When the iPhone 6 was first announced at the 2015 Apple Keynote, there was a lot of attention given to one game in particular, and that game was Vainglory, a  Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) perfected for touch. It takes the foundation of the genre and adds it’s own flare, making it feel entirely unique.

Matches take place in a map consisting of 2 Vain Crystals, a Lane and a Jungle. In the Lane there are 3 Turrets for each side. The goal for both teams of three players is to destroy all of their enemies Turrets and eventually the Vain Crystal.

Players take control of different Heroes, each with different stats and abilities, and each suited to a different role. In an ideal circumstance, each player covers one of the three roles. One person is a laner, who don’t have a lot of defense but can deal heavy damage from a range. Their job is to kill the regularly spawning minions from their opponent’s side of the map to gain gold and experience. Another is the jungler, whose job is to defeat the neutral jungle camps and become stronger that way. Finally, there’s the roamer, and they need to protect their teammates and start fights with the opposing team.

As the match progresses, all Heros will level up and gain gold. Leveling up allows characters to learn and improve their abilities. Gold is used to buy items that boost stats and grant secondary effects. Every player will build a different way, forcing adaptation and quick thinking.

There are over 25 different Heroes to play as, all radically different from one another. Phin is roamer who can take a lot of damage and control a huge area. Skye zips around the lane in her mech, and Ozo is able to jump in and out of the jungle. Each character handles differently, meaning players will eventually find a perfect fit for their play style.

However, not every character is immediately available. Players will automatically be able to play as Taka, Skaarf and Ringo. There is also a weekly rotation of 6 heroes that can be played for free. Otherwise, they must be purchased, either with Glory, which is earned over time by playing matches, or with ICE, which is obtained by spending real world money. This system works well, because if a player enjoys a particular character, they know to save up so they can play with that hero whenever they want to.

Another feature different from most other MOBAs is how character skins work. After matches, players will occasionally find cards. These cards can later be crafted into skins for characters. Otherwise, skins can be bought with ICE. This promotes playing without paying, which is greatly welcomed.

Graphically, Vainglory is one of the best looking games on mobile devices. Every hero looks great and are well animated. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second, sound effects are appropriately impactful and the music is grand in scale.

Vainglory is perfect in every way. Gameplay is fun and fast paced, it looks and sounds great, but most importantly, it’s fun, and lives up to the title as the MOBA perfected for touch.