There are many reasons behind our decision to choose The Machines Arena, or simply TMA, for the next game review. First, we know Directive Games as the studio behind another Web3 gem – Civitas. You probably have seen this Web3 game in our list of the most anticipated games for this year. And, most likely, you are also waiting for the Civitas release. 

The second reason is even more intriguing — the TMA team recently announced the plan to introduce Web3 features into the game together with Sky Mavis, the creators of the legendary Axie Infinity and the Ronin blockchain. The team explained that Ronin best fits their necessities due to the high transaction speed and low fees. According to the announcement, players will be able to earn digital collectibles in Death Run Challenge after the launch or by participating in various tournaments and competitions. The on-chain rewards will be tradable. And winners will be able to sell them to other gamers.

At this point, TMA runs a closed beta test that doesn’t include any Web3 functions. But, despite this fact, gamers have a chance to play a great and breathtaking beta version of the game which has good chances to become a real hit after the final release. 

How to start

The TMA beta is available only by invitations. So, you have to navigate to the official game page and secure a spot for yourself.

Fill in the information, tap Sign me up!, and be patient! It took about three days for us to receive the code. Note that at the moment the beta version is available only for PC. So, if you choose iOS or Android, you probably won’t receive a key for the game.

Another option to access the beta test is joining a giveaway on social media. There are a lot of offers for early players. So, you just need to find a relevant influencer like Apix. 

You will also need an account on Epic Games and their launcher to use your code. You can download the app here. 

To activate the TMA code, start the launcher, click on the profile icon in the top right corner, and click Redeem Code.

Enter your code and click Redeem. Now you can find The Machines Arena in your Library.

What’s inside this Beta

At the moment, TMA includes three character classes (assault, support, and tank) and nine different heroes. The heroes have different abilities, features, and weapons. You can check more information about them in the Hero Gallery. There’s also a set of skins for every character, but most skins are not available at the moment. 

The beta version also includes four game modes, such as:

• PVP tutorial;
• Death Run (PVE);
• Quick Play (PVP);
• Custom Lobby. 

Tutorial for PVP mode

Everyone skips tutorials! But we strongly recommend gamers to check the one in TMA. First of all, newbies will learn to control heroes to achieve best results. This section includes a lot of useful information and guidelines. On top of that, gamers can test extra game mode which will be introduced into the PVP section later. We are talking about Detonation, where one team has to deploy a fuse and protect it before it explodes while another team has to disarm it.

Quick Play (PVP)

Shortly, this section will include three modes in total: Detonation, described above, Pushback, and Skirmish, which stands for a classic team deathmatch. In this beta version players can only play Pushback, while two other modes are being refined at the moment.

In the Pushback mode, you have to team up with three more gamers to push the cart through the enemy gates. But don’t expect an easy walk! Four enemies will do their best to push the cart back to your gates. And, as always, there’s a catch: when you run out of time, both gates will start moving towards each other. This may completely change the outcome of the battle. By the way, this mode also reminds us of a well-known Web2 action Overwatch which has adapted a top-down view. 

Deathrun (PVE)

Deathrun is a classic fast-paced rogue-like, looking and feeling like Hades. You will have to explore different rooms, find weapons and inventory, upgrade your abilities, and fight the endless enemy waves. Huge spaces, aggressive bosses, and limited time – this combination makes the mode really exciting. Have fun!

Impressions and conclusions

First, we have to say that TMA rolled out a perfect beta version that included a lot of essential features and exciting modes allowing gamers to experience the game vibes before the final release. It also includes advanced settings, and it’s also very important or even unusual for other game betas. On top of that, the game has relatively modest system requirements, so you can try to run it on your laptop with Windows 10 or newer.

Action and rogue-like fans will definitely enjoy TMA and spend many hours exploring the futuristic landscapes in the PVE mode or competing with other enthusiasts in the PVP arena. Players can choose any of nine available heroes with various abilities and weapons to best fit their game style. Speaking about our own choice, we really liked Nightcore for a crazy set of stealth abilities, like cloning herself and furious leaps.

At the same time, we have to remember that The Machines Arena was originally designed as a traditional Web2 game, and the team announced the intention to implement Web3 functionality in the game just few weeks ago. This process will obviously take some time. Now, we can see the Connect Wallet button in the main menu, though it’s not active yet.

The team hasn’t shared a lot about new Web3 features. At this moment, we know that they have selected Ronin as the game blockchain and plan to implement digital collectibles as tradable rewards for day-to-day plays, events and competitions. At the same time, these rewards will be cosmetic and won’t influence the gameplay. Though players aren’t required to obtain NFTs or use cryptocurrency to play TMA, the team plans to add special passes and mints to unlock extra utilities and game modes in future.

Distribution is one more advantage of this game. Players can easily get TMA on Epic Games Store. We’ve also spotted TMA on Steam in the upcoming releases. This means that gamers won’t need any special knowledge about blockchain technologies to join The Machines Arena.

Overall, we may say that TMA is a perfect skill-based game which has great chances to become a top choice for action and rogue-like fans. At the same, the game has a sort of potential for e-sport due to the fast pace and wide range of available heroes. We will keep an eye on the title and will be looking forward to the final release.

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