Tactical FPS video games similar to Valorant want good maps. They’re important for producing the kind of partaking, balanced, and aggressive gameplay that provides beginning to a constant participant base at launch after which makes viable esports competitors additional down the road.
Developer Riot Video games has been particularly below the microscope on this regard since Valorant’s launch again in 2020, largely for 2 causes: first, Valorant is destined to ceaselessly be in comparison with Counter-Strike, a sport that kind of wrote the rulebook for tac-FPS map design and from which Valorant borrows an enormous quantity; second, Riot Recreation has been clear in its objective to create the world’s subsequent huge Esport from the soar, and so the strain is on to characteristic maps that match that invoice.
The extremely anticipated launch of a brand new map known as Pearl this week is simply the sport’s eighth in complete, and it truly replaces Break up to maintain the pool at simply seven for the foreseeable future. High quality over amount has been Riot’s ethos, it appears, and but Valorant has undergone some criticism for the design of its maps to date. A lot of that criticism has centered across the inclusion of varied gimmicks, from Bind’s lack of mid to Fracture’s round design and unusual ziplines to Breeze’s comically giant measurement.
For Pearl, although, Riot has considerably gone again to fundamentals, and over the previous 5 or so days taking part in the map in early entry, I’ve discovered it to be a refreshing change of tempo that I believe can be well-received by its participant base.
Earlier than we discuss design and map structure, although, let’s discuss Pearl’s aesthetic. If you happen to’ve seen final week’s trailer or checked out varied content material creator streams or montages throughout early entry, then you definitely’ll be up to the mark. For everybody else, Pearl takes place in a Portuguese metropolis submerged below the ocean’s waves, protected by an infinite geo-dome. It’s slightly weird however undeniably cool and expands on Valorant’s mysterious and fascinating lore in intelligent methods. There’s even a brand new cinematic trailer to associate with it.
I like the look and vibe of Pearl basically, which is enjoyable and fantastical in a approach that feels acceptable for Valorant. However the actual appeal of Pearl is in the best way that it performs.
One of the best tac-shooter maps of all time are, at their core, essentially easy in design. With Pearl, Riot Video games has kind of adopted this precept, because it options three essential lanes main towards two Spike Websites. There’s a small mid space, linked to the websites by two slender hyperlinks and, once more, in contrast to earlier maps, there aren’t any teleporters, doorways, or ziplines.
Typically, Pearl includes a good mixture of slender and large corridors which have each quick and lengthy sightlines. There are areas of the map the place close-range engagements are aplenty, however equally, some that put the give attention to goal duels. Crucially, and in contrast to lots of Valorant’s maps, Pearl’s design affords attacking groups loads of house to maneuver with out falling into defender sightlines through the early spherical. That is considerably uncommon for Valorant; even on a few of the sport’s most attacking-sided maps, the defenders all the time have the benefit each within the velocity with which they will peek essential sightlines and rotate rapidly between key areas of the map.
Break up, the map which has now been faraway from Valorant’s pool and changed with Pearl, is not an instance of an attack-friendly map however does function an fascinating comparability to Pearl and an instance of the kind of points that plague Valorant map design. Funnily sufficient, the 2 maps have an identical really feel when it comes to aesthetics however couldn’t be extra polar reverse with respect to gameplay.
In Break up, attackers have loads of house to maneuver round, however solely in completely irrelevant areas of the map. As quickly as attackers transfer into contested areas similar to A Essential/Ramp, Mid, or B Storage, they’re below strain and probably overwhelmed to the house by aggressive defending groups. The primary choke factors of the map are additionally slender and favor the defenders, who’re additionally capable of rapidly rotate between the 2 websites far faster than the attackers.
Pearl, although, flips this round and places attackers in cost. It’s they who arrive at key sightlines similar to mid-first, which –as I’ve mentioned in my latest Pearl technique information— I believe is more likely to show a key space of the map in aggressive play. Elsewhere, on A website, the defenders have loads of time to organize for attackers however aren’t capable of see a lot earlier than they arrive as a result of form of the hall that leads there. In the meantime, over on B, there’s mainly no choke level and attackers can 5-man rush onto website with ease and get a simple plant.
One other blight for defenders is the sluggish rotate time between the 2 websites, which I’m positive will imply a number of huge retake skirmishes between groups. After all, attackers even have the identical sluggish rotate situation however provided that they don’t have sturdy mid management, which is once more why it’s more likely to show so essential.
My solely slight concern with Pearl’s structure is that pushing by mid as attacking groups does appear dangerous. You could be flanked simply, and you must go by secondary choke factors that are very slender. I wonder if the meta goes to devolve into quick pushes towards one website or one other, with only a single lurker mid, virtually much like what we see on Icebox? It’s arduous to inform this early and with solely my expertise taking part in non-competitive video games in early entry.
What I can say is that Pearl feels enjoyable to play. There’s one thing about it that’s thrilling and appears to create all kinds of entertaining gameplay, from long-range duels to large mid-clashes to stealthy lurk performs. I can see so many alternatives for intelligent utility utilization, and I’m positive sentinels like Cypher and Killjoy could be meta at a time when Chamber is so standard.
In comparison with Valorant’s final map, Fracture, which jogged my memory of old-school Counter-Strike maps that have been purpose-built for esports, similar to clan1_mill and CPL_fire, Pearl feels extra accessible. There’s heaps to be taught and loads of angles to be frightened about, positive, but it surely’s pretty straightforward to grasp basically. I believe new gamers can soar into Pearl and have enjoyable, and there’s equally a depth for hardcore veterans of the sport to interact with on a strategic degree.
Is Pearl Valorant’s finest map to date? In all probability not, but it surely’s been tremendous entertaining to play to date and I’m glad to see the event group step away from attempting to reinvent the wheel and return to an easier design.
