Valorant is one of the hottest things in gaming right now. This is the first time the people at Riot Games (the makers of League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and Legends of Runeterra) have gone all-in with a first-person shooter. Currently, the game is in closed beta and chances are if you have checked out YouTube in the last week at least one of your favorite personalities is playing this game.
How to Download Valorant
To download Valorant as of the time of writing you have to first sign-up for closed beta after clicking on the Download button located below this review. You need to also have a Riot account, a Twitch account and then start to watch the streams of the game. Then you should look for a chance to get access.
Is Valorant available for Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch?
As we write these words no news regarding the game appearance on the abovementioned consoles has been announced. So will we play Valorant on PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Switch? Only time will tell
The Game Review
What drew me to Valorant was how people were comparing it to Overwatch. In actuality, Valorant from a gameplay point of view is not really anything like Overwatch. It has far more in common with Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six Siege than it does Overwatch. “Get good” is a phrase that you better get used to if you want to get seriously into Valorant!
The basis of the game is that it is a five-vs-five shooter. You have a series of agents that you can pick from and each one has their own abilities. This is why I feel that the game was getting compared to Overwatch. Each character has a couple of abilities as well as an ultimate that they can use. What is interesting is that the game really focuses on the actual gunplay more than these abilities if you ask me.
Currently, in this beta period, you have a couple of maps that you can wage war on. The game has you and the opposing team trying to win a best of 25 series. One team will have to set up an explosive device and the other team has to stop it. In between this is a ton of killing and you can use the money you earn to purchase your abilities, weapons, shields and so on. Before a round, there is a “set up” stage like in Rainbow Six Siege.
It gives each round a series of progression and one of the things that Riot Games appear to have nailed is fairness. At first glance, some of the abilities the agents have may look overpowered. However, the gunplay is so precise and teamwork and strategy play such an important part. I would wager that there is probably a counter for pretty much everything in this game.
Valorant is not a game that is going to hold your hand and take it easy on you. This is a game that is all about skill and from what I have seen. Those who are skilled CS GO players will certainly have an upper hand in the early days of this game. If you want to have fun, you have to get good it is as simple as that. Riot Games are not going for an “anyone can play, let’s all have fun” kind of thing like in Overwatch.
While the game is still in its closed beta, Valorant is a very, very interesting game. It is going to be free to play and currently, only PC players are going to be able to enjoy it. It is certainly one of the biggest first-person shooters to come out in quite some time. While I feel it lacks the personality of Overwatch, it makes up for it in the gameplay department big time!
