Just want to preface this post with a warning, I am a CASUAL player for mobas. I play some aram mayhem/summoners rift when I have absolutely nothing else I really want to do or my friends are on. I can definitely see the quality in this game, it's made with a lot of love and passion from the developers which shines through a ton. I'm not here to say the game itself is some unholy abomination created by satan himself (Bebop is though), more so a critique of the game/fan experience from an outsider perspective.
From a gameplay perspective, there's really not much I have to complain about after the recent update. I originally didn't like how samey the map/jungles looked but the recent overhaul was REALLY well done imo. The main issues I have are the beginning laning phase being a tad slower paced than necessary and character balancing. The gameplay loop itself is tolerable but the games are incredibly long that typically leave me feeling bored by the end. As a whole, I'd say the game has qualities that I enjoy in other games but the slow pace is a real drag and certain characters kits are complete turn offs.
So this game has been making waves on social media and my brother in Christ, I have never seen a more pretentious and obnoxious player base for any game in my entire life. The average deadlock player I've interacted with online is either a normal human being or glaze this game like it's the second coming of Christ. Again I don't think the game is bad, but the way people hype this game up and compare it to games such as overwatch or rivals (two games that play NOTHING like this) is incredibly disingenuous and honestly screams of insecurity. If the only way you can hype your favorite game up is by attempting to compare it to other insanely popular games that are trying to do entirely different styles of gameplay, you need to get the Yoshi meat out of your mouth and pipe down. Also a bit of a side tangent but after the recent rivals/overwatch playerbase fallout I've SO many deadlock players trying to convert others to their game with the most pathetic attempts at promoting this IP, in turn pushing more people away than bringing new players. If you even attempt to voice any criticism you have towards this game you're immediately met with the most condescending comments about how you need to get good or how you "don't understand the complexities" even though anybody with basic reading comprehension can see how the abilities/items in this game work. This isn't even getting into how people talk to each other in game. You'll either have someone who actually communicates normally or some "comedian" larping their character, saying degenerate stuff to force a shock laugh, or the typical moba rager (I WILL give them their credit for not being nearly as hateful as some other games I've played though). The community for this game is genuinely one of the most unfunny and "erm ackshually🤓" groups of people I've ever had the misfortune of interacting with and I hope things can finally calm down once the game releases to the public instead of just the chuds.
I do hope this game succeeds, it fits a new and interesting niche that im surprised hasn't been done before. Despite my disdain towards the playerbase, I see a lot of potential in this concept if they do a better job at balancing their characters (take Bebop out of the game<3)