Whether players can pet the dog is a common question in modern video game parlance, as more games add dog companions. A trailer released today for the new mobile hero shooter Ace Force doesn’t shed any light on whether or not players can pet the dogs in the game, but it does something a little different.
Ace Force is an upcoming mobile game from Riot Games' parent company Tencent that looks a lot like Overwatch but with an anime coat of paint. Industry analyst Daniel Ahmed dropped a flashy trailer for the game on his Twitter today that shows off a few of the heroes, some gameplay, and dogs with guns.
The trailer begins with an anime introduction that transitions into some pretty typical-looking hero shooter gameplay. The maps look very similar to the maps in Overwatch, and the gameplay has similarities too. The trailer also shows off a roster of characters that each have their own similarities to characters from Blizzard's popular shooter. But the strangest part of the trailer is the reveal of a mode that, according to PC Games N, is called the “Barking Royale” mode.
The mode, which can be seen briefly towards the end of the video, features teams of large-headed cartoon dogs that carry guns and do battle against one another. Not a lot of information has come out about the mode, but based on the “royale” name, one can make a few assumptions. If this mode is anything like other Battle Royale games, it's safe to assume it will feature a large group of canines battling each other for the title of top dog.
If that sounds a bit gruesome, don’t worry. The characters in the trailer have a cartoony look and the whole thing seems to have a silly vibe. In a trailer that otherwise looks like a straightforward Overwatch clone, it really does have the effect of setting the game apart a little bit from the console and PC juggernaut, which relies on its community for the weirder modes.
That doesn’t change the fact that most gamers seem to prefer nurturing their digital dogs to eliminating then. Whether the silliness of the mode will offset any reservations players might have about shooting at their furry friends remains to be seen.
Overwatch comparisons and dog battling aside, Ace Force looks like it could be a slick take on the Hero shooter for phones. It’s easy to point at it as a knock-off, but there have been far more obvious Overwatch clones in the past. Plus, Blizzard has yet to bring Overwatch to the mobile market, and it looks like Tencent hopes their new shooter will help fill that hole. At least in China, where the game is scheduled to release in the late summer. Tencent has not yet said if Ace Force will release in the US.
Ace Force will be released in China on August 13th.
Source: PCGamesN