Wild Rift Review: What to Expect From the Game

Every gamer will surely be familiar with League of Legends. It’s a game that took the world by storm and is even the subject of many gaming tournaments across the world. The game was only available on PC, but that has changed with the release of Wild Rift, the mobile counterpart of the game.

But what exactly makes Wild Rift good? Is it at par with its PC counterpart? In this article, we’re going to take a look at the game and help you decide whether it’s worth playing or not.

What Is Wild Rift?

Wilf Rift is a 5-vs-5 MOBA game that brings a new perspective to the well-loved game, League of Legends (LoL). Contrary to its PC counterpart, Wild Rift is an entirely new gaming concept for the LoL franchise that was developed for mobile.

The game is playable on Android and iOS. It’s also set to be made available for consoles.

Essentially, the game is built to be a faster and fresher way of playing League of Legends. Wild Rift keeps the original’s multiplayer game concept and its strategic and competitive gameplay. But it’s more fast-paced as games are only expected to last around 15 to 20 minutes.

The game is an abridged version of the original League of Legends game. Wild Rift completely separates itself from the original by having its own roster of champions and exclusive content releases.

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League of Legends vs. Wild Rift: What’s the Difference?

There are many similarities and differences between the original League of Legends and Wild Rift. Despite being set in the same Rift world and having similar champions, there’s a lot that makes the two games differ from each other.

Here are three differences between LoL and Wild Rift that you should take note of.

Champions

Most LoL players will have favorite champions, and some might worry if their favorites won’t be available on Wild Rift. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that as over 40 LoL champions are currently available in Wild Rift’s roster. While they use the same champions, the build for the characters is different, which means that you might have to spend some time getting used to Wild Rift champions.

World

The map used in Wild Rift will be familiar to most gamers. It’s modeled after the map of Summoner’s Rift which has been redeveloped to make games faster. The titular Wild Rift is designed to be responsive and made so that the experience will be as crisp as the original League game on PC.

There are also notable differences when it comes to each team’s Nexus. Contrary to the original game, the base turrets that protect the Nexus have been removed. Instead, the Nexus will protect itself from enemies by firing shots within its radius. Another notable difference is the Ward Zones where players can gain control of a certain zone by standing within the zone.

Ranking

LoL players are very familiar and serious about the game’s ranking. A ranking system also exists in Wild Rift, however, you won’t be able to participate in ranked matches until a certain level. Wild Rift players will have to be within the Iron and Emerald ranks to be able to be eligible to be included in the game’s ranking. From there, you’ll have to earn points by winning.

Wild Rift doesn’t make ranking up easy either. While you will be able to earn points with every win, you will also lose points for every loss. However, the game’s “Ranked Fortitude” will help you prevent losing points if you just happen to lose.

Wild Rift Review

With all the buzz around the game, many gamers expect much from it. Here’s a quick look at Wild Rift that will hopefully help you manage your expectations of the game.

Gameplay

Wild Rift’s gameplay is similar to your typical 5v5 MOBA game. The gameplay is smooth and fast-paced with just a couple of differences from the PC version. As mentioned, the map is different and there are also differences in the turret system and warding of Wild Rift. The majority of the differences in gameplay are more apparent in the skills and abilities of the game’s champions.

The in-game layout of Wild Rift features a minimap on the top and the skills and attack buttons in the lower-right corner. It’s very similar to other MOBA games such as Mobile Legends in terms of the layout.

Players can choose to play between two game modes, the Classic and the Co-Op vs AI mode. The Classic Mode features the regular 5-vs-5 matches where you’ll be matched with other players. The Classic Mode also includes the Ranked Game that will help you identify your player standing in Wild Rift. On the other hand, the Co-Op vs AI mode pits you and your team against a team of bot-controlled champions. This mode is helpful especially if you’re looking to farm for things such as points and gold.

In all, the gameplay is not that unique and is pretty similar to other PvP MOBA games in the market today.

Graphics

Graphics-wise, you can expect bright, crisp, and clear graphics from Wild Rift. Since the game has been optimized for mobile, the graphics of the game translate much better through a mobile screen. Wild Rift’s graphics ultimately contribute to the game’s overall gaming experience so it’s best to play on a phone that can support the graphic demands of the game. Otherwise, it might not be the same.

Controls

Wild Rift supports a twin-stick control scheme. One stick is used to maneuver the character, and the other is used to aim the champion’s attack and abilities. As for controller support, it currently isn’t available on Wild Rift yet. However, Riot Games has said that controller support for the game is currently in the works and can be expected soon.

