Arthurian Medievalism Takes On The Battleground of The Gods
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What is Smite?
Smite, The Battleground on the Gods, is a video game which mashes famous religious and mythological beings together in the ultimate battle arena. To better understand the developer's, Hi-Rez Studios, interpretations of some of the classic Arthurian characters within their game, it is beneficial to have some foundational knowledge of the game and its mechanics. Smite is described as a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) in which players choose to play as a god or goddess from various classic religious pantheons. Teams of five face off in a large arena divided into three main lanes, and use a combination of team-play, individual-play, tactics, and resource management to attempt to push the enemies back to their base and defeat the titan which guards it. There are five separate classes of characters which are: mages (high damage abilities but low defense and health), hunters (similar to mages but rely more on standard attacks rather than ability usage), guardians (very high defense with abilities designed to aid teammates), assassins (high mobility and damage but very easily killed if caught out), and finally warriors (jack of all trades characters designed to be able to brawl with opponents for extended lengths). These classes define the role and identity of each character. The history and lore of the gods and goddesses play a massive part in the design and playstyle of the characters. Every playable character has 4 different abilities at their disposal for fighting, and these abilities are usually directly correlated to the lore of the given god or goddess. Additionally, each character is provided their own lore tab which gives a summary of their role in either religious or famed ancient texts and stories. If you are interested in learning more about Smite as a game or its selection of over 120 mythological beings to play as, the link for the game's wiki is here: Smite Fandom Wiki
King Arthur Blazes onto the Battleground
King Arthur's player-card picture with Excalibur in hand
King Arthur's purchasable "Green Knight" skin based On the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
King Arthur was released within the game on January 7th, 2019, and his arrival marked the first time a character not from a classic religious pantheon was added. He was quickly established as one of the best warrior-class characters in the game with his relentless playstyle. It's clear that Hi-Rez Studios took inspiration from Arthur's adventures as he fought for his kingship and established himself as the ruler of England. He is presented as much less kingly, and much more knightly as he wields a massive Excalibur as his weapon and wears extravagant armor. It's interesting to note the dragon crest on his chest, obviously correlated to his surname of Pendragon. Arthur's playstyle is completely unique, he has incredibly low cooldowns (time necessary for abilities to recharge), access to eight different abilities that cycle every use, and is the only character in the game whose standard attacks provide him with movement as he lunges at opponents with Excalibur. He is designed to close down the distance to an enemy and strike constantly as he whittles their health down. Some of his most interesting voice-lines in the game include: "Fate protects me! And armor. Armor's a good back-up.", "A true king is not afraid to take blows with his knights." , and a fun little joke "When trying to find the right sword, I always suggest checking the nearest lake. The customer service is unrivaled!" Another interesting mechanic added to King Arthur's character design is that he is one of two characters that are unable to increase their attack speed, which makes perfect sense for a knight weighed down by a suit of armor and wielding a massive sword.
To learn more about the specifics of King Arthur's abilities and the lore provided in the game, click here.
Merlin Not Far Behind
Merlin's player-card image using his arcane magic
Merlin was added as a mage class character shortly after Arthur in February of 2019. Merlin's design takes a notable separation from the way he is presented in lore and stories, as he is presented much younger, and as a battle mage able to wield the three different elements of fire, arcane, and ice. There has been no evidence of Merlin using any sort of elemental magic within the Arthurian texts, and it seems as though Hi-Rez struggled to come up with ideas for how his sort of magic and mischief within the texts could be translated into their game. Although there is no evidence of Merlin using various elemental magic within Arthurian texts, the game clearly establishes him as a spellcaster with a variety of utility within his kit. He can teleport short distances, drag enemies into a vortex with arcane magic, and slow them down with his chilling ice. Within the lore provided for him, they do recognize his unclear origins saying, "Even his very nature is questioned. Is he simply a man greatly adept in the magical arts? A demon? Or something in between?" Although, the lore is not completely accurate in its representation of Merlin's motives. They state, "the mage never left the wielder of legendary Excalibur's side, a tireless advisor, fellow warrior, and friend." This description slightly diminishes the goals and personality of Merlin within the texts, and skews him to be more of Arthur's side-kick, rather than an independent man with his own pursuits and goals. Merlin's addition to Smite also established him as one of the best mages in the game, although his design and abilities seems to lack a clear correlation to the Merlin presented in Arthurian texts. If you are interested in learning more about Merlin within the game and his lore, and to view his "Wise Wizard" skin which offers a more accurate representation from the texts, click here. The video below contains the voice line interactions between King Arthur and Merlin within the game, some of them are really enjoyable.
Morgan Le Fay Makes her Smite Debut
Morgan Le Fay's player-card image
It took over two years for the next Arthurian character to be added to the game in the form of Morgan Le Fay. Titled as "The Dark Enchantress" by the game, she was added in June of 2021 as the second mage of the Arthurian world. The design team for Morgan clearly leaned heavily into her dark and evil side, and they present her as the main antagonist to Arthur. Morgan is another example of the developers taking some obvious liberties in the creation of her abilities, as there is a lack of clear magical abilities provided for her within the Arthurian texts which would translate well into the game. Within the game, she uses a floating magical sword to swing travelling ranged strikes at enemies, as well as being able to summon a fiery dragon than knocks enemies back and a ball of wildfire to burn opponents from a distance. While Mallory labels her as a "great clerk of necromancy" (19), she contains no kind of abilities to raise the dead within her kit. The lore provided for her is also a bit of a separation from her origins established in Mallory's text. It states that her and Arthur were great allies/friends and she learned magic under Merlin's mentorship, until Guinevere became jealous of her and sowed seeds of doubt in Arthur. However, Mallory only ever tells us that "she was put into a nunnery" (19). While Morgan is not presented as wholly evil with mal-intent within Arthurian texts, Hi-Rez took her evil side and ran with it, promoting her as the ultimate antagonist to Arthur. If you are interested in reading some of Morgan's sinister voice-lines in the game, click here.
