SATIRE
Last December, the new third-person hero multiplayer game “Northwood Rivals” exploded onto the scene, receiving praise for its presentation and gameplay. Similar to older titles like “Trojanwatch 2” and “Vaqeroant,” “Northwood Rivals” offers subtle differences that make it stand out among all similar games released thus far. Get on top of the current meta with these tips to help spruce up your gameplay.
Create team compositions:
At the start of each yearly season, players can build their six-to-eight-person teams, balancing different academic factions for maximum efficiency. History and Science mains specialize in healing and debuffs, while Math and English characters are key for their high health and damage output.
For a well-rounded team, I recommend Captain Alburger, David Star-Lee, Groot-ospe and Pang Parker for my English, Math, Science and History factions respectively. Captain Alburger’s AP Slam deals massive knockback over a wide area to nearby enemies, Star-Lee’s Calc Party Dash lets him zip into engagements to chip away at enemies’ health, Pang Parker’s Filli-Buster Finale stalls out the opps at a range and Groot-ospe’s Error Analysis can heal teammates after any battle.
High-ranked players should aim for special character unlocks and synergy bonuses. Pairing Dr. Strange-lessi and Mr. Quizon-tastic from the Music faction grants players a 75% morale boost (crucial for staying motivated through AP season). Teaming up Star-Lee and Esther Psy-Lee activates the “You’ve Got A Friend in Lee” bonus, boosting group project success rates by 20%.
Direct yourself to different maps:
Every match takes place on an iconic Northwood location, randomly selected every round. Early players start with classics like the Softball Stadium, Theater Backstage, Oak Plaza and Staff Parking Lot.
Leveling up unlocks even more fresh battlegrounds. Some players choose The Great Park Hot Air Balloon for its unpredictable aerial combat, while others prefer to establish dominance at the ruins of the Tustin Hangar Cleanup Site. The most feared map among these unlockable locations is the Northwood Town Center, where swarms of middle schoolers populate the map in search of local hangout spots.
Players can unlock the “Drive Around Town” practice mode by completing the “IVA Drivers Ed” sidequest. This quest will grant them the ability to access travel vehicles to take them to different maps and gain a sneak peek into the new areas that will be unlocked throughout the experience.
Gain knowledge on game modes:
Notable game modes include Plush Pass, where players must take bathroom placeholder plushies from the enemy base back to their own base and bring back more plushies overall to win the round, and Chromebook Charge, where players have to find a heavy Chromebook cart hidden somewhere on the map and stop the other team from stealing it; the team to hold onto the cart for longer wins the round.
My personal favorite is Textbook Trouble, a high-stakes scramble where teams have to be the first to collect 50 textbooks dropped from defeated enemies. The recommended strategy for this mode is to scramble around the map collecting as many books as possible like you’re collecting points on an AP U.S. History DBQ. If you want to succeed in the other modes, developing a plan for every mode-map combination is a certain path to victory.
Reach new ranks:
While there isn’t an official competitive ranking system in “Northwood Rivals,” you can show off your game ranks to the rest of your friends though the comprehensive friend system. Make sure to yap loudly about which rank you got to anyone who is willing to listen ad nauseam until your gaming achievements are completely overshadowed by your rampant humblebragging and your obsession with spamming “ggwp” wherever you go.
