This game got me into mobile gaming and I’m never looking back

Mobile gaming has always been a tough sell to me. I’ve dabbled in a few titles here and there, and I’ve put countless hours into Pokémon GO, but I’ve always struggled to find something that would make me pick playing on my phone when I’m in the same environment as my other gaming platforms. That was until I tried League of Legends: Wild Rift.

See the trailer for League of Legends: Wild Rift here

I recently finished watching Arcane on Netflix, and the streaming service’s nine-episode series was my introduction to the world of Riot Games’ massive franchise. While I wasn’t blown away at first, by the time I rolled credits on the final episode, I’d come to adore Jinx and many other characters.

So, being the needy person I am, I felt compelled to seek out more content from this universe. Naturally, I turned my attention to League of Legends but it was clear even before installing that it’s not a game to trifle with casually. Given that I can’t commit massive amounts of time to a game as often as I’d like, because life do be like that sometimes, I decided it was best left unexplored.

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Luckily, there was another way. A friend of mine informed me that League of Legends: Wild Rift - from the same publisher as original LoL - was a simpler game to dive into, and as it’s free, I immediately downloaded it on my Android device.

Within moments of loading the game up and being thrust into a comprehensive, yet approachable, tutorial, I was hooked. Being able to begin as Jinx was ideal, and a clear admission that Wild Rift knows what brought me to it.

While I won’t go into every type of playable character in League of Legends: Wild Rift, the hero formerly known as Powder plays in the Marksman role, meaning she is at her best when dealing damage at long-range. Equipped with her gatling gun called Pow-Pow, a shark-shaped cannon known as Fishbones, and more fun weapons, Jinx’s signature brand of combat is endlessly fun thanks to a mix of apparent chaos and tactical nuance.

Riot Games

While other Arcane characters are present, such as Ekko and Vi, there are plenty more champions to play as in Wild Rift, with a good bunch unlockable simply by completing the entire tutorial, which is optional.

The thing is, even if League of Legends: Wild Rift had nothing to do with Arcane, I would still love it. It’s sort of my first MOBA, if you don’t count Blizzard’s now unplayable Overwatch, and the arena-based matches are easy to get to grips with and can provide a serious challenge when playing in PvP.

Each round is fought in a lane-based map - hence ‘The Lanes’ from Arcane - with specific paths being better suited to particular classes, not that you have to stick to one route during a game. In fact, the satisfaction of going up against an opposing champion on their turf, when you have the disadvantage, and still defeating them anyway can’t be overstated.

Riot Games

However, if taking on other humans isn’t your bag, then don’t worry because League of Legends: Wild Rift has got you covered. You can also fight bots in the same format, meaning if you want to enjoy the game against less intense foes, you can do so. You basically learn by fighting bots anyway if you do all of the tutorial, and you can even increase the CPU enemies’ difficulty after a while if you want a challenge without inviting other humans into your experience.

That being said, there is co-op in Wild Rift, and teaming up with friends only adds to the enjoyment. The game has chat features, both text-based and a voice option that’s currently in beta, so communication is not an issue, although I found myself only using the former. There’s something about tearing down a lane with a friend at your side that just hits different. (Shoutout to Lloyd ‘James Milner’ Coombes for being my wingman.)

Lastly, there is one more thing about gameplay in Wild Rift that has made it so accessible to me: the length of matches. Typically, a game lasts between 10-20 minutes, which is a good timeframe to keep me interested while not feeling too short. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it can be over in what feels like the blink of an eye, but it’s a rare occurrence when I don’t get my fill from a round.

Riot Games

In short, League of Legends: Wild Rift has managed to win me over to mobile gaming while also satisfying my craving for more of what Arcane offers. It’s an excellent MOBA with plenty of characters and classes to play as, and matches are short enough to play whenever I have a little bit of downtime. Honestly, it could be the most I’ve ever enjoyed playing handheld.