Valve releases standalone version of Auto Chess called Dota Underlords
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Valve has released a new game - Dota Underlords.
Dota Underlords is the company's standalone take on the Auto Chess explosion - and is sparked by the hugely popular Dota Auto chess mod for Dota 2.
Like Dota Auto Chess, Dota Underlords doesn't really have anything to do with chess, except it's played out on a board. Like Dota Auto Chess, Dota Underlords pits you against seven opponents and involves building, combining and leveling up a crew of characters from the Dota universe. Round after round you buy new characters, discover powerful items, deploy them on the board and watch the combat play out automatically. It's not about twitch reflexes. Rather, this is a considered turn-based strategy game in which you can sit back and watch the action play out.
Currently, Dota Underlords is limited to those with a Dota 2 Battle Pass. The idea is Valve stress tests its servers as it prepares for an open beta (currently set for next week). The previous version lets you play online against seven other players, practice offline against bots and play co-op against bots or other players in a party.
"We're sharing Dota Underlords fairly early in development," Valve said in a blog post calling for feedback.
The Auto Chess genre is very much the next big thing in the world of gaming. League of Legends developer Riot has unveiled its own version, called Teamfight Tactics. Drodo Studio, the creator of the Dota 2 mod, is working on a standalone Auto Chess game coming exclusively to the Epic Games store.
Who's next?