Not too long ago, the game “Champions Online” got a new twist, luring in new players, while keeping the regulars interested. 

Though the surface looks like a deeper stylistic redesign of the game, the appearance fools you, because most are just additions to existing content, yet new features shine out with plenty of potential. 

Publisher Perfect World Entertainment made a good move not changing too much of the game’s structure, it’s a pleasant surprise to find new content for long-time players to tackle. In short, this is not a new version, and there is still a “Champions Online: Free For All.”

The series has already seen immense changes within short amounts of time, and the “Champions Online” game became free last January, allowing play in a new structure. 

One particular feature called On Alert! adds a heavier teamwork element. The function of this new game is an event scheduler, where players queue up to fight against a powerful supervillain and all of the tough minions that come following in tow. You’ll be set in a team of up to six heroes and you’ll dive into a dangerous classic comic book scenario, like halting a bank robbery. 

Completing these tasks comes with plenty of awards, making leveling a whole lot easier- not necessarily good or bad, as long as the experience acquired from the alerts doesn’t make that much of a dent on the higher level needs. 

Beyond experience point changes, a statistical feature has also been added: points that go towards training your primary power focus, such as ego or endurance. This is a welcome feature, adding more detail to the leveling experience without bogging the system down in details one can’t figure out off-the-bat. 

Though the story element is still heavily cartoonish, making players feel as though they’ve been sucked into a 1980’s comic, all the features correspond to existing ones nicely, and the game is as easily accessible to beginners.