Riot’s tactical shooter Valorant has continued to be in the limelight since its official release in June. The first person shooter managed to amass a broad fan base even before the release, thanks to its similarities with Overwatch and Counter: Strike-Global Offensive.
First-person shooter players are finding easy wins in Valorant. These wins could be attributed to the familiar choke points and map formulation. Many fans of CSGO believe that Valorant map pool is just a futuristic version of Counter strike’s archaic architecture.
Valorant developers’ recent creation Icebox has triggered CSGO players’ nostalgia yet again, bringing the infamous Valorant versus CSGO discussion back. However, this time comparisons may not be so random.
Snowy ice box adds a unique aesthetic touch to Valorant’s map pool that was widely dominated with greens and bronzes. The new locale bears a striking resemblance with Office from CSGO. Set in snowy tundra, the map features a comfy looking interior area, which appears to be an office. Fans have been comparing Riot’s new creation with CSGO map office’s muted interiors and a snow covered outsides of Counter-Terrorist base.
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Icebox is not the first map that has fueled these discussions. Ascent seems like an extravagant version of Cache with the same A main and B main area. Cache’s mid connector is an ideal spot to place an AWPER at the beginning of the round. The same strategy can be pulled off on Ascent, as the map’s mid range is designed almost similar to Cache.
Mirage, with its dusty theme, is a fan favorite. The similar landscape of Bind has garnered appreciation from the players. It’s not just the scenery, but bomb point A’s entrance for defenders is quite identical to terrorist entry points in Mirage’s bombsite A.
Large boxes, containers, and narrow alleyways in Split and Haven are some features that players have seen before in inferno. With the addition of tight corners and choke-points, the locale seems eerily similar to enclosed areas of inferno. Twitch streamer Jaryd “summ1tg” Lazar even went as far as to say that “every map in Valorant is inferno in disguise.”
CSGO players vastly dominate the extensive player base of Valorant. All the top teams, including G2 and TSM, have former CSGO professionals who are now taking their shot at the brass ring in Valorant Esports. Striking similarities of Valorant’s meta with CSGO could be one of the reasons behind a shared player base of two games.