Maui: A Closer Look :: SmiteFire

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By: TitanAjax | 2022/10/11

WHO IS MAUI?

Hero of Hawai'i
Polynesian Guardian – Magical Damage

"Oh, tall is the tale of the mischievous one

Who fished out all the islands and captured the sun

His deeds and tasks I will unmask

So that you’ll understand

That before there was a Clark Kent

There was a Hawaiian Superman"

Lyrics by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – 1993

Maui is the premier Demigod of Polynesian Mythology. He is known for a variety of supernatural feats that improved the lives of his people. His magical hook, Manaiakalani, is always by his side.

With his strength, skill, and magical hook he fished up the islands of Hawaiʻi to give his people a place to live. Maui wrestled the secret of fire away from the ‘Alae ‘Ula birds and brought it to humanity so they could cook their food and warm their shelters. Maui ensnared the sun to lengthen the days so people could complete their necessary tasks before dark. He even grabbed hold of the sky and hurled it higher to make room for the mountains and trees to flourish.

OUR VISION

SMITE is no stranger to Demigods. Hercules, Mulan, Achilles, Cu Chulainn, and Gilgamesh will welcome Maui onto the battleground of the gods, and he will, of course, bring his own unique style to this category of god.

Maui’s unique cultural background and his magical hook provided a powerful starting point for his visuals and his gameplay. These elements are closely related to the forces of nature. Earth, Water, and Sky are all important parts of his mythology, and will also be represented in his abilities.

CORE THEMES

Theme – The Mighty Fisherman – Maui’s hook is a part of him. It is a key visual distinction for him, as well as his tool of choice for most of his epic feats. This feature was the top priority in his visual and gameplay design.
Visuals - Polynesian Perfection – Fit, strong, and agile. Maui’s form is well balanced and he sports signature clothing from Hawaiian history.
Personality - Charismatic – Maui will win you over. Whether it be genuine or part of his plan to influence you toward his goals, those around him will listen closely with admiration.
Perspective - Lovable Trickster – Maui has often made trouble for the gods, but always in order to help humanity. They know he might be trouble but they can’t ignore his charm. They know his heart is in the right place.

ARTISTIC PROCESS

We had a strong starting point for Maui’s body type, so most of our early explorations were focused on his clothing, accessories, and ornamental aspects.

Maui is a prominent figure in multiple Polynesian cultures, especially Hawaiian and Maori. For SMITE’s depiction, we aimed to focus on the Hawaiian presentation, so some of the more Maori-inspired concepts were shelved for now.

The combinations of grass, Kapa, bone, and even touches of leather come together to create a godlike appearance, while still staying true to the origins of his culture.

GAMEPLAY

Maui is a Guardian and has multiple design choices in place to make him more favorable in the duo lane, although we certainly expect him to be tried or even forced into the solo lane on occasion. One of his abilities deals no damage and has relatively weak effects unless an ally is nearby to utilize it as well, which will make him have a more supportive play style even if he ends up being viable in the solo lane. His unique basic attacks certainly are alluring for more aggressive bruiser players, but in general, his damage output is low and he is much more defined by his CC and Utility.

As the premier hook and grapple god, Maui has lots of ways to wrangle his opponents, and his kit is focused on heavy crowd control and lockdown elements, both single target, and AoE.

UNIQUE GAMEPLAY FEATURES

Medium ranged melee Basic Attacks. These are longer range than spear users and always cleave
A passive ability that allies can help him trigger, and gives Maui an additional CC on his basic attacks
A grapple ability that tethers enemy gods to Maui
An ability that has no effect on enemies, and allows allies to transport themselves to Maui’s location
A pendulum swing style leap with variable leap range
An ability that summons a large blocking volume and can pull multiple opponents to Maui

Will you be the hero that SMITE players deserve? Rescue your teammates or support their attacks in ways unlike any Guardian before him, when Maui arrives on the Battleground of the Gods this October!

Source: https://www.smitegame.com/news/maui-a-closer-look/

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