by theygamesVela Games, the team behind all new PvE MOBA-style adventure Evercore Heroes, is comprised of a collection of ex-Riot Games and EA developers, among others. As players finally get their hands on the studio’s debut game, some have referred to it as a “League of Legends killer,” but that’s not really what the Evercore Heroes team is going for.
There are some similarities between Evercore and League of Legends – especially with the game’s announcement trailer, which has the same gravitas of any Riot Games cinematic, and a theme song that could easily be played at the LoL World Championships.
In-game, however, things are pretty different. Sure, Evercore is a MOBA, but it has PvE MMORPG-style boss battles, and removes the direct PvP elements by structuring games as a race to the finish line instead of an active head-to-head battle between two teams. Still, players have spotted elements of League of Legends, with some going so far as to call it a ‘LoL killer.’
When I ask marketing operations lead Trey Douglas whether or not that was the team’s intention, he replies “I think we’re offering something completely different to other games, so that comparison isn’t super valid in our opinion.
“We’re confident in our game experience, and we think there’s so much in Evercore Heroes that any gamer will find something to love,” he continues. “There’s things that the most competitive minded players will find super satisfying too. But I think the highest praise has come from the community members who say that they found themselves just wanting to play ‘one more game’ once they finished a match. That’s the exact space we want to be in and the feeling we want to evoke.
“When people say ‘League of Legends killer,’ personally I think that’s the type of engagement people mean,” he tells PCGamesN. “Evercore Heroes
is absolutely the kind of game you end up playing late into the night without even realising much time has passed.”
With the Evercore Heroes closed beta set for June 20, we’ll be able to find out for ourselves whether or not Evercore truly is a direct rival to League of Legends, but given the gameplay I’ve seen, I’d argue it’s something totally different. For me, as a World of Warcraft player, it feels a little more Race to World First-style, but with smaller instances between the main bosses. And that, my friends, sounds glorious.
If Evercore Heroes has taken your fancy, be sure to check out our list some other fantasy games while you wait for the beta.