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Amazon has just announced its first serious entry into the gaming world with Crucible, it’s first big budget game. With the launch, Amazon becomes the second “main stream tech giant” to seriously enter in the $159Bn competitive market of gaming, after Microsoft. Facebook and Apple have their projects lined up, and are expected to follow suite very soon. So far, the only connection that the company had with gaming was through Twitch, the streaming platform it acquired in 2014.

Crucible is like a mix between OverWatch and League of Legends, with utter chaos paving the path for what can be described as an actual good time. The game is free, and Amazon expects to generate cash by in game skins and battle passes.

The game has a steep learning curve, which means you would probably have to put a lot of time into it before you are dominating in your matches. The game relies heavily on planning and team co operation than straight shooting skills(which a lot of veteran players already have), so don’t expect to head guns ablazing in your first match, lest you wanna die in the first minute.

Users can make their pick from 10 operators or “Hunters”, each with a different skill set, and a different game style to manage. The way that Crucible differentiates itself from the likes of Activision’s OverWatch is by the process of levelling up. Each operator has a “leveling tree”, which you climb from scratch every time you get in a game, mid match. The list includes :Captain Mendoza, Ajonah, Bugg, Drakahl, Earl, Rahi(& Brother), Sazan, Shakirri, Summer, Tosca,

Matches can also take up longer than they do in other hero shooters, due to the maps being more “open” than a single headed objective oriented setting. When dropped in a game, users can engage in PvP fights, as well as PvE fights(against computer) to level up for their foes. Moreover, leveling up is unanimous across the team, which means that the whole team would level together so players don’t have to worry about being left behind. Moreover, this gives the opportunity to divide team into objective hunters and farmers.

The game has three modes, Capture and Defend Harvesters, Heart of the Hives and Defeat Enemy Hunters. So without further ado, it’s time to jump into it.

Mode 1: Capture and Defend Harvesters

For a beginner, this is the perfect mode to familiarise with the gameplay mechanics and operators. It is the perfect place to learn the maps, learn which animals to farm for more xp, and figure out the “plants” which offer different kinds of boosts, like invisibility, speed buffs etc. However, watch out, for not all of them are friendly and some might try to eat you. You win some, you lose some, right?

The mode offers an 8v8 “Capture the point” scenario, where you fight for control of 5 different locations on the map for points. The more locations you have, the faster your score will rise. The goal is to reach 100 points, and claim victory.

Mode 2: Heart of Hives

The mode is to test out the skills you have learnt playing Capture and Defend Harvesters mode. In this 4v4 mode, different objectives will pop up all around the map, completing which will grant you specific boosts. There’s also the “Capture the point” mechanic from the previous mode, which provides XP. At certain points, a “Hive” or a boss will appear, killing which would “drop” its heart. However, if you die while killing the boss, the enemy team can come to claim the winnings and take your heart. 3 hearts win the match.

Mode 3: Defeat Enemy Hunters

This is the game’s answer to the battle royale craze, where it pits 8 teams of 2 against each other. Last team standing wins. The mode requires excellent communication across the team. However, there is a twist. Solo players that have lost a team mate can join other solo players, with the option of betraying them at the last minute (thanks for keeping a non toxic environment Amazon).

The game however, has already run into some connectivity issues. An issues with player queues seem to be happening at the moment, with this tweet from Crucible confirming the same:

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