosystem. But when it clicks—when your team layers buffs, detonates a combo, and turns a map into sculpted rubble—Marvel Rivals delivers that rare “we planned this” rush. If you want a flashy, coordination-first shooter with meaningful teamplay, this might become your new nightly queue.
What We Liked..
Immersive sci-fi atmosphere
RTS elements
A lot of complexity for hardcore gamers
.. and what we didn't
Difficult for beginners
Small community (but it's still a closed beta)
Watch the trailer:
When reviewing a MOBA in 2015, the n. #1 question to address is: do we really need another one? Is there anything original enough to make it worth playing? The short answer, in Supernova's case, is yes.
Apart from the original-but-not-so-much sci-fi \ space setting (which at least is not the same ol' fantasy one), Supernova brings an appreciated dose of strategy and complexity thanks to its RTS elements: minions don't spawn at predefined intervals to follow the same, computer-defined path, but are controlled directly by players.
You'll have a tech tree to research, and resources to spend to buy the most appropriate units for your objectives, just like in a RTS game.
This really adds a lot of gameplay opportunities, and we're sure that hardcore players looking for a deep, complex game will find in Supernova a great fit.
What We Liked..
Unique hybrid MOBA and Battle Royale gameplay
Huge roster of playable characters
Plenty of customization
Play to earn
.. and what we didn't
Long queue times
Unbalanced matchmaking for PvP modes
Eternal Return is a free to play multiplayer MOBA and battle royale hybrid game that's on the Steam platform. With its huge character roster of 59 unique personalities, players select which anime hero they'll use in matches that pits hem against 17 other players in solo, or can opt to team up to be the last ones standing in visually pleasing maps. The gameplay will feel familiar and fun due to popular mechanics, and earning currency to unlock more anime characters will ensure that you always have goals to grind towards. Matchmaking queues are long can somewhat unbalanced in competitive modes, but that doesn't detract away from the fun moments in game, even if you're playing against AI bots.
What We Liked..
Excellent gameplay
Immersive 3rd person perspective
Other game modes are great fun
Gold sharing system encourages team play
.. and what we didn't
Slower unlocking for non-paying players
but this is nothing new
Smite is a third person MOBA developed by Hi-Rez Studios where you fight as one of the ancient gods of world mythologies, taking out enemy Gods, towers, minions and bases, all while playing in the refreshing new third person perspective.
It wouldn’t be a MOBA without a classic 3 lane map, but Smite has lots of other play options that are actually good fun – something that is sadly missing among MOBAs. Whether it’s the speedy Arena mode, the battle heavy Assault mode or one of the crazier Match of the Day scenarios, there’s plenty to do in this game.
Add to this an unobtrusive cash shop, decent graphics and well developed gameplay and you have a winner. Smite is highly recommended, a free to play title that is as enjoyable and challenging as you want it to be.
What We Liked..
Fresh concept for a MOBA
Free to play with no pay to win
Great UI layout
.. and what we didn't
High learning curve with insufficient tutorial
Only 1v1 mode available
Beyond The Void is a free to play 1v1 MOBA that infuses RTS mechanics for a solid, fun and addictive gameplay. Matches are all about destroying the enemy's Mothership, while ensuring yours survives to upgrade, build and gather resources on an excellent evolving map that orbits around the sun.
The graphics are very attractive and the game run smoothly, but could use a better new player tutorial as the learning curve is high. The game also uses Ethereum blockchain to manage the in-game economy, allowing players to obtain cash shop cosmetics to be freely sold or traded with other players using the blockchain which creates a non pay to win environment.
What We Liked..
Retains best aspects of MOBAs
New gameplay elements are excellent
Great graphics
Little use for real money
.. and what we didn't
Difficulty curve is a little steep for newbies
Dawngate is a MOBA released by Waystone Games, a company under the umbrella of Visceral Games, which is under EA. With those names involved, you’ll expect a high quality product and Dawngate does not disappoint. Even in open beta, the graphics are great in this title – vivid and lush, though undeniably similar in palette to the game Dawngate is competing with, League of Legends.
But Dawngate isn’t just another clone in the crowded MOBA genre. It does add some real originality to its gameplay – narrowing down to just two lanes, adding roles for your heroes (called Shapers here) to focus on and granting bonuses to your minions when you destroy enemy Bindings or towers.
There is certainly enough new content being brought to the table here to intrigue any MOBA fan.
What We Liked..
The DC universe
A familiy economic model
Interesting maps
.. and what we didn't
Unoriginal gameplay
Buggy client
Released in 2014, Infinite Crisis is a new MOBA based on the DC Universe. The game represents a plot moment in the DC storyline that dealt with parallel universes, allowing developers Turbine a lot of creative reach, and giving the game its title.
Virtually every recognizable superhero makes an appearance here including plenty of variations, some of which are pretty… original. While the game has a couple of flaws, as a new title they will likely be fixed as updates are released. The same probably can’t be said for the rather unpolished graphics, which are weak and bland.
Despite this, Infinite Crisis is a decent game. It’s still early days yet, and improvements are likely to come thick and fast. It may not be set to conquer the MOBA universe, but it certainly qualifies for the competition.