Between NetEase and Blizzard, there seems to be a kind of fate that is destined in the dark.
On April 10, more than a year after the "separation", NetEase and Blizzard reached a cooperation again, and Blizzard's family bucket will also return to the Chinese mainland market this summer. What's more coincidental is that just two days before the official announcement of the return, NetEase's own "Operation Apocalypse" just paid tribute to CS and "Overwatch" on April 8.
For no other reason, the former is the foundation of gunplay games, and the latter is the pioneer of heroic shooters who once won Game of the Year. As a new game born on the shoulders of giants, it is only natural to pay tribute to it.
In fact, "Operation Apocalypse" will pay tribute to CS and OW also has a different meaning: its core gameplay is character skills and FPS shooting, this unique gameplay is an innovation in the mobile game market. That being said, it is not uncommon for FPS games like this to feature hero skills in the past two years, such as the hero shooting that also featured in the earlier "High Energy Heroes", including "Fire Soda".
However, there are some differences in the fact that the former focuses on the battle royale mode, while Firepower Soda focuses on teamwork, and the gameplay of Operation Apocalypse is different from both - as mentioned earlier, it also makes sense that it pays homage to Overwatch and CS, which focuses on the most classic blast mode in FPS games.
Such a setting is undoubtedly very thoughtful. After all, after the rise of FPS games in the battle royale framework in recent years, more and more games have chosen to join this track for involution and launched another different kind of "battle royale". Although the classic FPS gameplay of Demolition Mode no longer looks so hot, it still has enough soil to survive, not to mention that "Operation Apocalypse" also has a lot of eye-catching features.
The traditional blasting mode is a 5v5 battle between the attacker and the defender, and each small game needs to be fought around two points, A and B, the attacker's goal is to place the "star core" to make it explode, and the defender needs to destroy all the opponents, or dismantle the "star core" to win.
Friends who have been exposed to similar games in the past should know better that compared with the battle royale mode with relatively large randomness, empty maps, and huge battle royale modes, the map of the demolition mode is very narrow, and the deployment of personnel on both sides of the battle, combat strategies, and aiming speed when they meet in a narrow way are the key factors that determine the outcome of the game.
The traditional demolition mode already has a lot of games and confrontations, and this becomes even more complicated when each character has a different skill. In Operation Apocalypse, there are five heroes with completely different responsibilities and gameplay: Vanguard, Scout, Tactics, Guard, and Support, and each hero has three unique skills to help them gain a corresponding advantage in Demolition Mode or kill enemies.
Not only that, but even if two characters have the same responsibilities and classification, there will be quite a huge difference in their use due to different skills, which is a consideration of the rationality of the player's lineup.
As a straightforward example, Heatwave, with its high damage and high mobility, is a typical Vanguard hero, who can take on the role of a breakthrough player when your team is the attacker, helping the team to complete the task of being the first to kill and pulling the gun line.
As a pioneer hero, Blood Armor has given up the mobility ability of a considerable part of the characters in exchange for a strong self-recovery ability. In other words, he may be inferior to the heat wave in single-point breakthrough, but he has stronger endurance and long-lasting combat capabilities.
In this "Star Test", "Operation Apocalypse" released a full 13 heroes at once, including the "God of Flowers" that had never appeared in the previous test. The abundant selection of heroes undoubtedly makes the lineup and the game more strategic.
Of course, for a shooter, in addition to the characters themselves and the guns, the design of the map will also greatly affect the player's experience. This "Operation Apocalypse" also does a good enough job, in addition to the corresponding points A and B, there are also relatively common middle lanes and paths leading to two points. The presence of various corners and walls is also a test of how carefully the player searches.
And don't forget, Operation Apocalypse has a more obvious challenge than traditional FPS games, as it's a mobile game. How to provide players with a good enough game experience when operation and aiming are relatively inconvenient is also a test for the production team.
In this regard, Operation Apocalypse has a mobile-friendly and user-friendly aim assist that makes aiming relatively easier, in addition to the obvious changes to the character's movement and ability release. For example, "Operation Apocalypse" gives a one-click release of skills, which is simplified to allow players to use skills more smoothly and enjoy every game.
In addition, "Operation Apocalypse" is based on the traditional blasting mode, and also provides team competition and entertainment modes, which enrich the gameplay of the game in this way. In Night of Madness, each player's head turns into a TV, and when they kill them, they drop candy that gives them a random buff.
It can be said that "Operation Apocalypse" also takes into account those players who are keen on casual games on the premise of focusing on the core blasting mode. For these players, they can play in the entertainment mode and team competition, and gain a bit of fun that is different from the traditional demolition mode.
In addition, it is worth noting that on April 11, after Blizzard's official return, the first large-scale test of "Operation Apocalypse", the "Star Test", also opened on the same day. As a paid deletion test, "Operation Apocalypse" also provides players with a large number of benefits and recharge rebate activities this time. Once the test is opened, you only need to complete the corresponding missions to unlock 5 heroes and 7 gun skins, and at the same time, you can upgrade the pass by completing active missions, and then get exclusive skins.
In terms of gun skins and appearance, "Operation Apocalypse" also follows the principle of balance, and the change of skin will not affect the value of the gun itself, which means that in this traditional FPS competition, players will never encounter the so-called "pay to win" This is quite a disappointing situation. It's the rather unique premise of Operation Apocalypse itself, and the idea of fair play, that has led to more than 2 million players making reservations to participate in this test.
If you are also interested in hero shooter mobile games, you might as well try this "Apocalypse Operation" that has grown up on the shoulders of giants, and maybe, it will become another hero shooter mobile game you fall in love with.