Spectating Valve’s Deadlock: A Fresh Take on the MOBA Genre

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The last time I spectated a MOBA was over a decade ago when friends in Lord of the Rings Online invited me to watch them play League of Legends. While I wasn’t particularly interested in participating in PvP myself, I had a blast watching them play. It was exhilarating to see strategies play out in real-time, and the energy of the matches kept me hooked. However, after that, I hadn’t found another game that sparked the same level of interest—until now.

Enter Deadlock, Valve’s new 6v6 MOBA that’s currently in early development. The game is a third-person shooter with a high-energy twist, and from what I’ve seen, it’s shaping up to be a good contender in the MOBA space.

Deadlock: A Work in Progress

It’s important to note that Deadlock is still in its early stages of development. The build I watched had plenty of temporary art assets and experimental gameplay elements, so everything is very much a work in progress. Access is currently limited, available only through friend invites from playtesters, but even in this rough state, there is potential.

Spectator Mode: A Fun Way to Watch the Action

One of the standout features for me was the Spectator Mode. Deadlock offers a front-row seat to all the action, allowing viewers to get right into the thick of the battle without picking up a controller. As someone who enjoys watching more than playing in some cases, this mode was a real highlight. The matches are packed with energy, and the gameplay looks like a lot of fun to experience, even from the outside.

An Interesting Map and Diverse Characters

The map itself is intriguing, with a layout that encourages dynamic, fast-paced battles. It’s designed to keep players on their toes, whether in the thick of battle or ziplining overhead to get to the next destination.

The character roster in Deadlock is another area where Valve seems to be hitting all the right notes. From what I could see, the characters are divided into classic roles like healing, tanking, and damage dealing, but the diversity among them is what really caught my eye. Here’s a quick breakdown of the characters I noticed:

• 3+ robots
• 2+ aliens
• 3+ people of color
• 1 older Native American woman
• 1 Elvis impersonator
• 4+ women
• 6+ men, some quite burly-looking

Each character looked unique and potentially fun to play, with their designs reflecting a wide range of backgrounds and personalities. What’s particularly impressive is how Valve has managed to focus on fun first and foremost, allowing diversity to naturally follow. This approach makes the diversity feel organic rather than something that’s been forced in for the sake of inclusion.

But Not Everyone is Happy

I may have found the game fun to watch, but I’ve heard from players that the game isn’t as fun to play. Among the complaints I’ve heard are –

• Matches last too long. Since my only experience in the past has been League of Legends, I don’t know how long matches usually last in MOBAs. However, it did seem that some of them were a bit long, running close to a half hour, so I can’t discount this one.
• Gameplay is uninspired, not very engaging. From my perspective as a spectator, I found it to be quite fun to watch. However, I was also able to hop from player to player and see how each character worked. If the characters aren’t fun to play for a length of time, that will be a problem.
• Character models are ugly. What I saw as unique character designs with their own distinctive profiles and appearances, others saw as generic and ugly. Since I mainly saw them from the back, I can’t say for certain if this is true. However, there were characters I particularly liked, such as the one lady character that reminded me of Rosie the Riveter from the old WWII posters, the Elvis impersonator, and the Native American woman with the bow. We’ll have to see if the designs improve in the future.

There were other complaints too, ranging from the game crashing on launch to the lack of ranked matches and penalties for people leaving matches early. My guess is these are things this test was meant to reveal so that Valve can make the necessary changes before a full release.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Deadlock

While the game is still far from complete, and the graphics will undoubtedly evolve as development continues, I’m cautiously optimistic about the direction Deadlock is taking. I hope Valve maintains this spirit of fun, competitive gameplay first and foremost.

And as for Spectator Mode? I certainly hope it remains a permanent feature because I foresee myself watching a lot of matches in the future!