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The update finally has many highly requested features for the Mario build-em-up, not the least of which being the addition of a new power-up that makes the game play like Super Mario Bros. 2, being able to ride on top of enemies and pick them up and throw them. Other new power-ups include the Frog Suit that allows Mario to swim freely, and the Squirrel Suit which gives you the ability to glide among others. The biggest major addition to all of this is the World Maker, a much requested feature that finally allows players to link individual levels together as one cohesive Mario experience. 

A blog post on Demiurge’s website goes a little further into detail about the sudden departure. The studio had been in a partnership of sorts with Sega since 2015, developing titles such as Crazy Taxi Tycoon and the aforementioned Sega Heroes. Today the company announced that Albert Reed, one of the company’s founders, led a group to reacquire the studio from Sega, becoming fully independent.

“We can’t be more excited to embark on this new yet familiar adventure as we return to Demiurge’s foundation.” they said in a statement. “We will continue our unrivaled tradition of partnering with world-class game developers and publishers to release fantastic games that players love.”

Valorant is set up as a 5 v. 5 round-based shooter, very much in the same vein as Counter Strike. There’s one team of Attackers who must coordinate with each other to take over one of several bomb sites on a map and plant a bomb, or in this case a Spike. The other team of Defenders must prevent the attackers from detonating the Spike, either by killing the entire opposing force or by disarming the Spike after it’s been planted before it detonates. It’s the same formula that made Counter Strike what it is today. Plenty of games have done this before, with most falling by the way side. What makes Valorant stand out is it’s emphasis on the cast.

If Valorant wears it’s CS inspirations on one of it’s arms, then the other wears a game like Overwatch or Riot’s own League of Legends. Valorant brings in a cast of 10 different characters to choose from to spec out your team. Each character has their own set of unique abilities, ranging from offensive, defensive, and supportive. A character like Fuse has a more offensive play style with her kit, which includes an explosive paint grenade, a sticky satchel charge, an enemy seeking bomb-bot, and a glorified rocket launcher for her ultimate ability. The healer character Sage fills both the defensive and supportive roles, with her ability to heal players, build destructible ice walls, create sticky surfaces to slow down players, and her Ult that revives dead players back into the match. That last one is a real game changer, especially for a game where one of the win state’s is to eliminate the entire enemy team. The hero characters are easily this game’s defining feature. Their abilities are such a refreshing addition to this style of competitive shooter. They in no way hinder or obstruct the gameplay, but rather compliment the experience incredibly well.

The gunplay will always take center stage in a game like this, and Valorant mostly delivers on this front. Counter Strike players will feel right at home with it, while other less-experienced players will probably question ”Why wont my bullets hit the guy?!” Gunplay in Valorant is all about precision and positioning. This isn’t something like Quake or Overwatch where you can run and bounce around while still nailing those trick head shots. Recoil is key here. You cant just jump a corner and expect to get a multi-kill by unloading a full-auto clip at the other team. Can it work? Sometimes, but it’s an incredibly unreliable tactic. It’s also one that you should add to your omega sick professional gamer highlight reel if you nail it. There’s many factors to take into account when engaging the enemy team, and sound is another major component. When in close proximity, the other team can hear everything that you do, from running with your loud footsteps, swapping weapons, reloading guns, etc. You can use this to your advantage though. Walking or crouching while moving about the map will make you virtually silent to the enemy at the cost of movement speed. All of these different systems at play make for an incredibly satisfying tactical experience. Coordinating with your team to decide on a plan of action can be both stressful and super rewarding, and the ‘First to 13′ format for matches help the game move at a very brisk pace, compared to it’s contemporaries.