Over the last few months, I came across many different mobile game advertisements. One of these games specifically got showed me over and over again, and some YouTubers I watched also made a sponsored video about it. It is called Raid Shadow Legends, which is available on Android and iOS.
The ads showed us a turn-based gotcha game, in which we can get many powerful champions to explore the campaign, fight bosses, win PvP battles, and more. There are other outstanding gotcha games out there, that also share many similarities to this game, like Summoners War, One Piece Treasure Cruise, or The Seven Deadly Sins Grand Cross. So let’s take a closer look at this game and see if it can catch up with these awesome games.
How is the gameplay of Raid Shadow Legends?
When I started the game for the first time, I didn’t expect much from the game in fact of the actual gameplay mechanics. However, it follows the standard turn-based RPG mechanics, like other games that I mentioned before. In a fight, each of your champions has its own unique skills that you can choose from. Champions also differ in their affinity and in their specialized types like HP, Defense, Attack, or Support.
In the beginning, you will play a standard tutorial sequence that will introduce you to all the essential game mechanics, but every time you unlock new features like PvP, the game will explain the main mechanics as well.
After completing the tutorial, you have to play the campaign a bit, to unlock new game modes like PvP, but also the training pit, or the market on your bastion. To unlock the market, you have to reach level 15, but this can be reached very quickly (it only took me about an hour).
As I mentioned, the game is turn-based, so depending on how fast your units are, you can get the first turn. To attack an opponent, you have to choose a skill and tap on the enemy that you want to attack. If you don’t select a skill, your champion will automatically attack with his standard skill.
If you use the auto mode, your units will use their skills automatically and attack different enemies, but you can also focus on the attacks of your units by tapping on an enemy. But unlike in Summoners War, you can’t change the settings on which enemy you want to focus automatically.
By clearing a stage in the campaign or in dungeons, you will unlock the next stage, which is (most of the time) a bit more challenging to clear. Raid Shadow Legends also offers the feature to play the campaign in four different difficulties; Normal, Hard, Brutal, and Nightmare. By unlocking more stages, your champions also get more Exp if you clear a stage successfully (and item drops are also possible).
Note: To unlock the hard difficulty in the campaign, you have to clear the campaign on the normal difficulty. The same goes on to unlock all the other difficulties.
When you completed a region in the campaign, you can go to the next region. But completing every stage in a region gets you more stars, which can give you some decent rewards if you reach a set amount of them. Rewards could be Silver, Gems, Ancient Shards, or Void Shards. These shards can be used to summon new champions in the portal.
And that’s it for the campaign. Besides getting some equipment and Exp farming for your champions, this mode doesn’t have a real purpose (and I also was not interested in the “awesome story” at all).
However, after playing for a while, dungeons get unlocked so you can farm evolving material, equipment, and artifacts, to power up champions. This is required at some point, as your opponent’s levels increase over time in the campaign. You’ll also need stronger champions to stand a chance in the arena.
Note: You can make your champions stronger by increasing their stars, leveling their skills, or equipping them with decent gear that you can farm in dungeons.
In Summoners War, there is a clear ranking system in place, so new players can face opponents with similar strengths. However, when I joined the arena with some hope of new mechanics, I got pretty disappointed when I saw the opponents that I could face. 8/10 people were too powerful (maxed champions!), so I had to refresh my list for some better luck.
After finding a suitable opponent and joining the battle, I realized that I play against a (not that smart) A. I from the game. Sure this system also takes place in Summoners War, but they offer the Live Arena for real-time arena battles, which Raid doesn’t have.
Gameplay Conclusion:
For me, Raid Shadow Legends doesn’t feel like a game that the developers play by themselves, and incomplete. It doesn’t integrate unique gameplay mechanics, but it shares a lot of similarities to Summoners War and other gotcha games.
Battles are also not very exciting or challenging, as you only have to overpower your enemies. The whole campaign could be cleared in auto mode if your champions are strong enough. It is simply growing your numbers.
Getting Exp for champions also takes a long time if you’re not strong enough to play on hard difficulty. Sure there is the training pit to get some Exp, but we have only one of five slots available in the beginning. And to unlock another slot, we have to pay an extreme amount of gems.
There is not much to do. In the first hours, I only played the campaign, some dungeons, and a few arenas match. And that’s it…
How does the game look?
To make sure people don’t quit the game after a few days, Raid Shadow Legends has to look decently good. And it looks not that bad in fact of character designs and menus. However, it can’t compete with the outstanding graphics of The Seven Deadly Sins Grand Cross.
During a fight in the campaign or dungeon, the background also looks very nice and colorful. The animations of each character are also well done, so we have something to look at. What I like the most are the voice-acted story sequences, but they don’t appear that often during the campaign.
In the settings, we can also change the overall graphic quality and FPS rate, on how the game runs on your smartphone. Depending on which visual quality you play with, the game can drain your battery faster.
