Paladins: Heroes of the Realm review (PS4)

Paladins from Hi Rez is a shooting game where heroes with abilities battle it out over objectives. It is similar to Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch (actually quite a lot like Overwatch, but I will get into that later). It is free-to-play on the Playstation and is ported over from PC. The game is still in Beta but feels like a finished game.

The Characters
There are 26 colorful character available (at time of writing). More are added overtime. The characters are quite balanced and none feel overpowered. Choosing a character of you liking depends on your personal taste. Each character belongs to a class (frontline, flank, damage or support). Choose your class wisely so that you have a balanced team during the match or that you can effectively counter the opposing team.

If you have ever played Overwatch a lot of the characters may seem very familiar

Visuals
The graphics are ok. Not spectacular but also not bad. The game has a cartoonish look-an- feel. Don't expect Battlefield 1 or Horizon Zero Dawn-like eye candy. But that is not what this game is about.

Sound
The soundtrack is quite good and the game has satisfying sound effects. Again, nothing to spectacular here.

Controls
Here is where things get interesting. The controls are superb. You have great control over your character and firing your weapon is a smooth experience. The characters all have different abilities and there is a training mode where you can get familiar with your Champion. The button layout is what you normally would expect with the exception that L2 is not for ADS but a special ability (with the exception of Viktor where the L2 trigger is used for ADS).

Gameplay
The gameplay is excellent. There are 3 different modes available and even a PVE mode. Quests are added to keep things interesting and can earn you money for loot. Battling online is a fun experience, I never experienced lag (Bungie are you listening?). There is a nice MVP recap at the end of the match and the best players for each class are put in the spotlight.
The gameplay is just right and newcomers will have an easy time jumping in.
You can buy characters or loot (with real money) or just grind for the rewards. I never felt like I had to buy anything. If you play the game regularly you will slowly unlock the characters and be able to buy items to customize your characters without problems. So no unfair pay-to-win system here.
You can also buy cards so you can customize your heroes abilities, this adds to the range and diversity of the heroes.

2 things where Paladins differs from Overwatch is that you can not change your character during the match (so again, choose your character wisely). Another difference is that when you respawn in Paladins you get a horse to you can get back into the action quickly) this keeps the flow of the game fast paced.

Verdict:

The Good
Hey, it's free and although it's officially a Beta it feels like an already completed game. Gameplay is topnotch and it is fun! Great colorful characters and great online play.

The Bad
The loot is not really that exciting in my opinion. I never felt the need that I had to have a certain weapon or outfit. Most of the loot is just a reskin in another color of the default weapon or outfit or simply not that interesting.

The Ugly
The game misses a certain "polish" but I think this has to do with the obvious Overwatch comparison. But then again, it's still in Beta.

I do not own a copy of Overwatch but I got to play the PC version of Overwatch at my friend's home. I can only conclude that the games are almost too similar. It is unclear who is copying who. I do not think that Overwatch is better than Paladins or vice versa. It all comes down to personal taste. Try both games out to see which one you like best or get both.

To conclude. Paladins is very good game with a lot of promise. The only thing it will cost you is some disc space on your PS4 so there is no reason not to try it out. Even if you already own Overwatch you can still enjoy Paladins.

Here is some gameplay footage.