Raid: Shadow Legends#Gameplay
{{Short description|2019 freemium video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Raid: Shadow Legends
| image = Raid Shadow Legends Logo.png
| alt =
| caption =
| developer = Plarium Games
| publisher = Plarium Games
| series =
| engine = Unity
| platforms = Android, iOS, iPadOS, Microsoft Windows, MacOS
| released = {{start date and age|2018|07|04}}{{cite web |title=RAID: Shadow Legends - Apps on Google Play |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plarium.raidlegends |website=Google Play |access-date=6 February 2024}}
| genre = Turn-based role-playing gacha game{{cite web|url=https://www.bluestacks.com/blog/app-reviews/raid-shadow-legends-gacha-games.html|title=RAID: Shadow Legends—a grittier and realistic twist to traditional gacha games|website=BlueStacks|date=7 March 2019|accessdate=18 December 2019}}
| modes =
| director =
| producer =
| designer =
| programmer =
| artist =
| writer = Paul C. R. Monk
| composer = Paul C. R. Monk
| arcade system =
}}
Raid: Shadow Legends is a mobile role-playing video game developed and published by Israeli game developer Plarium Games, now a subsidiary of the gambling machine manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure. A port to PC was released on January 21, 2020.{{Cite web|date=2020-01-21|title=Plarium Releases Acclaimed Collection RPG 'RAID: Shadow Legends' on PC|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200121005041/en/Plarium-Releases-Acclaimed-Collection-RPG-%E2%80%98RAID-Shadow|access-date=2020-06-22|website=www.businesswire.com|language=en}} It received mixed reviews from critics.
Gameplay
File:Raid Shadow Legends gameplay.jpg
Raid: Shadow Legends is a fantasy-themed, turn-based role-playing gacha game.{{cite web|last1=Takahashi|first1=Dean|url=https://venturebeat.com/2019/02/28/plariums-raid-shadow-legends-takes-collectible-rpgs-into-mobile/|title=Plarium's Raid: Shadow Legends takes collectible RPGs into mobile|website=VentureBeat|date=28 February 2019|accessdate=4 July 2019}} The game's story takes place in the fictional realm of Teleria, which has been subjugated by the Dark Lord Siroth. Players take the role of an ancient Telerian warrior resurrected by the Arbiter to defeat the Dark Lord Siroth and restore peace and harmony to Teleria. Players must assemble an army for battles in settings such as castles, dungeons, deserts, and temples defended by enemies and possible allies. Throughout the game, players accumulate Shards, vessels containing the souls of past warriors called Champions. Shards come in five types with different properties. These are Mystery Shards, Ancient Shards, Void Shards, Primal Shards and Sacred Shards. Raid has 6 types of rarities of champions. These are Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary and Mythical with the former being weaker and the latter much stronger. The game has two forms of currency: Silver, which is relatively easy to come by, and Gems, which are a lot more difficult to acquire. There is also a cost in Energy for running any of the campaign and dungeon stages. Without Energy, progress in the campaign is slow. It runs out quickly, and after the first day players will have to be very careful not to waste it.
The game consists primarily of story-driven single-player campaign with twelve levels, each level made up of seven stages with four levels of difficulty. The single-player campaign is interconnected with a multiplayer component, the Arena, to decide player rankings. Players can also join Clans, through which members fight a Clan Boss together, which brings advanced rewards. They can also take part in a Siege Mode which is a clan vs clan mode.
The game's narrative was written by Paul C. R. Monk, and the game adopts a Western art style, and settings inspired by dark fantasy.
