The article presents the perspective of the author JinT - a member of the RADA community, on the topic of Heroverse and its potential.
1. Project Introduction
HeroVerse is attempting to pioneer #gamefi by integrating the mobile game category called Match-3 Games into blockchain and #gamefi.
Match-3 Games is a reference to a sub-category of games that are typically played by people who are waiting in transport or wasting time procrastinating instead of doing their work or other real-world activities.
The original website that gave the sub-genre its name, Match 3, became a place, like many others, where you went to play free Match-3 Games to waste time, well that is really what this category does.
HeroVerse is focusing on 2 sub-categories within the Match 3 genre but combining both creating a new hybrid sub-sub-category for Match-3 called “Puzzle and RPG Strategy”.
Inspired by the concept of Match-3 Puzzle games like Candy Crush Saga, Empires & Puzzles, HeroVerse is a hyper-casual game that focuses on matching similar items to make them disappear (as Candy Crush the category leader).
HeroVerse also focuses on prominent RPG features: exploring and looting. RPG is a role-playing genre where the gamer controls a character that undertakes a quest in an imaginary world, that is driven by the narrative (Storyline).
The Puzzle gaming genre, out of all of the genres of mobile games, has been consistently the largest revenue generator. As a category It made $5.1 billion in revenue in 2020, growing 29% compared to 2019 and very much on track for continued growth in 2021 and beyond as well.
In Casual games overall, Puzzle games account for over 50% of all revenue in 2020. In addition, RPG and Strategy genres accounted for 19% and 21% respectively in the ranking.
HeroVerse is attempting to combine two of the top-grossing Mobile Game genres - Puzzle and RPG / Strategy, and HeroVerse could make big waves in the #gamefi industry, but the challenge will be to convert users in a Match 3 category of Casual gamers that typically does not spend much money on gaming.
In HeroVerse, it is more about how the characters evolve as they interact with the narrative, or at least that is what the team behind HeroVerse write is their intention in the whitepaper.
The focus for HeroVerse is on the experience of #play2earn in the overall category for Casual gamers, can HeroVerse attract the mass market Casual segment it will be bound for the stars.
HeroVerse is attempting to define their narrative based on re-coining the phrase #play2earn by changing it to #play-and-earn so as to challenge the Play Experience itself in other #gamefi projects, an ambitious mission that has to be carried by the narrative.
In the following sections, we will review each part of the project and try to give you, the RADA Reader, a well-rounded analysis of HeroVerse and its potential.
2. Market Review
Familiar names as Axie Infinity or My Defi Pet with billions of dollars in market capitalization have made the pioneering industry of #Gamefi hot. According to statistics from statista.com, the value of the global #gamefi market has increased significantly over the past decade and is expected to grow above $200 billion by 2023. From $338 million at the end of 2020, the overall capitalization of the NFT market reaches over $22 billion in 2021.
Many new players are emerging in the #gamefi industry amongst others DeFi Warrior and Elemon, who are also RADA backed projects, but 1000’s of new #gamefi blockchain-based start-ups are emerging globally (including Thetan Arena, Moniwar, KnightWar, etc. the list is endless) and the most mature of them are coming out of the #gamefi tech-hub that Vietnam has become in #gamefi.
Compared to other contemporary or previous pioneering projects, HeroVerse has a much smaller market cap. The project has just been released recently and has much more room to develop. The smaller market cap allows the project to grow stronger and faster if the project itself is good enough, and the team is committed to executing the business strategy on the planned mileposts on the roadmap.
Below is some information about 2 competitors of HeroVerse at the moment:
Axie Infinity with a market capitalization of up to $8.7 billion on October 5, 2021, is a blockchain-based NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) game that allows players to breed, raise and fight with mystical beings called Axies and as recently as last week Axie Infinity opened up a new staking program for $AXS for the first time in the games 3 years history, trying to catch up to all the new emerging players in the industry, while also landing a new series investment based on a $9 billion valuation as of October 7th, 2021.
