In-development blockchain MOBA Wildcard has detailed “hotly requested” updates to the game’s combat mechanics, including the debut of punch combos and the “log-zooka”.
Champion character Bolgar gets those new abilities, as well as combat moves including dash, auto-magnet and drop kicks, Wildcard co-founder Paul Bettner and game director Dan Hurd explained during a Wildcard AMA this week.
“Bolgar is really shaping up – his specific kit is shaping into being more of a brawler, a kind of a heavy-hitter character,” Hurd said.
Bolgar will also be able to step forward as part of his punch combo – “one, two, three and he will knock things away on his third punch” – which helps a player connect, and he will auto-magnet to what’s in his range, Hurd said.
“[The combo and auto-magnet] were two of the most hotly requested and, I think, most vital changes needed to make a functioning combat system.”
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A player will also auto-regenerate health if they have not taken damage in a long time, which Hurd likened to a halo overshield. “It keeps health management from being a thing,” he said.
Hurd also talked through Bolgar’s new drop-kick move, which does “a ton of damage”.
“His drop-kick hits hard but he does have a recovery, so you get punished if you use that stupidly or try to abuse it. Things can keep hitting you while you’re on the ground.”
Hurd shared footage of Bolgar blasting his new “log-zooka” and his new dash mechanic.
“The dash is missing a bit of functionality that we’re going to add to it, which is if he hits an opposing creature or champion, it will punt them away.”
Bettner said he and Hurd wanted Wildcard’s arena experience to feel like their favourite fighting games.
“Whether we’re talking about Street Fighter or Smash Brothers, or the 3D fighting games that Dan and I like to point back to – like this one called Power Stone that we love – there’s these features in those games that make them feel so good to just run around and beat things up with your main character.
“And we wanted to take our champions’ core abilities and their special abilities to that level of feeling, like our favourite fighting games, which is really good control and response.”
The update also included a look a the new Arden arena – complete with grass – as well as a new goalie game mode (players will need to “KO” the goalie), community leaderboards and the Wild File ID, which is a record of everything players do in the Wildcard ecosystem and allows a player to save their nickname or alias.
For a full breakdown on those changes, and more on Bolgar’s new combat moves, watch this analysis video from Wildcard world champion Caveman:
