Strife is a free to play MOBA from S2 Games that I find quite interesting because it tries to make the usual MOBA formula feel a bit more approachable. I am playing on a three lane map with two teams of five, choosing a hero and trying to destroy the enemy Crux while defending my own. The basic structure is familiar, but Strife adds things like personal couriers, out of combat regeneration, pets and crafting to make the experience feel a little different. I like that the main objective is easy to understand even though there is plenty going on underneath it.
The heroes are probably the strongest part for me. Each one has four abilities and a different role to work around, so choosing a character changes how I approach the match. I also like that the heroes are available from the start rather than making me spend ages unlocking the characters I actually want to try. The combat itself can be fast and satisfying once I understand what my hero is supposed to do, and there is enough room for me to improve how I use abilities, position myself and decide when to push or back away.
One thing I really appreciate is how Strife tries to reduce some of the annoying parts of the traditional MOBA formula. The personal courier means I can have items delivered to me instead of constantly having to return to base, while the out of combat regeneration lets me recover health and mana more quickly when I stay out of a fight. Those changes do not completely transform the genre, but they make the game feel less focused on small inconveniences. I like being able to stay involved in the match instead of wasting as much time travelling back and forth.
The biggest problem for me is that the game still has the usual complexity that comes with a MOBA. There are lanes, towers, creeps, heroes, abilities, items and objectives to keep track of, so it can take a while before everything starts making sense. I can enjoy that depth once I get comfortable, but the learning process is not exactly simple. The game also feels very tied to its original 2015 design, and even though the community has kept the game playable, it does not have the same level of polish or modern presentation that I would expect from a newer MOBA.
I also think Strife is at its best when I focus on the actual combat and strategy rather than expecting a huge amount of variety outside the main match structure. The three lane setup gives me plenty to think about, and the ability to choose different heroes means I can approach matches in different ways. There are also pets and crafting systems that give the game some extra personality. I like these additions, although they do not completely solve the fact that the core experience is still built around the same type of match each time.
The age of the game is probably the biggest thing I have to accept. Strife originally released in 2015, and it later went through a period where the original servers were shut down before the game was brought back through community support. The fact that it is still playable and has received later updates is impressive, but I can still feel that this is an older MOBA rather than a modern one. For me, that gives it a certain charm, but it also means I have to be more forgiving about the presentation and overall feel.
Overall, Strife is a solid MOBA that I think had some genuinely good ideas behind it. I like the hero variety, straightforward objective, personal couriers, faster regeneration and the attempt to make the genre less frustrating without removing its strategic side. The learning curve and older presentation hold it back, and the basic match structure can become repetitive when I have played enough games. Even so, I think there is a good amount to enjoy here if I want an older MOBA with a slightly different approach to the usual formula. It is not one of the biggest games in the genre, but I can see why I would keep coming back to it when I want some quick team based strategy.
Rating: 7.7/10
