Online game "Assassins League"

The browser MMORPG "League of Assassins" goes straight in from the trump card. Shows the enemies, which include demons from Chinese myths, zombies, ninjas and zombie ninjas, gives a dragon as your first pet, unrolls chic setting levels in the spirit of Hokusai paintings and introduces the characters, as if descended from the frames of fashionable anime. Yes, and available to play for free - clicked a couple of times and have fun. But even in such a project is not without pitfalls. Let's understand the novelty of the publisher Esprit Games more details.

The first thing you notice when launching League of Assassins is the display of the active window, as on a smartphone in vertical orientation. It looks unusual for those who are short on browser-based MMORPGs. In addition, there is no pathos symphonies sounding behind the scenes from the start - also an unusual point. Otherwise, the beginning is the same as in other projects of this format: it is necessary to choose a hero (there are women and men with different rates of attack and defense), click on the desired server in the list - and the adventure begins.

The game offers you to turn your hero into a masterful shredder and poisoner, who can't care about any enemy. Assassin's skills come in handy, because the world of "League of Assassins" is overrun by demons, zombies, mutants and other infernal creatures. In the first confrontation with them, it turns out that the forces of evil want to destroy the warrior of light, because he is able to awaken the power of the ancient dragon named Qinglong. You even have to fight this fantastic animal at some point, but eventually the dragon surrenders to the mercy of the winner and becomes our first pet. Later on, you can add other creatures to your personal zoo, and each one has unique bonuses that help in battles.

Battles are automatic - the user only has to press the button from time to time to summon the boss, the victory over which completes the next stage of the level. Conveniently, the game immediately shows what trophies you get for the victory. Can't handle it? Option to call for help helps helps helps you out - just like in Dark Souls or Elden Ring, where one gamer can interfere in a fight with another. Having dealt with several of these enemies, you move on to the next location, where you again fight off the crowds of ordinary monsters and periodically hack away at the bosses.

There are more than 30 levels in the single-player campaign - there is a global map to move through them. But you still need to pass them in order, because the enemy's forces are increasing, so the hero must constantly improve his characteristics. Killing simple enemies gives experience and level up, and the carnage of the bosses allows you to improve your equipment - armor, weapons and artifacts. Their distribution to the cells in the character window, by the way, is also done manually.

Nothing prevents you from returning at any time from a combat location to a peaceful city (icon "Capital City" at the bottom of the screen). No fights here, of course, no, but there are characters that give out tasks and increase the characteristics. You can take a break from the action, check e-mail, join a guild, complete the daily missions in a dungeon, challenge someone to a duel, to take part in global events and interserver activities, including clan wars, and go to the tower of heaven. This is the name of the series of trials with increasing rewards, but here it is important to assess your strength soberly and stop in time. A similar mechanic is in the killing of a personal boss from the bulletin board. From this fight, if anything, is allowed to simply escape. Also from the city you can access champions statistics and guild treasury - for example, you can throw in some resources to support your faction.

Despite the modest size of the active window, the game is full of interesting details that catch the eye, such as reed beds and misty mountains in one of the locations. Everything is designed in the Chinese style. But there is a problem: the figures of some enemies lack resolution, which makes them look "soapy" against the background of well-drawn characters and scenery. It doesn't happen often, but it can still spoil the overall impression.

"League of Assassins" offers a lot of ways to improve your character, but the main one - level up - does without your participation. According to the rules of Idle, that is "lazy" gameplay, the hero is able to fight on his own, and does it even if you turn off the computer and forget about the game for a while. True, he can't snack on bosses - will only beat ordinary monsters. And bosses, as already mentioned, give trophies in the form of items that can be distributed across the 14 cells of the inventory. To avoid messing around with each bracelet, vest, and headgear, you can simply press "Quick Dress" - and the most useful items will take their places.

In the same "Character" menu there is a tab "Evolution" - by investing crystals and coins obtained in battle, here you can increase the characteristics of the hero (health, attack, defense), as well as enhance special tricks. Clicking on the "Blacksmith" icon you'll get to the workshop, where you can enhance the necessary items and disassemble unnecessary ones. Over time, equipment begins to play a leading role, because the growth in levels gradually slows down, and the strength of the enemies at each new level increases at the same rate. And then there is a dilemma: either long to fumble in one location, or pay to strengthen the real money. No one makes you splurge - because the hero is able to act independently, you can visit the "League of Assassins" once a day and not control every step and every blow.

On the way to the hero help companions. The first to appear is a pet, then a fighting spirit and a helper. All three creatures are different, so they act separately, but they have a common task - to strengthen their master in battle. Each adds a special gimmick to inflict a powerful attack on the enemy with a mouse click. And, of course, they can be developed by investing resources collected from the slain monsters. One of the most powerful creatures that helps the hero is a titan. But you still need to grow up to him, because all kinds of companions are available gradually, and some must be bought.

Like any MMORPG, "League of Assassins" offers several options for user interaction. From the very beginning you can chat and call for help in boss fights - this is one of the project's features. Chat contains several tabs, from conversations with friends to correspondence between different servers. Subsequently, you can join a guild to strengthen it and participate in group activities. The more values you put into the general treasury and perform feats on the battlefield, the higher your status in the leaderboard and the more powerful your community is.

The game has inter-server contests available from the capital. If you want to play one-on-one, you go to the arena. It is arranged in the same way as in other browser games: you just need to challenge, and the rest happens automatically - the algorithm decides who is stronger. This is where the purchased power-ups and items come in handy. You can determine the dangerousness of a character under the control of another player not only by the number of Combat Power Points (CP), but also by his VIP level. You can raise this level for free, but at a certain stage, it becomes difficult to increase it, so some people prefer to prepare for a fight quickly - with the help of the internal store.

"League of Assassins" is a bright but unobtrusive game. It can be left in a small window in the corner of the screen while you're busy with a work or study project, in short, your own business. Only occasionally you'll need to be distracted by the initiation of another boss fight, melting items and chatting. If that's what you're looking for, you've found it. Other fans of MMORPG, even browser-based ones, are unlikely to find a fundamentally new and exciting experience here.

Zarium. January 2023