Thetan Arena has a market capitalization of $89 million as of October 5, 2021, it is an esports Battle Royal genre game based on Blockchain technology, designed to combine the character's individual skills and the cofactor, the team. This game project recently had its IDO and received a lot of attention from the community but also from a snipebot resulting in an initial token price of over $2, which can make growth very hard considering there is no launched game, marketplace, or product at this stage.
The point being, everyone in the #gamefi industry, upstarts, and pioneers, are all dealing with the same challenges which ultimately is to get their product and services to a level where it's ready for real mass-market adaptation, the potential for all of them is huge. For some, the challenge is catching up to the challengers, for others how to ensure their narrative sticks, and for others again that the game category or genre or subgenre they venture into fully supports the ambitions of the whitepaper.
3. Product Review
During the journey of the experiment in the HeroVerse world, instead of giving away Heroes, the first mission for any new player will be to collect 4 mandatory Heroes to be able to start the adventure. Currently, the opening price to possess a Hero (NFT) is $50.
Hero Model
Hero Model is the outside look of a hero. One hero has a few different model versions that will decide the differences in the active skill of that hero.
For example, a Shadow has three model versions as in the picture below: version 1 has less armor, version 2 is added armor on thighs, and version 3 is added a lanyard in the back. Those differences in model versions will lead to the differences in Shadow’s active skill in each version.
Specifically, Shadow version 1 will have an active skill of dealing single damage that equals to six times his Attack Power and increases dodge rate by 30% in 2 turns. Shadow version 2 will have an active skill of dealing single damage that equals six times his Attack Power and increases dodge rate by 100% in 1 turn. Likewise, Shadow version 3’s active skill is dealing single damage that equals to ten times his ATK, healing 25% HP, and increasing dodge rate by 30% in 2 turns.
Element
Element is shown by the matching items of a hero in the GamePlay. Heroes come in four elements: Blue, Red, Green, and Purple. A hero will attack when the corresponding element is matched and disappears in the game play.
Hometown
Hometown is represented by the background image on the hero card. Heroes from different hometowns will have different Attack Power and Health Point. For example, a hero from Snow Mountain — a common hometown, will have its in-game ATK increased by 1% and its in-game HP increased by 4%.
Pet
Each hero will have a pet that follows him/her and determines his/her passive skill. For example, when a hero carries a fox — a rare pet, he/she will receive two circle red bombs as a passive spell at the beginning of the battle.
Crypto Medal
Each hero will be tied to one top coin including BTC, ETH, ADA, USDT, HER, BNB, XRP, SOL, and DOT. The strength of the hero will increase and decrease in proportion to the price movement of the coin in 24 hours.
4 ways that players can own Heroes
- Trading: You can buy and sell a Hero with $HER tokens on Marketplace
- Hero box: You can open a Hero Box for a chance to get Hero
- Staking: You can get a Hero as a reward by Staking token (you will receive a Hero within the first 10 days from the Staking campaign is launched)
- Creating: You can create 1 Hero by combining 4 Hero shards and $HER token
The battle is a series of stages in order of difficulty, each stage will include waves of monsters for the player to destroy. Participating in each stage, players will have the task of leading their Heroes to battle to be able to bring back the loot after each victory. In a battle, the player is required to have all 4 Heroes, it is not mandatory for the Heroes to be all different.
In each battle, players will be provided with a table full of symbols including colors:
- Blue
- Red
- Green
- Violet
To destroy the enemy in each stage, the player needs to connect the symbols in the game board into the longest possible sequence of symbols to make your heroes attack. Players can choose for themselves the enemy to hit first by clicking on the opponent they want to fight.
Besides, each time you connect the icons together, the Hero of the respective system will accumulate more mana for him (below the health bar). When the player has accumulated enough mana for his Hero, the player can click on the Hero to activate the active skill.
Upgrade Hero
To upgrade a Hero, you must win campaigns and use HES tokens. The more upgraded Heroes, the more power they have. However, the next upgrade will cost more than the previous ones.
Awake Hero
Hero's strength will depend on their rarity and how many times they are upgraded. However, when the Hero reaches the level cap, you will need to use the "awakening system" to help the Hero break the limit. To awaken the Hero, you will have to use the HER token. When you awaken your Hero, you will be rewarded with Hero Shard (HRS).
