Valorant is one of the most popular multiplayer tactical-shooter games in the world currently. Already established as a top esports game, the Riot Games‘ release has seen a lot of success, apart from its very popular League of Legends. Having released just 3-4 years back, the PC title has already announced a mobile port soon, scheduled to release sooner than later. With Chinese fans already able to try out Valorant Mobile closed beta in China which was released this month, here are the first impressions from someone who has been playing the PC version since its launch.
After its initial announcement was made on June 2021, we have seen glimpses of gameplay screenshots that were circulated on the internet. Now more videos are floating on the internet and showing clips of tutorial, gameplay, and more. The gameplay is in Chinese, but that hasn’t stopped us from analyzing the bits and pieces of the game.
Valorant Mobile China Closed Beta animations look as good as it can be on a handheld device on its first impressions
The initial cinematics looks similar to the initial Valorant trailer which did release with the PC release a few years back. We see a source of energy that our beloved Valorant agents have to protect for the good of the world, and it reveals most of the older agents Jett, Brimstone, Reyna, Phoenix along with relatively newer faces of Yoru, Skye, which were released on the PC version later. Overall, the opening cinematic looks sick and promises a lot more agents on release, compared to its PC counterpart on release.
This cinematic trailer leads us to the tutorial screen where we see the fan-favourite Jett, providing tips to the newbie who has just now installed Valorant. The voice commentary and the voicelines for agents are in Chinese, for the time being.
Giving a proper walkthrough on the tutorial screen, players would learn about gunplay mechanics, abilities usage and more. Once we are into the main menu, we will see short clips for each of the agent’s abilities explained through short clips, which are not available on the PC version. Players can select their favourite layout (two-finger or three-finger) for the game, which would suit them and change the buttons, if required, in further settings.
The developers can work more on game mechanics and optimizations
Once the real game kicks in with players around the map, we see Sage guiding the new player to the basics of spike-planting, sites, and how to buy guns from the buy menu. The new player plays out the character of Sova, who uses recon to search out players on the map and can send Owl Drone to scan out close corners and locations.
The Hunter’s Fury is also used by Sova to apply some damage to the revealed players hiding in corners. The abilities look good on play here, but the developers should factor in how the screen would look when multiple abilities from different agents are played at the same time, which is a common game mechanic in PC Valorant.
The gunplay mechanics look a bit mediocre for players, which was a bit of concern to players in earlier gameplay clips too. This is nothing but the basic gun mechanic, of why the first-person shooter doesn’t particularly look good on a touchscreen. The controls on a physical controller or mouse involve a lot of clicks and dragging motions, which don’t translate directly to a digital touchscreen. This, along with so many abilities for each agent on the screen makes the game screen look clumsy.
Although, this has nothing to do with the developers, who have made a good effort for now, by properly porting the ability mechanics which look good on mobile. In my opinion, the gunplay mechanics should be rethought, where the sprays and taps from the guns should feel different.
The movement is one more area that looks decent though. Although, this is a product that is still in development, and Riot Games have said that they won’t release the game until it feels good on mobile. Rest assured, we are in the best hands to expect a good game from Riot Games.
Final Thoughts
The graphics and UI look cool and simpler, and most of the work which Riot Games’ have put into the game for abilities mechanics is commendable enough. The game has also introduced a number of famous skin lines such as Elderflame, Blastx, Ruination, and Singularity which are available in the game store.
Already introducing a lot of features, the developers have a lot of time to perfect their game, and will surely put sincere efforts into it. At this moment, Valorant Mobile still looks a year or two away from a global launch and undoubtedly Valorant fans are super excited to try out the game in the palm of their hands.
What are your thoughts on the first impressions of Valorant Mobile China, which was released as closed beta? Let us know in the comments below.
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