1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 2.60 / 5)
Loading...

Deadbreed

Deadbreed is a 3D dark fantasy/medieval horror themed MOBA where fully customizable heroes, called Breeds, fight to gain the right to live again. The game features unique maps and RPG elements that help it stand apart from typical MOBA’s.

Publisher: Deadbreed AB
Playerbase: Low
Type: MOBA
Release Date: April 15, 2016
Pros: +Freedom to choose character roles. +Unique maps with boss fights at the end. +Lots of items and powerful customizable artifacts.
Cons: -Timed matches. -Sluggish controls. -Rotating heroes/breeds. -Matches limited to three 3v3 two-lane maps. -Heavy-handed cash shop.

x

Overview

Deadbreed Overview

Fight as a warrior of the Night, a champion of the Day, or as a Half-breed caught between two worlds, to escape the confines of the netherworld in the 3D medieval horror themed MOBA Deadbreed. Take your pick from dozens of Breeds, or heroes, and choose how you want to play. Each breed has the potential to be a Tank, DPS, Mage, or support depending on what items you equip them with. Fight it out with other players in up to 3v3 timed matches set in dark eerily-themed two-lane maps. Ensure victory by taking out the enemy boss at the end of the map before the timer runs out or earn points for your team by killing enemy Breeds, destroying towers, or by capturing and burning the opposing team’s flag. Collect multiple resource types, such as Spirit from fallen enemies, or Blood from the Blood Tree, and use them to empower your abilities or to summon powerful mobs to fight for you. Earn gold to buy upgradable equipment and powerful customizable Artifacts that can easily tip the scales in your favor.

Deadbreed Key Features:

  • Player-centric Customization – customize how your Heroes look, as well as their capabilities in battle. Breeds level up and grow stronger the more they are used.
  • Choose Your Role – choose how you want to play your character at the start of the match and switch roles on the fly by changing your Hero’s equipment.
  • Fast-paced Gameplay – matches are timed which makes for shorter and faster-paced matches compared to typical MOBA’s.
  • Multiple Resource Types – collect multiple resource types from your surroundings and use them to increase the effectiveness of your abilities, activate traps, or summon powerful beings to fight for you.
  • Unique Map Elements – fight it out in unique maps that feature PvE dungeons, summonable units, along with gigantic bosses waiting for you at the end of the road.
  • Powerful Sentinels – choose from one of three hell-bound deities that will serve as the final challenge for those powerful enough to reach your end of the map.

Deadbreed Screenshots

no images were found

Deadbreed Featured Video

Deadbreed Announcement Trailer

Full Review

Deadbreed Review

By, Marc Marasigan

Deadbreed is a free-to-play 3D medieval-horror/dark-fantasy themed MOBA where undead Breeds, or heroes, fight among each other for the right to be resurrected and escape the confines of the underworld. Matches are set in eerily-themed battle arenas ranging from a mist-covered graveyard to the scorching lava pits of hell itself. The game’s graphics can be compared to a slightly low quality version of Diablo 3, emanating the same dark fantasy vibe. But animations, especially the ability animations, look and feel a bit sluggish. The background music and ambient sounds are ok and fit perfectly with the dark and creepy theme.

Entering The Underworld

Players launching the game for the first time are given the option to complete a quick gameplay tutorial guided by pop-up boxes and a somewhat creepy sounding voice-over, which walks players through the menus found in the game lobby and buying their first Breed. Yes, you read it right. Not only are Breeds rotated, they also need to be unlocked before you can use them. The tutorial ends with a full practice match against AI opponents.

While it’s possible to skip the tutorial altogether and jump right into the action, I’d recommend going through the tutorial even if you’re a triple-killing MOBA god since Deadbreed has a number of gameplay elements not normally found in your typical MOBA. Aside from earning gold, players can also collect various resource orbs scattered across the map, such as Nectar from flowers in the Graveyard map, Blood from the Blood Tree, and Mirage orbs from the Mirage map, as well as Spirit orbs that can be obtained by killing enemy units. These orbs can be used to increase the effectiveness of skills or to summon trolls, golems, and other undead creatures to fight for your team. All of which are taught in the tutorial.

Breeds

For the most part, although confined to 3vs3 two-lane matches, Deadbreed plays exactly like any other MOBA. Two opposing teams try to reach the opponent’s end of the map by pushing up lanes defended by regularly-spawned mobs, defensive towers, and opponents trying to push the other way. Unlike typical MOBA’s Deadbreed allows players to change each Breed’s role according to their own play styles or even in the middle of matches to counter the opposing team’s strategies. Because Breeds come with different stats, some Breeds are better suited for specific roles. Although each Breed can readily perform the role of Tank, DPS, Mage, Support, or any combination of roles by mixing and matching their equipment. Brimstone’s stats and skills, for example, are great in either a melee or ranged DPS role but there’s nothing stopping you from swapping out his bow or sword for a staff and switching to a mage.

