It is no secret that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has a lot of people hooked.
“ML ‘ta? One game (Let’s play ML. One game?)” are words you usually hear when players try to get together for a game. With over 100 million downloads in the Google Play Store and millions of active players, Mobile Legends has officially taken over the mobile gaming scene.
ML is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) and was released in 2016 by the company Shanghai Moonton Technology. It is a free to play Android/iPhone game. It is widely and wildly popular in Southeast Asia where local, national, and international tournaments are held.
The game will also be an official sport in the 2019 Southeast Asian games which will be held in the Philippines on the 30th of November until the 11th of December. The game is heavily inspired by Defense of the Ancients (DoTA), one of the most popular competitive online games in the world.
ML is a 5 vs 5 battle where players draft heroes to do battle, each with a different class and a different set of skills. The main objective of the game is to be the first team to destroy the main base tower which can be done by destroying the defense towers, killing mini bosses and defeating opposing enemy heroes to clear a path to enemy’s base tower.
One game of ML can be as quick as six minutes and some can last for as long as 30 minutes depending on how the match goes. The game also runs on very minimal requirements. For Android phones, it would run on an OS of 4.0.3. or later, with 1 Gb RAM, 1.7 Gb of storage, and a stable internet connection.
For iPhone users, it should be an IOS of 9.0 or later (the same RAM and storage requirements as Android phones).
According to John Ray “JRay” Dilag, an active ML player since 2016, the game is very appealing, comparing the experience to having DoTA on the phone. Plus, he could play with workmates and friends, making the game a great bonding experience. “You need to have a strategy and you need a lot of good teamwork to win games,” JRay said. Predicting the enemy’s movements and adapting to one’s teammates also play a huge role in the game, according to him.
He enjoys the process of getting better at the game and loves the competition involved in it. The game can be played anywhere as long has you have an internet connection according to Michael Dave Ranan, an ML Player who has been playing the game on a daily basis since 2017.
He opens the game every day because of the promise of more rewards and bonuses. The key in a smooth play is decent phone with decent specs (see minimum requirements above).
A phone with the budget range around P8,000 to P10,000 is enough for an optimal gaming experience, Michael says. ML players like to play the game together in one place because of the strategic advantages it gives.
Sans any legit strategy, the game can be frustrating and difficult. Team members, for instance, should be constantly communicating while playing to give them tactical advantage over the other team. Games are unpredictable and one strategic error can turn the tide of the match quickly.
Every player has a role in the game, and if players mesh well together it can lead to a win. Mobile Legends has a huge following with Vloggers and streamers showing footage of their gameplay.
YouTube videos that give tips on the game get hundreds and thousands of views. Mobile Legends has taken over the mobile gaming scene in Southeast Asia for the past two years, and as of now there’s no game in its genre that comes close to beating it.
Sources: Thecrydsdaily.com Plainmemory.com MMOS.com Fox Sports website