I’ve noticed there are three kinds of P2E: timewasters that are hardly games, promising games overrun by sleazy transactions, and the occasional P2E gem. It’s often easier to download an overrated, mediocre P2E game rather than dig through all the shovelware and Thetan Arena is one of many play-to-earn Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) titles out there. Let's find out together where it lands among the three kinds of P2Es.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

Thetan Arena is a quick, fast-paced, action-packed MOBA built on Binance Smart Chain. Developed by a Vietnamese studio called Wolfrun Game that was founded in 2016. Tomcat in Space, Tank Raid, and Heroes Strike are just a few of the games that Wolfrun games has created in the past. With almost 10 million downloads, Heroes Strike was named "Editor's Choice" by the Google Play Store. Wolfrun took advantage of the blockchain's potential and put Heroes Strike there, where it was later on given the name "Thetan Arena''. Thus, Thetan Arena already had fully developed gameplay and a Web 2.0 income stream boasting 24 million players across all platforms. The guild partner program also gained good traction with onboarding popular guilds like PathDAO and Polkastarter. Currently, the game is available for players to enjoy.

GAMEPLAY SUMMARY

Thetan Arena is a multiplayer-based game in which players fight against each other via in-game champions. Offering action, competitive skill based gameplay to players while offering them a variety of champions to try. At the start of the game, players will be assigned a basic hero from each class.

The game offers 4 playable modes for players. Battle Royale can be played as solo or duo where the main goal is to be the last man standing in the arena. Deathmatch is a 4v4 fight. Superstar is where players have to steal superstars and defend each other. Tower Destroy is a traditional 4v4 MOBA mode where players have to destroy the opposing team's base. 

Meanwhile, heroes are divided into categories such as Tanks, Assassins, and Marksmen. Just like  other MOBAs, tanks are considered frontline and have higher hit points. Assassins aim to combo and eliminate opponents while Marksmen are the main damage dealer. Heroes also have different rarities that correspond to the unique level of their skills. The hero rarities are - Common, Epic, and Legendary. Some skills are unlocked by default but there are skill sets that can only be unlocked if you buy it from the shop or earn it as a reward.

EARNING POTENTIAL

Thetan Arena has a 2 token economy. Thetan Gem (THG) and Thetan Coin (THC). $THG can be earned by staking Thetan Heroes, participating in challenges, and participating in governance. This token can be used in the marketplace or evolve heroes. Meanwhile, $THC can be earned by participating in battles, quests, and ranking rewards. This can be used to purchase Thetan boxes that contain Heroes. This project also has a Hero Rental program where owners of heroes can rent out their hero NFTs to other players to make additional passive profit.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

Thetan Arena has gameplay that feels like Mobile Legends and Wildrift but in an easier to understand presentation for those who’ve never played a MOBA before. It also reminds me of Pokemon Unite since it has a gentle learning curve that doesn’t require previous familiarity with MOBAs. The game is quite short, but what I like is it doesn’t lack action and snappy affairs when battling.

The economics of Thetan Arena is quite impressive too since it offers free-to-play, play-to-earn, and free-to-earn. However, there is a major balance concern between casual players and pay-to-win players. Players who don’t want to spend money may find themselves weaker against a team of fully decked out opponents, putting the player that hasn't purchased anything at an immediate disadvantage. 

On the other hand, the visuals of this game are incredibly adorable and have vibrant colors while also not too demanding to cause overheating on a low-end phone, so it can basically run on any device. However, some player feedback reported that there are multiple glitches in the game like sudden crashing and errors with the experience points and ability buttons not responding fast enough.

There are indeed some complaints that may be a little deep in the tall grass for a game that clearly hopes to be a beginner-friendly introduction to the genre but all in all, Thetan Arena is a very easy game to play “casually.” It’s difficult to recommend to free-to-play players unless they’re truly in it for the long haul since acquiring heroes and advanced skills means spending. Sure, you can find a lot of joy playing this game but ultimately, I think this game is geared towards paying to win rather than providing an even playing field for everyone.