Awesomenauts - Initial Thoughts

About the Game (From the Steam Store Page)

The year is 3587. Conflict spans the stars as huge robot armies are locked in an enduring stalemate. In their bid for galactic supremacy, they call upon the most powerful group of mercenaries in the universe: the Awesomenauts!

Awesomenauts is a MOBA fitted into the form of an accessible 3-on-3 action platformer. Head out to the online battlefields together with your friends as an online party or in local splitscreen, and never worry about having to wait for an online match because of drop-in matchmaking!

Devise strategies as you upgrade and customize each character's skills to suit your playing style. Expect new items, features, DLC and Awesomenauts to be added regularly!

Previous Playtime

0 hours

Expectations and Prior Experience

I've just heard the name. I can't even remember the original context or anything that went on in the discussion, but I've heard this game talked about before. I have a vague impression that the opinion of those talking about it was favorable, and that appears to be born out by the Steam reviews (although a lot of the more recent ones are negative, apparently due to a change in the game's rules).

I like the looks of the screenshots. It reminds me of one of my favorite console games Viewtiful Joe, and while I'm sure it's not a great match, a side-scrolling action game with colorful, cartoony graphics doesn't have to do a lot to win my affection.

My biggest concern is that it's a MOBA. I've only played one game of the genre with any persistence (Demigod), and while I enjoyed it well enough, it struck me as the sort of game that really only comes alive with multiple players. I enjoy playing games with other people, but I get a little uncomfortable meeting random strangers, and playing with friends is made difficult by my crazy, upside-down schedule (plus the wifi at the hotel is . . . unreliable).

I'm hoping that Awesomenauts has an entertaining single-player mode (and, more importantly, a pausable single-player mode) so I can get some mileage out of it while I'm at work. Otherwise, this one is going to take an unexpectedly long time to finish.