Playing strategy
Heroes are divided into 3 main roles: Damage dealer, Tanker, Supporter.
- Damage dealers are heroes with high ATK, its skills can generate large amounts of damage. For example Shinobi, Arrondoff
- Tanker are heroes with high HP, their skills increase defense for themselves and the team. For example Abbadon
- Supporter type is the strong hero in terms of skills to control opponents and support both attack and defense for the team. For example Dryad
A squad does not have to have all 4 types or all roles. It depends on the characters and strategies of players.
Activities in the game
Campaign
The campaign is divided into Chapters. Players will have to take turns to open the next mission. Each land is a part of the map facing forward. The player must beat all challengers to reach the final boss of the chapter. Each chapter has diverse monsters, special bosses, but valuable treasures are the final reward for all players.
Daily raid event
After completing a chapter, bosses in that chapter will be unlocked. Every day players will have 1 chance to batter 1 boss as they like. The direct competition among other players on that boss to get rewards based on personal achievements.
Tower
The tower consists of 100 floors that the player must pass. After every 10 floors, there will be 1 Boss. Players will receive rewards after completing the challenges. Tower will run for 30 days which will be changed and refreshed at the end. Top players who finish first and fastest will receive special rewards
PvP
Players will face off against each other to level up their rank in the season. Each arena season will run for 30 days with rewards corresponding to the level of rank.
Clan
Clan members will contribute to upgrading the clan. There will be skills giving strength to all players in the clan. There are two types of clans: Maze Clan (clan members will fight together to unlock all the missions in the maze) and Clan Boss Clan (Clan achievements will represent all members). Competing with other clans will help to boost the rank.
4. Unique Selling Points
Play and Earn is the primary USP for HeroVerse challenging the Play Experience from both pioneers and start-ups alike, through a new narrative.
With the attempt to replace the “Play2Earn” model with ”Play and Earn” there is an opening towards a new potential sub-genre, but will this model work, and is the narrative strong enough to carry the story?
HeroVerse aims to focus more on gameplay and improve the player's experience besides being able to earn money in a more casual approach that is less time consuming, instead of playing with the only purpose of earning money, HeroVerse seeks to make it fun and interesting to play the game first and foremost, and then you earn money by playing as a bonus.
Players will earn money by receiving Hero essence ($HES) tokens. In addition to receiving $HES tokens from daily tasks and campaigns, the special feature of the game is that players compete directly with each other in daily Boss monster events. Bosses will be gradually opened when the player completes the first chapter of the game. The newest boss will have the most attractive reward. The Boss monsters will constantly change every day forcing players to be flexible in using tactics and to work on strategies to take on the Boss of the Day (BotD).
The strength of a Hero will also be boosted by crypto price movement (like we also see in DeFi Warrior) so that each Hero is connected to the development of the linked crypto in terms of in-game impact. The aim is to make the game more crypto-friendly and increase the variations of the Heroes to ensure an even more strategic depth in the game experience.
5. Tokenomics
Token $HER and $HES (Hero essence)
Token HES and token inflation in-game
- $HES is the monetary system in the Heroverse game. It also is a side token system used in Heroverse ecosystems for certain reasons.
- Token $HES has a limitless supply, so players can earn $HES easily by playing games and use it for transactions. As a result, the huge token supply in-game can lead to inflation. To mitigate this, the game developers allow players to use $HES to upgrade their heroes, thereby decreasing the circulating tokens in the game.
HeroVerse players are able to manage the number of heroes through Upgrade Systems, which manages the numbers of token $HES and Heroes. The higher the power level of the hero player wants to upgrade, the higher the cost they have to pay. As a result, players must consider carefully selecting their hero and planning a very careful upgrade strategy. The Upgrade System can tackle token inflation by balancing the numbers of players, heroes, and token supply as well as keeping a centered balance point.
Token HER is Heroverse’s native token
$HER’s main functions are: Management and Buy Hero and Gacha (Lucky Circle)
Information of token HER:
- Token name: HeroVerse Token
- Symbol: HER.
- Token Standard: BEP-20
- Blockchain: Binance Smart Chain.
