Sparkball

Introduction

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, or MOBA for short, is an incredibly popular genre featuring the likes of League of Legends and Dota 2 under its ranks. Revisiting Edenbrawl, now known as Sparkball, you would think it's a completely different game than what we saw in the previous version.

From a name change to a complete UI redesign, enhanced graphics, and a change in art style – transforming the once dim and grim world into a bright and lively arena – it's evident that the game has evolved. New characters have been introduced, and some of our favorite heroes have been altered for the better. The revamped game has a lot to live up to, but the developers have done an excellent job changing what was needed and adding even more than anyone could have anticipated.

Gameplay

The game offers a top-down gameplay where players’ control one of these heroes in objective-based maps. However, not everything you are accustomed to in MOBAs will be present in Sparkball. The UI redesign begins with a sleeker main menu that meets the expectations of a game of its stature. It no longer resembles a title screen hastily thrown together in just a few hours with a backdrop of the map, but instead, it grabs your attention and builds excitement for what is to come. The design is similar to how Overwatch 2 created their main menu and overall title screen. Upon selecting a server and entering the main game menu, you are greeted with an even cleaner character and team selection interface.

The game doesn’t have specific lanes or minions to walk alongside champions in battle. This gives players more skill expression and more room for fast-paced battles.

Edenball is the primary game mode, pitting two teams of 5 against each other. Players on both sides are prompted to grab the ball from the center of the map and score in the enemy team’s endzone. Cooperation and team cohesion is essentia as you will need to pass the ball around and use your abilities to aid you on your objective. Lone wolves won’t be incredibly helpful to their team and might actually be detrimental to their victory.

The game mode follows a best-of-3 rounds format, with a break between each round for players to regroup, assign their skill points, and get right back into it. There are a number of elements that contribute to the outcome of the battle as well, including Pickups, Blessings, Augments, and Territory Effects.

Sparkball offers a unique roster of characters, each with their own abilities and skills that can change the pace of the game. Upon release, there will be 8 individual hero NFTs, with a special bonus if you own all 8. The characters representing Sparkadia’s Origin Collection are: Inksy, Jet, Jan Itor, Roostandor, Hotpaws, Kana, GloKat, and Snooker. It is worth noting that different NFTs won’t affect gameplay in any way.

This leads to the next change: the removal of some old characters and the addition of new ones. While initially shocking, the new characters offer exciting possibilities for exploration. Ink is my favorite, while Hammond and Hot Paws boast extremely satisfying character models. Both new and old characters have amazing designs, with more life and color breathed into them. Abilities and roles have remained unique, and no character feels overpowered. Wins seem to stem from better team composition, time played, and outplaying opponents.

Playing with others and engaging in banter adds to the overall experience, as opposed to playing alone. As with any game update, there are expected bugs. Thankfully, the developers have addressed these in a newer build. Despite server-breaking bugs that required restarting servers, the game retained its addictive and fun aspect.

The gameplay has also evolved beyond the simple "get the ball, hit it in the goal, and score a point" approach. A multi-step scoring system and added AI make it more challenging and addictive. Brawls and attacks from characters feel smoother, and the overall experience has been enhanced.

Review

Sparkball has done a fantastic job of incorporating a variety of elements from different games, putting their unique spin on them, and creating an enjoyable experience for MOBA fans and newcomers alike. Some minor issues could be addressed to further enhance the high-speed gameplay, drawing inspiration from games like Rocket League. However, Sparkball offers a faster pace compared to League of Legends, with a smaller map and more features added to keep players engaged. Overall, Sparkball has succeeded in delivering an upgraded art style, characters, gameplay, and design that leads to a more enjoyable experience for both players and spectators.