What is Strinova? Anime meets VALORANT shooter

With the ever-growing popularity of anime-styled games in various genres, it was only a matter of time before tactical shooters made their way into the beloved art style. That is exactly what Strinova offers. Tencent-backed holdings company iDreamSky already owns the Chinese licenses to various games, including Subway Surfers. They are now bringing an original creation to the world stage. With on-the-fly 2D conversion in a Paper Mario style, Strinova stands out. And its VALORANT-inspired design may pique interests. Let's look at what Strinova is bringing to the table.

Right off the bat, the biggest difference from VALORANT is obviously the POV. Strinova uses a third-person view model, which is more in line with games like Fortnite. While that usually comes with a number of flaws in the tactical-shooter space, namely the ability to peak corners without revealing yourself, the game has a few tricks up its sleeves to combat it.

What may be initially overlooked as just a stylistic choice, in my opinion, may be Strinova's biggest strength if balanced well. The Stringyfication 3D to 2D game mechanic allows you to tactically switch into a paper cutout of their character. This paper form allows you to glide through the air, dodge bullets, or even stick yourself onto walls to ambush unsuspecting opponents.

This mechanic not only adds a layer of fun and skill to every engagement but also compliments the third-person shooter nature of the game. Where third-person can take away ambushes, Stringyfication adds it right back. Clunky movement? Not a problem when you can just glide into battle.

Similar to VALORANT, the game has built a solid lore foundation from the start. Strinova offers a utopian world with divided factions, interwoven character stories, and more. Where it differs is another element inherent to anime games — an emphasis on creating a bond with your character. Players can unlock unique story elements for characters at the end of each game.

There are three factions in the game. Painting Utopia Security (PUS) are the monopolistic owners of "crystal technology" aiming to build a Dream Town, which immediately harkens back to VALORANT's own Kingdom Corp. and Radianite. The Scissors are on the opposite end of the spectrum, looking to bring humanity back to Earth through the crystals. Finally, Urbino is the third faction, featuring researchers and artists looking to develop interdimensional travel.

Strinova currently features 14 characters spread across different classes, similar to VALORANT. Here's a list of all of characters and their factions by class:

On the surface, Strinova may seem like a simple anime-themed VALORANT clone. Even the user interface and the maps feel familiar despite their differing layouts. But look just a bit further, and you'll see a number of differences. The biggest one by far has to be the weapon selection. Unlike Riot's shooter, Strinova's weapons are tied directly to the characters.

Pick Kokona, and you'll be using the Quasar sniper to gun foes down at range. Choose Bai Mo, and you'll have to get up close and personal to get the shotgun Freedom Reign to work. Combined with the already extensive selection of abilities, the choice of characters becomes even more personal, truly reflecting each player's style.

And even if it does borrow some elements from VALORANT, who can blame them. There is a reason why Riot Games' shooter has been so popular among casuals and esports players alike, and that game itself takes notes from Counter-Strike and Overwatch 2.

Strinova, in its Chinese form, has been out since 2023. The game has garnered a sizeable audience in that time. Having ironed out the major kinks, iDREAMSKY is now targeting a global launch sometime later this year. The release date may be up in the air, but a closed beta test is already underway. Currently, North America and Japan are the two participating regions, owing to latency concerns. Three game modes, Demolition (Defusal), Scrimmage (TDM), and Escort (Payload), are currently live across the four maps.

Players interested in the Strinova Quark Beta Test can sign up for the beta on the game's official Steam page or by using the download link on Strinova's website. Do keep in mind the region restrictions, as that may force you into using a VPN to play the game. The beta test is live right now and ends on June 30 across both regions.

Before jumping into the game, make sure your PC matches the System Requirements so that you have a pleasant experience. With Strinova's esports focus, the minimum specs are quite easy to reach, meaning any modern computer should have no problem running the game comfortably.

Minimum Requirements:

Recommended Requirements:

Do keep in mind that support for Windows 7 and 8 will be dropped after the closed beta test.

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