- Contract: Updating
- Total supply: 1,000,000,000 HER
- Type of Token: Utility Token
HER's allocation
HER's Vesting Schedule
Earning Mechanism in Heroverse
- Trading: Trade their heroes and items with others in the marketplace.
- Renting: Players can rent out their heroes from others for profit. The rental price will depend on the hero’s value in the market.
- Gacha: This is a form of lucky draw for players to receive their Hero, Hero's properties (except Crypto Medal and Element) are divided into 6 rarities from low to high: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legend, Mythic. The Hero's price will depend on the scarities of these rarities.
The occurrence rate of each respective rarity:
- Reward: Players can earn the token via Quest, PvP, Tower Conquest, and Clan event.
6. Roadmap
7. Media
The HeroVerse team has invested in raising communities, so it has attracted a large number of followers on the project's media channels, at almost 100,000 followers on Twitter and nearly 80,000 members on Telegram; this is a very large community for a project in this stage.
The Telegram Official Group is active regularly as a result of the HeroVerse communication team and the project's focus and investment in building a strong Community. Projects with strong communities prove the interest and trust in the project, especially for a project that has not even officially launched the game yet.
8. Partners & Investors
HeroVerse has attracted investment from many famous companies and investment funds in the blockchain world such as RedKite, GameFi, Raptor Capital, X21 Digital, AU21 Capital, and Dao Maker.
The successful game NFT projects before like Thetan Arena, My Master War was supported and funded by these companies and investment funds.
9. Team
The team behind the HeroVerse project includes well-known names.
- Daniel Nguyen – CEO: Former COO & CTO of Onteractive & Minet Asia (The largest network of influencers in Southeast Asia)
- Trương Đức Phương – Game Director: Lead Designer của Hikker Team (famous studio game in VietNam)
- Nguyễn Huy Hoàng – Art Director: Lead Artist của Hikker Team (famous studio game in VietNam)
- Tạ Sơn Tùng – Business Adviser: Cofounder & Chairman Rikkeisoft(a big blockchain company), in the list of Forbes 30 Under 30 - a list of 30 outstanding faces under 30 years old in various fields in Vietnam voted by Forbes Magazine
- Thi Trương – Executive Advisor: Founder & CEO of Red Kite - PolkaFoundry (a platform for creating borderless and frictionless DeFi apps)
- Nguyễn Tuấn Huy – Game Advisor: Founder & CEO Hiker Game (famous studio game in VietNam)
The team included people having experience working on games in large corporations with previous successful projects. In particular, the marketing segment is also focused on talented employees who have experienced many marketing positions in technology companies. The design content and character creation in the game are quite eye-catching and well-groomed. With such a large staff, can we expect HeroVerse to be successful in the future?
10. Summary
HeroVerse is defining their narrative based on re-coining #play2earn into #play-and-earn, which is a very hard mission to venture out into, the entire world is Googling play2earn, and to educate and build awareness for a new version that is not following the mass-market demand, in terms of search behavior (which is the first step of customer acquisition).
HeroVerse also aims at creating a whole new sub-genre in #gamfi which I guess would be labeled “Casual Match 3 Puzzle X RPG”. HeroVerse targets players who are willing to invest money into the game category based on a marketing plan and a narrative-based storyline throughout all aspects of the game.
The challenges are many for HeroVerse, not at least the storytelling and the narrative, the website and whitepaper is very much marketing 1.0 and is describing features and is very far from a narrative-carried messaging that is centered on the storyline.
However, the potential remains to be very high and the team is trying to redefine multiple very interesting aspects of #gamefi. If they can adjust their narrative and especially their English (global) communication, so it's aligned with storytelling and marketing based on feelings and not descriptive communication, there is a really strong chance for this project to make it out in the world, especially because it will be carried by the narrative (customer experience-based business strategy all the way!!
Heroverse is promised to be an attractive game. Hopefully, through this article, you will have the necessary information about the project to make your own investment decisions.
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Disclaimer: Information is obtained from the project's Whitepaper and official sources. The content in this article is the author's personal opinion for providing informational purposes and should not be considered as investment advice. RADA and the author are not financial advisors and will not bear any responsibility in connection with your investment.