Dangerous Deities

In typical MOBA’s players need to destroy the enemy base to win the match, but in Deadbreed players need to kill the opposing team’s Sentinel. Sentinels are large and powerful deities of the underworld guarding the end of each map and function like raid bosses. Each team has a choice of three Sentinels that they vote upon, or in-game terms pay devotion to, at the start of every match—each with their own strengths and weaknesses as well as stats that change depending on how you and your teammates performed in previous matches with the chosen Sentinel. Winning matches raises the stats of your chosen Sentinel for subsequent matches while losing matches lowers them. This can be a real pain when you finally reach the end of the map and come face to face with a Sentinel on steroids. While it’s possible to take on a Sentinal all by yourself doing so with the help of your teammates makes it that much easier, not to mention a whole lot faster considering that matches are timed. Which brings us to…

Sorry, Time’s Up

Unlike conventional MOBA’s matches in Deadbreed are limited to 25 minutes. What the developers were thinking when they added this feature is beyond me. Especially when you consider that in most MOBA’s the 25 minute mark is usually where things start to get interesting. Personally, I think it’s a double edged sword. On one hand it cuts the game well short of the average one hour matches in most MOBA’s. On the other it makes for faster matches and helps to deter the type of players who absolutely need to have their end-game items completed before finishing the match regardless of how long it takes, much to the annoyance of the opposing team and sometimes even their teammates. What happens when time runs out? Well, it then comes down to points.

Point Taken

When both teams fail to kill the sentinel before time runs out the team with the most points wins the match. Points can be acquired by killing enemy Breeds, destroying towers, and by using resource orbs to activate summoning stones. Points are also awarded to players who successfully capture and destroy the opposing team’s flag. Yes, there’s a capture the flag mini-game incorporated into the match, and if that’s not enough there’s also a PvE dungeon located in every map where players can earn a little extra gold and experience much like the jungle areas in typical MOBA maps.

Not Your Average MOBA

Deadbreed also incorporates character progression. Breeds gain experience points and rank up the more they’re used. Ranking up increases their base stats. Players can also socket resource orbs into end-game items called Artifacts to temporarily boost their stats until the end of the match. Personally, socketing Artifacts is OK but having the ability to rank up Breeds disrupts the game balance and makes it a game based on how long you’ve been playing instead of plain old-fashioned skill which MOBA’s are known for.

Cash Shop

As if heroes that grow stronger over time wasn’t enough, every item including Breeds can also easily be bought using real-world money, even equipment during matches. Every item can be bought using either Copper coins, the in-game currency, or Silver coins, which use real cash. This might seem like a good thing but the difference between the copper and silver prices is just ridiculous. An artifact, for example, costs thousands of copper coins but only a hundred or so silver coins to purchase. A considerable amount of grinding is necessary to save up for one of these items especially considering that players can only gain up to 100 copper coins per match.

Final Verdict – Good

Deadbreed is a game with a whole lot of potential and is quite enjoyable on the rare times that I actually got to play with live players. Although the game still needs a lot of work for it to have any hope of competing against well-established MOBA’s like DOTA 2 or League of Legends and avoid joining the list of now defunct MOBA’s like DC-themed Infinite Crisis. Moving away from the money-grabbing model for one would help to encourage more players to try it. As it is though, you’re better off sticking with DOTA or whatever MOBA you’re currently imbibed in, unless you’re a die-hard fan or have nothing better to do.

Screenshots

Deadbreed Screenshots

Videos

Deadbreed Videos

Deadbreed® Launch Trailer

System Requirements

Deadbreed System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows Vista 32-bit
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.4 GHz | AMD Athlon X2, 2.8 GHz or better
RAM: 2 GB RAM
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8600/9600GT | AMD Radeon HD2600/3600
Direct X: DirectX 9.0
Hard Disk Space:  8 GB available space

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows  7, 8 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5 750, 2.67 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 965, 3.4GHz or better
RAM: 4 GB RAM or more
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 | AMD Radeon HD 6950 or better
Direct X: DirectX 12.0
Hard Disk Space:  8 GB or more available space

*Windows XP and below not supported.

Music

Deadbreed Music & Soundtrack

Coming Soon!

Additional Info

Deadbreed Additional Information

Developer: Deadbreed AB
Publisher: Deadbreed AB

Distributor: Steam

Early Access Release Date: June 2015
Official Release Date: April 15, 2016

Development History / Background:

Deadbreed is a free-to-play dark fantasy themed 3D MOBA developed and published by Deadbreed AB, an independent game development company made up of Swedish industry veterans. The project was started in November, 2013 and was initially released as a paid Early Access game on Steam in June 2014. The game shifted to a free-to-play microtransaction model upon its official release on April 15, 2016.