Raid: Shadow Legends
| RAID: Shadow Legends | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Plarium Games |
| Publisher(s) | Plarium Games |
| Writer(s) | Paul C. R. Monk |
| Composer(s) | Paul C. R. Monk |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Android,iOS,iPadOS,Microsoft Windows,MacOS |
| Release | July 4, 2018[1] |
| Genre(s) | RPG,gacha[2] |
RAID: Shadow Legendsis a mobilerole-playing gamedeveloped and published byIsraeligame developerPlarium Games,a subsidiary of the gambling companyAristocrat Leisure.Aportto PC was released on January 21, 2020.[3]It is best known for its aggressive sponsorships, which became a subject of an internet meme. It received mixed reviews from critics.
Gameplay
[edit]
RAID: Shadow Legendsis a fantasy-themed,turn-basedrole-playinggacha game.[4]The game's story takes place in the fictional realm of Teleria, which has been subjugated by the Dark Lord Siroth. Players take the role of an ancient Telerian warrior resurrected to defeat the Dark Lord Siroth and restore peace and harmony to the territory of Teleria. Players must assemble an army for battles in settings such as castles, dungeons, deserts and temples defended by enemies and possible allies.[4]Throughout the game, players accumulateShards,vessels containing the souls of past warriors. Shards come in four types with different properties. The game has two forms of currency:Silver,which is relatively easy to come by, andGems,which are a lot more difficult to acquire. There is also a cost inEnergyfor running any of the campaign and dungeon stages. Without Energy you can't progress in the campaign. It runs out quickly, and after the first day players will have to be very careful not to waste it.
The game consists primarily of story-driven single-player campaign with twelve levels, each level made up of seven stages with four levels of difficulty.[4]The single-player campaign is interconnected with a multiplayer component, theArena,to decide player rankings. Players can also joinClans,through which members fight aClan Bosstogether, which brings advanced rewards. The games slogan is "Let's Play Together."
The game's narrative was written by Paul C. R. Monk,[4]and the game adopts a Western art style, and settings inspired bydark fantasy.
Reception
[edit]RAID: Shadow Legendshas been praised for its graphics but criticized for its aggressive monetization in the form ofmicrotransactions.Pocket Gamercommended the "sheer graphic quality", for its "beautifully rendered and animated" characters and a "generous experience for new players".[5]TheGamerheavily criticized the game, citing its lack of depth andfreemiumstructure, describing it as "the epitome of pay to win".[6]Gamezebopraised the game for trading "the typicalanime-style visuals for a more realistic, dark fantasy look ", going on to write about" the truly stunning experience, with some of the finest attack animations and environmental effects we've seen in the genre so far. "However, the article also criticises the game's underlying monetization, pointing out that progress is difficult," particularly if you don’t plan on spending any actual money on the various upgrades ".[7]In its review,BlueStacksalso praised the visuals, saying, "The animations are simply spectacular, with the quality the likes you seldom see in these games," and concluding that "players that enjoy fantasy combat with a more realistic approach—similar toThe Lord of the Rings—will likely have a very good time withRaid: Shadow Legends."[2]South African technology websitehtxt.africapraised the graphics, but overall found it boring with too manymicrotransactions.[8]Droid Gamerssaid it brings nothing new to the gacha RPG genre.[9]
Sponsorships and advertising
[edit]The game has received substantial attention for its aggressive advertising campaign, most notably itssponsorshipsof a number ofYouTube,Twitch,andVimeocontent-creators, leading to it becoming anInternet meme.[10]
In February 2020, two tweets from a Plarium customer support agent onRaid'sTwitterfeed, claiming thatRaiddoes not sponsor but rather "cooperates" withYouTubecreators, gained online attention for its violations ofFTC-rules requiring payments for endorsements to be disclosed to the public. Various creators contradicted this tweet, openly-stating that they were sponsored byRaidor have received offers from Plarium involvingRaid-related sponsorship-deals. Plarium later posted a tweet clarifying that its earlier tweets were referring to tutorials andRaid-focused videos, not its marketing campaign.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^"RAID: Shadow Legends - Apps on Google Play".Google Play.Retrieved6 February2024.
- ^ab"RAID: Shadow Legends—a grittier and realistic twist to traditional gacha games".BlueStacks.7 March 2019.Retrieved18 December2019.
- ^"Plarium Releases Acclaimed Collection RPG 'RAID: Shadow Legends' on PC".www.businesswire.com.2020-01-21.Retrieved2020-06-22.
- ^abcdTakahashi, Dean (28 February 2019)."Plarium's Raid: Shadow Legends takes collectible RPGs into mobile".VentureBeat.Retrieved4 July2019.
- ^Jordan, Jon (25 March 2019)."How does Raid: Shadow Legends engage, retain and monetise?".Pocket Gamer.Retrieved18 December2019.
- ^"Raid: Shadow Legends Is Absolute Trash And We're Not Afraid To Say It".TheGamer.2020-03-04.Retrieved2020-06-22.
- ^Fox, Glen (1 March 2019)."Raid: Shadow Legends Guide – Tips, Cheats and Strategies".Gamezebo.Retrieved4 July2019.
- ^Lotz, Brendyn (13 August 2019)."We played Raid: Shadow Legends so you don't have to".HTXT.Retrieved7 April2020.
- ^Mayhew, Ash (3 March 2019)."Raid: Shadow Legends Review – The gacha RPG to rule them all?".Droid Gamers.Retrieved7 April2020.
- ^Roque, Jack (27 December 2019)."Plarium's Aggressive Marketing of RAID: Shadow Legends Pays Off".Gamer Empire.Retrieved14 March2020.
- ^"Raid Shadow Legends Twitter Account Claims They Do Not Sponsor Anyone *Updated* | Gameverse".gameverse.com.Retrieved2021-11-04.
- ^Worrall, William (2020-02-28)."Raid: Shadow Legends Just Got Caught in the Stupidest Lie Imaginable".CCN.com.Retrieved2021-11-04.
External links
[edit]- RAID: Shadow Legends- on Plarium.com