I don't usually play online games for multiple reasons. They rely on having a good network connection, require you to invest a lot of time to understand the mechanics and strategy of the game, and you need a bit of luck being matched with players that are of similar skill who play within the rules/spirit of the game.
Another reason is that I tend to play games years after release so the online is usually dead. Taking advantage of the recent influx of new players during the Steam free-weekend, I experience my first "Multiplayer Online Battle Arena" (MOBA). After a brief tutorial and a victory in an offline game, you are allowed to venture online. At this point, you realise how Awesomenauts' simple mechanics leads to a short learning curve, but provides plenty of hours of fun.
The story is simple. Your team of Awesomenauts are sent to mine a fuel source called 'solar'. However, another team have also come for the resource, so you must battle it out.
The maps have multiple floors, which can feature various types of environmental hazards, jump pads, and creatures that you can kill for health restoration. The map is symmetrical, with each team having a few turrets on their side of the map, with their solar core situated further back. Your aim is to destroy their core, but first you must destroy the turrets to clear out a path.
Robots are produced from the assembly line, and these follow simple rules. They will move when there is a clear path. Coming into contact with a player or turret causes them to stop and fight. Since your Awesomenaut is weak against the turrets, you require them to take the bullets for you. Once engaged, you are free to pummel the turrets too.
Obviously, it's not as easy as that. The other team will be trying to stop you, in addition to dealing damage to your turrets with the aim of reaching your solar core. Individual performances will get you so far, but teamwork and smart use of upgrades will give you the advantage.
You slowly earn solar whilst in the battlefield. Additionally, defeating an Awesomenaut gives you a large amount and a smaller amount for your team-mates. Being defeated takes a small amount from you. Solar can be used to purchase upgrades from the shop situated near your Solar Core. These upgrades can boost your two attacking abilities, attack strength, health or movement speed. Upgrading your character gives you that extra edge whilst in battle, so there's always an incentive to take down your foes and keep yourself alive. When you are killed, you are sent back to your base after a short countdown timer. There isn't a quick way to get back in the action, so you must trudge back into action.
Your character has a basic attack, two abilities (which must be purchased first) and the ability to jump. Depending on the character, you may be able to double-jump or fly/hover. You can also teleport back to base to regenerate health. Teleporting takes a few seconds to activate, so you must retreat to safety to be able to do this.
The winning team is the team that has destroyed the Solar Core. Experience is awarded depending on how well you performed. This experience unlocks new characters, or extra upgrades for the characters. Some characters seem a bit overpowered when you know how to use them, so you will definitely see players use certain characters.
If a player drops out, they are replaced by a bot. If they manage to reconnect, then they can come back into the game.
I was really impressed with Awesomenauts. The simple mechanics were easy to learn and the majority of matches I played were balanced and good fun, which is what you want to experience in an online game. It didn't seem clear what the standard of opposition were, so in the matches where my team lost, I wasn't sure if I was thrown against some experienced players, or if my team lacked team-work. I'd say that was one of the negatives of the game.