Reception
While Raid: Shadow Legends has been praised for its graphics, it has also been criticized for its aggressive monetization in the form of microtransactions. Pocket Gamer commended the "sheer graphic quality", for its "beautifully rendered and animated" characters and a "generous experience for new players".{{cite web|last=Jordan|first=Jon|url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-iap-inspector/70319/how-does-raid-shadow-legends-monetise/|title=How does Raid: Shadow Legends engage, retain and monetise?|website=Pocket Gamer|date=25 March 2019|accessdate=18 December 2019}} TheGamer heavily criticized Raid, citing its lack of depth and freemium structure, describing it as "the epitome of pay to win".{{Cite web|date=2020-03-04|title=Raid: Shadow Legends Is Absolute Trash And We're Not Afraid To Say It|url=https://www.thegamer.com/raid-shadow-legends-is-bad/|access-date=2020-06-22|website=TheGamer|language=en-US}} Gamezebo praised the game for trading "the typical anime-style visuals for a more realistic, dark fantasy look", going on to write about "the truly stunning experience, with some of the finest attack animations and environmental effects we've seen in the genre so far." However, the article also criticises the game's underlying monetization, pointing out that progress is difficult, "particularly if you don’t plan on spending any actual money on the various upgrades".{{cite web|last1=Fox|first1=Glen|url=https://www.gamezebo.com/2019/03/01/raid-shadow-legends-guide-tips-cheats-and-strategies/|title=Raid: Shadow Legends Guide – Tips, Cheats and Strategies|website=Gamezebo|date=1 March 2019|accessdate=4 July 2019}} In its review, BlueStacks also praised the visuals, saying, "The animations are simply spectacular, with the quality the likes you seldom see in these games," and concluding that "players that enjoy fantasy combat with a more realistic approach—similar to The Lord of the Rings—will likely have a very good time with Raid: Shadow Legends." South African technology website htxt.africa praised the graphics, but overall found it boring with too many microtransactions.{{cite news|last=Lotz|first=Brendyn|url=https://www.htxt.co.za/2019/08/13/we-played-raid-shadow-legends-so-you-dont-have-to/|title=We played Raid: Shadow Legends so you don't have to|newspaper=HTXT|date=13 August 2019|accessdate=7 April 2020}} Droid Gamers said it brings nothing new to the gacha RPG genre.{{cite web|last=Mayhew|first=Ash|url=https://www.droidgamers.com/2019/03/03/raid-shadow-legends-review/|title=Raid: Shadow Legends Review – The gacha RPG to rule them all?|work=Droid Gamers|date=3 March 2019|accessdate=7 April 2020}}
=Sponsorships and advertising=
The game has received substantial attention for its aggressive advertising campaign, most notably its sponsorships of a number of YouTube and Twitch content-creators as well as celebrities such as Ronda Rousey, leading to it becoming an Internet meme.{{cite web|last=Roque|first=Jack|url=https://gamerempire.net/plariums-aggressive-marketing-of-raid-shadow-legends-pays-off/|title=Plarium's Aggressive Marketing of RAID: Shadow Legends Pays Off|work=Gamer Empire|date=27 December 2019|access-date=14 March 2020}}
In February 2020, two tweets were posted by a Plarium customer support agent on Raid{{'}}s Twitter feed, claiming that Raid does not sponsor but rather "cooperates" with YouTube creators, gaining online attention for potential violations of FTC-rules requiring payments for endorsements to be disclosed to the public. Various creators contradicted this tweet, openly stating that they were sponsored by Raid or have received offers from Plarium involving Raid-related sponsorship-deals. Plarium later posted a tweet clarifying that its earlier tweets were referring to tutorials and Raid-focused videos, not its marketing campaign.{{Cite web|title=Raid Shadow Legends Twitter Account Claims They Do Not Sponsor Anyone *Updated* {{!}} Gameverse|url=https://gameverse.com/2020/03/02/raid-shadow-legends-twitter-account-claims-they-do-not-sponsor-anyone/|access-date=2021-11-04|website=gameverse.com}}{{Cite news|last=Worrall|first=William|date=2020-02-28|title=Raid: Shadow Legends Just Got Caught in the Stupidest Lie Imaginable|url=https://www.ccn.com/raid-shadow-legends-just-got-caught-in-the-stupidest-lie-imaginable/|access-date=2021-11-04|website=CCN.com|language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}