Lancelot the Final Addition from Arthurian World into Smite
Lancelot's player-card in game
Lancelot marks the most recent - and at this current time final - character from the Arthurian literature added into Smite. It took another year since Morgan Le Fay entered the battleground for Lancelot to make his debut, and he took the game by storm in June of 2022 as one of the top picks. Despite his knightly personality, he was made to be an assassin who can flex into the warrior role. Hi-Rez took immense inspiration from his famed jousting abilities to develop his kit, as he relies heavily on his horse for incredible mobility and can dismount to take the battle on foot. He is the only character in the game to have a mount for both traversal and fighting, making him unique and valuable with his high mobility. He is also granted bonus health while mounted, and can only be dismounted when the bonus health is depleted, granting him tank-like sustainability and the option to flex into the warrior role and battle on the frontlines of the team. Hi-Rez also leans heavily into his notorious beauty and popularity among damsels as his personality within the game presents very jock-like. He utilizes a shield and spear - or the aptly named lance - when on foot, to thrust at opponents. The game's lore tab for him is fairly accurate to Arthurian texts, and they clearly establish him as the greatest knight ever when they say, "there are none among them whose deeds equal those of Lancelot, non who rival him as swordsman or jouster." Lancelot is perhaps the most accurate representation of an Arthurian character in the world of Smite, as his kit revolves around the classic battle style of riding into an engagement jousting, and then dismounting either by force or choice to continue the battle on foot. The video below shows the cinematic reveal trailer for Lancelot in which he speaks of the duties of a knight, and it foreshadows the eventual conflict between Arthur and him over Guinevere.
Who Could be Next?
While Smite continues to add to their roster of characters from myth, Lancelot's edition very well could mark the end of the Arthurian universe in the game. However, while there are no signs of any more additions, there is no lack of characters to choose from to add into the game. The problem lies in creating unique characters that have original playstyles and kits. Arthurian literature and its knightly characters have rather synonymous fighting styles. There could certainly be a case for Yvain and his lion companion, Galahad and his righteousness, or even Mordred as Arthur's true antagonist. Those that are in the game though have certainly made their mark on the meta of the game, and are all top contenders in their roles showcasing the power they wield.
I found this super interesting! The context of you describing Smite's mechanics and gameplay was helpful, and it sounds like a fun game on its own. Merlin's and Lancelot's characters are interesting in particular; I didn't expect Lancelot to be an assassin class character, and it's kind of funny that Merlin was made into just Arthur's sidekick.
My partner is an avid Smite player, so I was interested to read about its ties to the Arthurian world. One of the things I have always found so cool about the game is its attention to the lore of the characters included, which I think you've represented well here. In the case of the Arthurian characters, it sounds like they've done a really great job of incorporating elements from the literature in a way that makes sense for gameplay. I love the little details, like his low cooldown - which makes sense given he would have very high stamina as a knight. It's so interesting to see their take on mage characters like Merlin and Morgan, given that their wizardry does not really lend itself to gameplay, as you've described. Thanks for your post!
I played Smite maybe twice, and I had no idea they had characters within the Arthurian World. I found it interesting that the studio made Lancelot an assassin, especially because he relies on his horse for movement. I feel like that doesn't fit in the traditional assassin role. I really liked the voice lines and cinematics that you provided. It shows the studio's work to portray the characters as accurately as possible. Overall, good job!
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What is Smite?
I found this super interesting! The context of you describing Smite's mechanics and gameplay was helpful, and it sounds like a fun game on its own. Merlin's and Lancelot's characters are interesting in particular; I didn't expect Lancelot to be an assassin class character, and it's kind of funny that Merlin was made into just Arthur's sidekick.
ReplyDeleteMy partner is an avid Smite player, so I was interested to read about its ties to the Arthurian world. One of the things I have always found so cool about the game is its attention to the lore of the characters included, which I think you've represented well here. In the case of the Arthurian characters, it sounds like they've done a really great job of incorporating elements from the literature in a way that makes sense for gameplay. I love the little details, like his low cooldown - which makes sense given he would have very high stamina as a knight. It's so interesting to see their take on mage characters like Merlin and Morgan, given that their wizardry does not really lend itself to gameplay, as you've described. Thanks for your post!
ReplyDeleteI played Smite maybe twice, and I had no idea they had characters within the Arthurian World. I found it interesting that the studio made Lancelot an assassin, especially because he relies on his horse for movement. I feel like that doesn't fit in the traditional assassin role. I really liked the voice lines and cinematics that you provided. It shows the studio's work to portray the characters as accurately as possible. Overall, good job!
ReplyDelete