One of the most proliferate people in the latter segment is CptBenzie of YouTube fame– if you don’t know him, you should go check out his YT channel even before you read this interview, and follow him on Twitter.
Thankfully, Benjamin “CptBenzie” Kelly, a 30-year-old Englishman who currently lives in Zimbabwe, was available for an interview.
Q: Benjamin, you’re churning out video after video about Rivals on your channel. What got you into this game?
CptBenzie: I used to play another mobile game called Vainglory. Back in the summer of 2018, one of the developers of that game, Nivmett, left and announced that he was working on a new CnC game for mobile. I slipped into the pre-alpha and fell in love with the game. Sure, it wasn't the CnC I remember from my childhood but the themes were there and the game was super enjoyable!
Q: Beyond having connections to devs, you’re also in one of the most prominent alliances, Terminus. Can you tell us about this bunch? What brought you together?
CptBenzie: Haha, this all came from the Community Discord server. I wanted to know as much as I could about how the game worked and what worked well. At that time, JadeXyan and Mav were two of the top players that I spoke to a lot, so I begged them for a place in Terminus. Fools let me in, forever tanking the Alliance's medal score! We get along well, Jade still helps a lot with my content and pulling me out of losing streaks, which is often.
Q: Bet they’re still glad you’re around. Beyond Vainglory, did you play other PvP titles in the past?
CptBenzie: Historically I've played a few fighting games semi-competitively (like Dead or Alive and Mortal Kombat) and I enjoyed StarCraft 2, but I've never been particularly good at PvP games. Watch me on Apex Legends now and you'll understand. Rivals I seem to do okay at, but I tend to just play for fun, running silly stuff just to try it out, win or lose.
Q: At least you’re more famous for your helpful YouTube videos on Rivals than for being a player.
CptBenzie: Yes, I’ve been working on my YouTube channel since the pre-alpha. I make videos about how the game works, what strategies are possible, and a series analysing every unit in the game. I'm also doing a monthly Community Deck Challenge where my community suggests a silly deck for me to run in Champions and I give it a go.
Q: Let’s talk about the game. What’s your favorite unit, and which unit do you not like to play against?
CptBenzie: Widowmakers are my favorite unit. I love spiders. Sadly, I don't play them often as Nod Tech is in a weird space right now, but I love the aesthetic of the unit!
And not liking to play against? Titans. Oh gosh, Titans. They are the bane of my life. I know how to beat them but they just infuriate me. If I lose to Titans, I am full tilt and I need to put the game down and breathe.
Delight & bane of CptBenzie on the Rivals battlefield
Q: Curious choices, I find! What do you think about the latest new units, i.e. Mohawk, Cyberwheels, Orca Bomber?
CptBenzie: The Mohawk and Cyberwheels both changed the game a lot. They really opened up a whole load of new options and caused a large meta shift. The Orca Bomber is a much more niche unit, but a lot of fun if you can get it working! I think it's great that the Devs are expanding the two factions with these units to fill gaps in the balance.
Captain Benzie on the Orca Bomber
Q: From units to game design. If you could, what would you change about Rivals?
CptBenzie: If you'd asked me a few weeks ago I'd have said "Nod Artillery" but this actually seems to be working now! In honesty, I don't really know. I'm not overly fussed for things like a 2v2 mode, but I'd love to see them run actual tournaments for the game.
Q: While we’ve already got some tournaments, they don’t get that much attention and coverage, indeed. What type of tournaments would you find appealing personally?
CptBenzie: I, myself, do not have the skills for a tournament! At 30 years old, my reactions aren't what they used to be! That said, I would love to watch, cover, and support tournaments, whatever format they follow!
Q: Tournaments would also be the one way for competitive-minded players to play on “equal footing”, i.e. identical unit strengths. What’s your take on this “unit level” aspect of the game?
CptBenzie: The Freemium mechanic is part of the mobile gaming market and sadly one of the only real ways to be financially viable. My units are all at least level 12 (with a couple of minor exceptions at level 11). Yes, I paid for a lot of that, to have every unit equal so that I could run them all for content.
I find that Rivals strikes a really good balance. I know that people will disagree with me, and I'm aware that the "it's worse elsewhere" argument isn't a great one, but there has to be a balance and I feel that Rivals goes a great deal further than many of its competitors in providing a fair Battlefield for those who don't want to spend much money.
Q: Personally, I agree fully with you – it seems unlikely a wholly different model (paid app, subscription, or only vanity purchases) would have worked in today’s app economy.
Benjamin, thank you for taking the time for this interview! Hope you keep up the great work with your YouTube channel – and see you in the ladder!
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