Raid Shadow Legends is heavily monetized!
Here’s probably one of the most significant flaws of this “free” mobile game by Plarium. Whenever I started the game, the game throws about one, up to five pop-ups to my face, that offer me some kind of package to buy.
This is a huge no-go for me. If it’s only one, that’s entirely okay, but up to five in a row…
This not only happens by starting the game but also after clearing a dungeon or arena battle, you could come across these pop-ups. The prices vary widely between the packages. Some only cost a few bucks, but some are more pricy (up to 50€ or more).
Packages are not the only option to spend money on the game, as we can buy gems, silver equipment, and artifacts too. Gems can be collected for free by completing missions, the battle pass, or in-game rewards (login bonus), but it takes a while to reach a decent number.
Unlocking the Mine costs 500 gems, but it generates only one gem every 4 hours and 48 minutes on level one. After one day (and two minutes), it reaches its max capacity, so it takes about 100 days, so it pays itself off. But you could buy some gem packages to unlock it faster…
Speaking of the shop, here you can buy even more packages with energy, silver, equipment, and more, for real money. You can also find daily packages, limited special offers, raid cards, and regular packages.
Seeing this amount of opportunities to get your money, I feel like this is the only job of the game.
Is Raid Shadow Legends worth spending money on?
Spending money in Raid enables you to get much better champions and equipment than others, so you can clear dungeons faster and reach higher rankings in PvP. However, as I don’t see much long-term potential in the game (at least for myself), I wouldn’t recommend spending a dime on this game.
Plarium spends a massive amount of money to market this game with ads and various Youtubers (they paid pretty well), to reach as many people as possible. But reaching many people doesn’t mean that the game is worth playing.
FAQ
1. What is Raid Shadow Legends?
Raid Shadow Legends is a mobile and PC role-playing game (RPG) developed and published by Plarium Games. The game is set in a fantasy world of Teleria where you, as a player, are tasked with recruiting, training, and leading a team of heroes through a multitude of battles, both player vs environment (PvE) and player vs player (PvP). With its high-quality 3D graphics, diverse roster of over 500 heroes, and rich gameplay strategies, Raid Shadow Legends offers a comprehensive gaming experience that caters to both casual gamers and seasoned RPG fans.
Is Raid Shadow Legends as good as the advertisements make it seem? The answer to this question can depend on personal preference. Raid Shadow Legends is often praised in advertisements for its diverse roster of champions, stunning graphics, and deep strategic gameplay. Indeed, these are strong aspects of the game. However, like any game, it may not cater to everyone’s taste. The progression can be slow and challenging, and some players may find its monetization model somewhat intrusive. Therefore, while it certainly delivers on many of its advertised features, your enjoyment of the game will largely depend on your personal gaming preferences and patience.
2. Is Raid Shadow Legends pay-to-win?
This is a commonly raised concern about Raid Shadow Legends. The game does have a strong focus on in-app purchases, offering players the ability to buy champions, gear, and other resources. While it is entirely possible to progress in the game without spending real money, players who do make purchases can have a quicker progression. This aspect has led to criticism from some players who feel the balance leans towards “pay-to-win”, although it ultimately depends on your perspective and what you’re hoping to get out of the game.
3. What makes Raid Shadow Legends stand out from other mobile RPGs?
Raid Shadow Legends distinguishes itself with its emphasis on strategy and a roster of champions that’s one of the most diverse in the mobile RPG genre. The graphics and art style are exceptionally detailed, creating an immersive gaming experience. The complexity of battles, with different champions, abilities, and artifacts to consider, also adds a layer of strategic depth that can be appealing to players who enjoy a challenge. Its rich lore and storytelling are other aspects that sets Raid Shadow Legends apart from many mobile RPGs.
4. Are there any cultural sensitivity issues I should be aware of in Raid Shadow Legends?
The developers of Raid Shadow Legends have made efforts to ensure that the game is culturally inclusive and sensitive. The array of champions includes diverse races, cultures, and backgrounds, reflecting a broad fantasy universe. However, as with any international game, there may be varying interpretations and reactions to content across different cultures. If you ever come across the content you find inappropriate or offensive, it is best to report it directly to the game developers for review.
Review conclusion:
So is Raid a game that you have to play? No, it’s not. It doesn’t offer unique mechanics or overall long-term potential, the packages are way too expensive, and the gameplay doesn’t hook. If you are looking for excellent games that you can play for some time, I highly recommend taking a look at The Seven Deadly Sins Grand Cross, One Piece Treasure Cruise, and Summoners War.
Each of these games simply does a much better job in fact of the combat, graphics, animations, and fun. I played all of these games for quite some time, and I know these would be excellent options for you too.
But have you played Raid Shadow Legends by yourself previously? If yes, please share your experience with me and others in the comments down below.
