Chicken dinner on MOBA? We played Honor of Kings in battle royale mode

It is like Arena of Valor meets PUBG … in theory

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Chicken dinner on MOBA? We played Honor of Kings in battle royale mode

Josh Ye

Published: 8:00pm, 17 Oct 2018Updated: 8:42am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Imagine playing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), but instead of guns, you use spells and heavy swords. And instead of playing with a first-person perspective, you get a bird’s eye view of the game.

PUBG, the battle royale pioneer

Yup, this is the battle royale mode of China’s biggest mobile game, Honor of Kings, which is known as Arena of Valor elsewhere. It was first announced in May, and I tried it out on Wednesday.

Arena of Valor, China’s mobile League of Legends, is aiming to be the world’s go-to mobile esport

In battle royale games such as PUBG and Fortnite, 100 equally unarmed players parachute onto a huge island, scavenge around for weapons and fight each other until only one is left standing.

But Honor of King’s battle royale mode, called Border Breakout, is a little different. You start the game by picking a champion with a particular set of skills. And instead of looking for weapons and equipment, you pick up items and buffs to enhance your attack and defense.

Besides attacking other players, you can also level up by killing wild monsters or gaining experience points like you do in a standard MOBA game.

MOBA explained: One of the most popular genres in esports is making a push on mobile

It’s two of the most popular game genres merged into one -- but does that mean Border Breakout contains the best of both worlds? Maybe not. In fact, it feels somewhat like a neglected child, raised by two parents who could not be more different.

For me, the thrill of a first-person shooter lies partly in being able to snipe out an opponent from afar.That is lost when you try to turn a MOBA into a battle royale.