Wild Rift’s camera can be found at the map’s bottom left. It’s oriented with the Allied Base and is marked to indicate the objectives within a certain path. It’s pretty easy to get used to the game’s controls if you’re not new to playing MOBA as it is mostly the same thing.

System Requirements

Excited to play the game yet? Hold up, you might want to review the game’s system requirements first to ensure a flawless gaming experience.

If you find that your phone lacks the specs needed to run the game, you might want to invest in a gaming phone to be able to play the game properly.

Overall Gaming Experience

Overall, the gaming experience of the game can be described as rich. While the concept might not be entirely new, its competitive and strategic components make the game much more appealing to those looking for something a bit different. With it’s improved ranking system, it can be expected that Wild Rift will certainly leave an impression on competitive players. Otherwise, it’s also a great game for casual gaming between groups of friends.

Wild Rift: Which Champions Are Available?

In the spirit of the original game, Wild Rift features 49 of your favorite LoL champions from Akali down to Ziggs. But there are significant differences when it comes to their abilities and graphics.

For starters, the champions have a level cap of 15 instead of 18. Their abilities, on the other hand, have the maximum Rank of 5 for basic abilities and levels 5/9/13 for ultimate abilities. This is to accommodate the changes in the gameplay and the ranking system that Wild Rift has.

As for character design, some champions will stay the same. However, some have also received revisions for their Wild Rift counterparts for various reasons including censorship. Players will still be able to obtain and purchase skins for their champions in Wild Rift should they opt to do so.

Wild Rift features six champion classes and they are as follows:

Assassins

Abilities: This class has great maneuverability and deals high damage against opponents. They are usually in risky positions to deal damage but they can, of course, protect themselves from incoming damage with special defensive tricks.

Champions: Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, Fiora, Fizz, Kaiza, Lee Sin, Master Yi, Vayne, Yasuo, and Zed

Fighters

Abilities: Fighters specialize in short-range combat. They deal a decent amount of damage and can withstand damage from enemies. They’re an incredibly great class to play as they can continuously deal damage.

Champions: Camille, Dr. Mundo, Fiora, Garen, Graves, Jarvan IV, Jax, Lee Sin, Master Yi, Nasus, Olaf, Shyvana, Tryndamere, Vi, Xin Zhao, and Yasuo

Mages

Abilities: Mages inflict great magic damage and can deal with enemy crowd control. They can use their abilities together to create powerful combos that deal a heavy amount of damage. However, the Mage class is quite weak against direct strikes, so it’s best to take caution when you get too close to an enemy if you’re playing a mage.

Champions: Ahri, Annie, Aurelion Sol, Ezreal, Fizz, Gragas, Janna, Jhin, Lux, Miss Fortune, Nami, Orianna, Seraphine, Singed, Sona, Soraka, Twisted Fate, Varus, and Ziggs

Marksmen

Abilities: Marksmen have ranged abilities that revolve around their basic attacks. They can continuously deal massive amounts of damage from a distance and have the ability to take down opponents from afar.

Champions: Ashe, Ezreal, Graves, Jhin, Jinx, Kai’Sa, Miss Fortune, Twisted Fate, Varus, and Vayne

Supports

Abilities: Support champions usually carry a vulnerable teammate through the first few stages of the game. They usually contribute to the team by farming for items such as gold while aiding a teammate if they happen to find themselves in the middle of a brawl.

Champions: Alistar, Annie, Ashe, Blitzcrank, Braum, Janna, Lux, Nami, Orianna, Seraphine, Sona, and Soraka

Tanks

Abilities: Tanks are champions who primarily disrupt enemies, remove threats, and build base defenses. They might not deal the biggest damage but they do have great crowd control that helps keep enemies at bay.

Champions: Alistar, Amumu,  Blitzcrank, Braum, Dr. Mundo, Garen, Gragas, Jarvan IV, Malphite, Nasus, Shyvana, Singed, and Xin Zhao

Is Wild Rift Cross-Platform Compatible?

Unfortunately, the game is not cross-platform compatible. As mentioned, the game was built specifically for mobile platforms. Wild Rift is not just a replica of the PC version despite having a few similarities. Hence, cross-platform play or integration between the original League of Legends game and Wilf Rift will not be possible. It is a wise move from the part of Riot Games not to enable cross-play as there’s an obvious disparity in the competitiveness between mobile and PC gaming.

Final Word

Despite being very similar to other MOBA games, Wild Rift looks to be a promising game. Fans of the League of Legends franchise will surely appreciate how the game translates into mobile. The game is still in these early stages as it was just released in October 2020. But in all, the game is looking to be a great one. Gamers can only expect the best from the game in the coming future.