When I think of the Filipino gaming pastime, I’d gravitate towards Mobile Legends or Honor of Kings, dominant MOBAs in the mobile space. Face it, when you have a mobile phone you’re more than one step into that rabbit hole which is a whole can of worms in itself. Go even further back though and DOTA in an internet cafe with Basketball on the side as the sport of choice comes up.
I remember growing up with Basketball video games like the NBA 2K series or Freestyle back in my compshop days but how does the new mobile game Dunk City Dynasty fare? Prior to going deeper into it though, what even is Dunk City Dynasty?
A new mobile game launched by NetEase Games just last May 22, Dunk City Dynasty is a NBA-licensed Streetball Game featuring real life NBA stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jordan Clarkson, Nikola Jokić, and many more. With multiple modes ranging from a 3v3 first to 11 quickplay mode, a 3v3 ranked competitive mode, a 3v3 dynasty mode, a 5v5 full court run and a classic 3v3 mode, it’s definitely a fun time for both basketball and even MOBA enthusiasts and yes, you heard me right MOBA ENTHUSIASTS!
What if BBALL but MOBA?
You’d think that a basketball game would just have the same old control scheme on mobile as it would on console but you’d be mistaken at least when it comes to Dunk City Dynasty. Following the initial tutorial showing the basics on how you move, attack, defend and even pass, one little tidbit caught my eye and that was the presence of an Ultimate. The control scheme was similar to a MOBA featuring movement through a joystick on your left and commands on the right but the unassuming ultimate is what really made me rethink how I felt about the game and that’s what greeted me next.
The Parallels of Balling and Brawling
Following the initial tutorial, you’re greeted with an initial player choice with the others being available for free upon completing their practice session. You could either go for Seth “definitely not Steph” Curry, Johnson, and Nurkic, who are a Shooting Guard (SG), Small Forward (SF) and Center (C) respectively. Later on as you play you’ll discover that two more roles namely the Point Guard (PG) and Power Forward (PF) are available.
You liken these to MOBA roles with each position having a purpose either for offense, defense or versatility. The PG is your Jungle, somebody that dictates the pace of the game but not completely excelling in damage the same way their ADCs or burst damage dealers go. SGs are these damage dealers by the way with them having alot of fire power but somewhat average defense. Small forwards are your top laners oftentimes being versatile acting as either an attacker or defender depending on the circumstance but focusing on objectives. Centers and Power Forwards are the tanks and apart from being big, you know they got the firepower to get going when they need to.
Same Same, But Different
You’d expect that in each role every player plays the same but just with different heights or stats but in reality, they’re specialized in their role skills augmenting their gameplan but not to the same extent. For instance you’d think that both Seth (one of the starting players) and Steph (locked behind gacha) would be the same but in reality, while they play similarly, it’s only up until other skills are unlocked do their true potentials shine. For instance, while Seth Curry has a BTL Step-back as his signature ultimate, Steph has his Curry Gravity which just lets him land 3s anywhere just like in real life.
Are We Balling or Are We Ballin’?
After having played Dunk City Dynasty to the point where rank is now possible (level 11 by the way), it’s an enjoyable experience outright but as you progress and go higher up the ladder, similar to MOBAs, the best way to go even higher is to focus on a role and train the superstar you’re most proficient with. The nice thing about training your superstar though is like in real life, all you’ll need is time and effort which is a good thing as enhancement materials like the Talent Materials and Star Talent cards could be earned for free through accomplishing daily tasks.
As I continued with my playthrough the amount of pulls went lower and lower and the leveling materials followed suit. While the game is definitely free-to-play and offers a daily Supply Crate pull—giving new players a chance to earn great rewards—richer gameplay and stronger rankings can be achieved by topping up, even minimally. The fact that the game allows you to reset your players and recover your materials shows that it’s not just a one-and-done deal, but a long-term investment you can work toward—even if you’re not a spender.
Final Thoughts
While Dunk City Dynasty was a fun game, the prospect of needing days, weeks or even months to get your favorite player is a daunting affair especially if you’re going free to play. Even if you somehow get your player early, you’ll still need leveling materials to even keep them competitive. If you are going to spend though, for the time being, it seems like a worthwhile endeavor if you’ll be playing this long term due to the introductory and new player shop offerings but this may change over time.
I may not be that much of a basketball fan but I can tell there was alot of love put into this game with all the history and lore behind each player. It plays similarly to a MOBA so if you like MOBAs and Basketball you’ll definitely love this game but as for me, I’ll probably keep grinding it till I shout Doby instead of Kobe.
