NCSOFT’s newest game , MXM (short for Master X Master ) is a fun, fast-paced venture into action MOBA territory that brings a lot of NCSOFT’s characters into the spotlight, with a tag team twist that makes it forgiving even to players inexperienced with NCSOFT’S roster or MOBAs at large. Watch the cinematic announcement trailer for MXM below:
While the cinematic trailer focuses on a rugged white guy mowing down sci-fi enemies, MXM gameplay has a far more varied and unique feel than the trailer might lead you to expect. There are plenty of storied and powerful women to choose from, each of whom have a variety of play styles -- no ranged-only ladies here.
Playing an early build of MXM left me with a positive impression. It’s a whirlwind at first. The screen seemed crowded with a flurry of information, but a lot of the panic induced by the data flood fell away as I discovered how natural and intuitive the controls are. Use the keyboard to move, use the mouse to attack, swap your Master out with your scroll wheel: easy, simple, and very fun. I assume that with only a little acclimatizing, those familiar with comparative MOBA games will learn to pick out at a glance whatever info they need.
The Masters all have a variety of special abilities and are as diverse as the games from which they hail, starring many familiar faces from Blade and Soul , Aion , Lineage II , Guild Wars 2 and Wildstar . Before you go into a match or dungeon you can select boosts and special abilities to customize your Master, though they also have a fixed super ability. MXM also boasts some original Masters, but anyone with experience of NCSOFT’s game will have a blast picking a stylish fave from their game of choice.
As to the Tag System that provides such distinction to MXM , it allows you to swap between two Masters mid-combat, with your benched Master recovering HP on the side. Going from a depleted Master to one fresh and rarin’ to go is really fun: it makes you feel just as refreshed as your Master. Clearly, optimizing between tags will be a whole new arena to demonstrate your skill and mastery. MXM features over 30 Masters, a slew of different PvP modes and the ability to fight in boss fights and PvE stages alongside up to four friends in the co-op main storyline.
MXM will release for PC in North America and Europe in the latter half of 2016. For more info, visit the game's official site here.
