Six Temples is a third-person action multiplayer that seems to take inspiration from games like Mordhau or For Honor. Players choose from a selection of different characters with different forms of combat, then run around a map killing each other and capturing temples.
At least that's how it should work. Unfortunately, in this beta, Six Temples is lacking the most important aspect of a multiplayer game: an audience.
Swords And Sorcery
So far, the game seems to be on track in its development. As a message at the beginning explains, it's still in a very early stage and there's a lot of work that needs to be done.
The core idea of Six Temples has potential if everything comes together. Right now, there are three classes to choose from: barbarian, wizard, and mercenary (which is essentially a rogue). They all have separate, unique abilities. The barbarian swings their sword and can buff their defense and offense, the wizard blasts opponents with fireballs, and the mercenary can jump around brandishing their dual blades.
To beat the other teams, you have to grab artifacts, bring them to various temples, and place them inside. It's simply a fancy version of a capture the point game mode, but with 36 people all running around the battlefield, there's a good blueprint here for a really chaotic experience.
Hear The Lamentations Of This Beta
Six Temples is definitely not ready for prime time just yet, as there are some graphical and gameplay issues that need to be fixed. Textures can glitch out and it's easy to walk through some pieces of the scenery. Diving into the water will cause the water to just float above while you walk underneath, which isn't how water should operate. However, it's possible that the developers haven't decided how swimming is going to work yet. Character designs all have dead, lifeless eyes, and the map is a bland, messy desert right now.
Though the gameplay doesn't feel finished, it's not terrible. The combat is weighty and, with a little improvement, it could become something special. However, I was a little confused by the game's lack of a jump button. Unless I missed something - and that's possible since the tutorial didn't help much when it came to learning the basics - there's no way to jump, which is a problem due to the rough terrain. There are plenty of barriers, rock formations, and other obstacles that could be easily overcome by some kind of vertical movement. However, without a jump, you're forced to walk around knee-high obstructions until you find a way in, which is tedious.
Six Temples, Zero Players
I was interested to see how the game would perform with a bunch of players all fighting one another. After all, a bunch of wizards throwing fireballs at bloodthirsty barbarians seems like a recipe for a good time. However, Six Temples may have a problem that goes beyond any bugs or unrefined gameplay mechanics.
Logging into the beta, I attempted to load into a game only to find every server devoid of life. I was only able to find one game that had two other people in it. To the game's credit, the other players seemed to be having a good time messing around. After asking them how to actually play the game - seriously, that tutorial is useless - I played against them for a little bit before they both departed, and I was left alone to sadly slash my sword against no one and nothing in particular.
It's needless to say that I probably didn't get the optimal Six Temples experience. Playing with a full server would surely make the game more fun, as things devolved into an all-out war with weapons and projectiles flying about. However, after several days of signing into the beta, I was disheartened by the constantly empty maps. I was able to load in and fool around, but it was impossible to enjoy the game the way the developers intended.
Needs A Little Divine Intervention
It's hard for me to give an accurate assessment of Six Temples considering the fact that I wasn't able to play an actual match. Obviously, this developer doesn't have the six or seven-figure budget necessary for a massive marketing campaign. However, building a player base for a new multiplayer game these days is not easy. There's a lot of competition, and it's easy to get lost in the shuffle, which is what I fear may be the case with Six Temples.
It's not a perfect game by any means. There's still much to do, and it's going to need some significant graphical design and gameplay tweaks if it has a chance of standing out - and for the love of all things good, they better add a jump. I hope they continue to work on the game and that some adventurous players stumble across it and give it a chance.
This is just the beta, so there's time for things to turn around. However, right now, we just have a bunch of empty temples with nothing inside to worship.