Paragon (video game)

Paragon
Cover art of Paragon Essentials Edition
Developer(s)	Epic Games
Publisher(s)	Epic Games
Distributor(s)	Sony Interactive Entertainment (PS4)
Director(s)	Steve Superville
Producer(s)	John Wasilczyk
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4
Release date(s)	Early Access ‹See Tfd› WW: March 18, 2016 Open Beta ‹See Tfd› WW: August 16, 2016
Genre(s)	Multiplayer online battle arena
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Paragon is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game developed and published by Epic Games. It is set to be released for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in mid 2016. Powered by Epic's own Unreal Engine 4, the game entered early access in March 2016.

Gameplay

Paragon is a third-person multiplayer online battle arena video game. The maps featured in the game are symmetrical, and bases are located at the two opposite ends of a map.^[1] Players are tasked with defeating the enemy team and destroying the core in their base.^[2] They can reach their opponents' bases through the three lanes featured in each map. Each lane is protected by defensive towers that protect the bases by attacking any incoming enemies that stand within its range automatically.^[1] The lanes are surrounded by jungles. Inside the jungle, players can find additional resources for their teams, at the risk of encountering monsters. There are also shadow pads which temporarily turn players invisible while inside.^[3]

In a match, 10 players are divided into two teams. Each player assumes control of a "hero". Each hero has their own major attack and possesses five sets of abilities,^[4] with one of them being the ultimate ability.^[1] Different heroes have different skills and weapons. For instance, Grux, an offensive hero, has the ability to smash enemies, while Muriel, a defensive hero, can aid her allies with a shield.^[5] Both teams have minions, which slowly march towards their opponents' bases and support the heroes.^[1]

When players kill an enemy hero or destroy an enemy tower, they will gain experience and card points. Before a match is about to start, players can utilize a deck, which allows players to use these card points to purchase upgrades such as health boosts and strength-enhancing artifacts for their heroes and customize them.^[6] Heroes and cards are divided into five different affinities. Each hero has two affinities, and can use the cards matching their affinities.^[3] Card packs can be purchased by reputation points, which are earned through completing a match. Players can also use real-world currency to boost their reputation points and experience points.^[5] According to Epic, the game is not pay-to-win. As a result, players can only purchase cosmetic items with real-world currency.^[7] The game also features a replay system, which allows players to observe the match as a spectator.^[8]

Development

Paragon is currently being developed by Epic Games. According to executive producer John Wasilczyk, the team was given the chance to "make anything", and had a lot of creative freedom when they started the project.^[9] One of the main goals for developing the game is to introduce action elements into the genre. To achieve this, the game features gameplay similar to a third-person shooter, and the in-game characters were designed to possess mobility skills. For example, some of the characters have the ability to leap and strike.^[10] The team focused on verticality while developing the game's maps. Such approach allowed them to turn the moments shown in MOBA CGI's trailers into an actual gameplay experience.^[9] According to Steve Superville, the game's creative director, the maps were designed to "[shape] like a bowl" so that players can look across the map easily when they respawn, observe the battle situation and plan their attacks strategically. The card system was designed to make the game more accessible for new players, to simplify the traditional item system and create more strategic choices. According to Epic, it is a feature that can help the game to differentiate itself from its competitors.^[3] Epic also transferred some of the resources for making Fortnite to Paragon's development.^[11] ESports is currently under consideration, with Wasilczyk saying that it will depend on the demand of the community and the game's popularity.^[12]

Paragon is set to be a non-boxed game released by Epic. According to Superville, the team were excited about the change as this format allows them to receive responses from the community and make adjustments at once.^[13] The game was officially announced on November 3, 2015, and the first gameplay trailer debuted at PlayStation Experience 2015.^[14][15] The game entered early access on March 18, 2016 for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows, with Cross-platform play between the two platforms common in most matches. While the product is now free-to-play, some players paid to gain access to the early access version prior to the open beta release August 16th, 2016. The early access version of the game had three versions: Founder's Pack, Challenger Packs and Master Packs. All of them featured cosmetic items, additional boosts and upgrades.^[16] At the start of the early access version, the game contained 13 characters. Epic promised that new characters would be added to the game for free one by one every three weeks and that they did not fix the roster size.^[3] An open beta for the game started on August 16, 2016.^[17] A retail PS4 version, titled Essentials Edition, which adds multiple in-game items, is also set to be released alongside the game's digital free-to-play version.^[18] The Essentials Edition was released on June 7, 2016.^[19]

References

External links

• Official website