In case you’ve been questioning what Valve’s been engaged on as their subsequent sport after Counter-Strike 2, the reply could also be at hand. Particulars and screenshots for Impasse, a third-person hero shooter with MOBA components, have seemingly leaked out of a current closed playtest, revealing a mix of Overwatch, Dota 2 and Valve’s personal Crew Fortress 2.
Impasse is outwardly the most recent evolution of a venture beforehand often called Neon Prime, which you’ll faintly recall Valve registering a obscure trademark for a few years again. The sport’s reappearance as Impasse got here by way of famous Valve leaker Gabe Follower, who described it as being a aggressive hero shooter within the vein of Overwatch or Valorant – albeit in third-person – with the lane-based map design and even tower defence components of MOBAs like Dota 2 or League of Legends.
These maps will host matches between two groups of six gamers, who will management distinctive hero characters in a position to pop off totally different skills and gadgets. The maps themselves are stated to be “big”, with the inclusion of floating rails – a bit like BioShock Infinite – to assist gamers zip round.
The sport’s world additionally appears to attract no less than just a little from the likes of BioShock, with a combination of steampunk and fantasy in a European-inspired metropolis dwelling to unfamiliar beings, robots and magicians alike. (Gabe Follower notes that the sport was initially extra sci-fi-themed nearer to Half-Life or Portal – which could clarify the futuristic-sounding Neon Prime moniker – however shifted extra to fantasy after “dangerous suggestions” from testers.)
Screenshots supposedly verified by the leaker reveal no less than one character, a bow-wielding ranger referred to as Gray Talon with the flexibility to make use of traps alongside long-range precision. The character design does certainly look very Overwatch-y or Dota-y to my eye, with the teases of the map displaying graffitied metropolis streets and alleys.
YouTuber Tyler McVicker added to the swirling rumours by claiming that the now-leaky closed playtest already has a whole lot of individuals giving Impasse a go, with a correct announcement and reveal of Valve’s subsequent “main” sport due someday quickly – maybe earlier than even the builders anticipated, given the knowledge already discovering its means out into the general public eye.
