Multiplayer arena game Paragon has been in a weird place since it debuted last year. Harnessing the full power of the Unreal Engine, it looked like an action game, but played like a slow and plodding MOBA. Today’s Monolith update speeds things up a great deal.
I’ve been feeling the disconnect between Paragon’s look and feel keenly since the closed beta. It’s a game that looks like it should play like Gears of War or Unreal, but when the slow characters finally make it into combat, damage ticks off in MOBA fashion, meaning small ticks at a time. Shooting your opponent in the face with a machine gun? Small ticks. Getting hit with a barrage of rockets? Small ticks. Coupled with the sprawling expanse of the starter map, the long, drawn-out games could be fairly agonising.
Monolith changes that. Characters are faster, so much so that they have gotten rid of travel mode, as there is just no need any more. The map is smaller, losing that traditional MOBA feel and really taking advantage of the verticality afforded a third-person 3D game.
Returning players can expect sweeping changes across all characters, with skills tweaked to take better advantage of the new pacing.
Damage still starts off slow, at least for the characters I’ve tested in the update so far, but levels come quickly and damage increases exponentially. At higher levels the new Paragon really starts to feel like an action game, which is exactly what many players were hoping for. I am quite pleased so far.
The Monolith update for Paragon is live today on PS4 and PC. PC players can download the game for free at the official website.
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