Considering the intricately layered nature of her personal brand of metal, most of RinRin’s life is spent in the studio. Time out of the studio is precious, but the Perth startup seems to have found a perfect balance for eating, sleeping, and, naturally, Valorant.
The free-to-play hero shooter is the latest Riot Games title to capture (and defend) the hearts and minds of 2 million players daily, or thereabouts. Chaotic, unpredictable, and based largely on skill, there’s plenty of crossover between the world of Valorant and the world of RinRin – and we’re really only seeing the beginning of both.
Since sharing debut 2020 single ‘The Game’, RinRin has let loose, sharing a debut EP the following year with Episode 1, and preparing her next barrage with the first warning shot of a follow-up, the aptly titled Guns And Grenades. And thus the thread loops back to Valorant. Fresh from showcasing at BIGSOUND 2022, RinRin was kind – and patient – enough to sit down with BLUNT and explain her devotion to the game.
Okay, what is Valorant?
Imagine if Overwatch and CSgo had a baby – that would be Valorant.
The game style is similar to CSgo. You have two teams: the attackers and the defenders. Defenders seek to stop the attackers from planting a bomb and the attackers have to successfully plant the bomb and defend it from being defused before it gets blown up. In Valorant, each team consists of 5 agents, and just like Overwatch, they all have their unique abilities – some have magical abilities while some excel in technology.
What was it that first hooked you?
I watched their animated trailers and music videos on YouTube and thought the world-building and characters were so cool! My friends were also playing and introduced the game to me so that was a good starting point. At first, I was confused as hell. I didn’t know how the economy worked and would buy any random gun. My team, who were random players, all roasted me and I got my ass whooped by kids in the other team. That was when it ignited a fire inside of me. I was determined to upskill. Over the next few months, I essentially dedicated my life to this game. It was mostly denial that fueled the fire as I couldn’t accept the fact that kids were better than me. Now I can finally say that I am a pretty decent Valorant player!
What keeps you going back for more?
I’ve been playing Valorant since it was fairly new in 2020. Only a few agents were available to play during that time. I’ve been playing for about two years now. But with music also being an important part of my life, my attention has been split across the two. Through Valorant, I feel like I’ve made some really good friends. Shout out to Redzmik, Altf4, Wabaki, Inori and Owisheee who are my Valorant fam.
Compared to any other PC hero shootout-style game, what sets Valorant aside?
For me, it’s really the artistic side of things. I love how they incorporate music into the game. There are a couple of skins for guns that when you kill someone it plays music, that slaps! My favourite is “Champions 2021 Vandal“.
If someone approached you and asked where to start to be involved in the Valorant world, what advice would you be able to give them to set them up for success?
First of all, I would address the side effects of playing the game; forgetting how the sun feels on your skin, forgetting the way grass feels under your toes, forgetting how to communicate with real-life people, and most importantly, how it will turn you into a sleep-deprived or nocturnal being.
After that, my game advice would be to just click on their heads (just kidding). First of all, know how the economy of the game works. Do warm-ups, I personally use AimLabs. When you pick an agent, learn how to use their utilities properly. Don’t be that one noob that picks an agent that they don’t know how to use (I’m talking to you new Jett insta- lockers). Get your crosshair placement on point and train yourself to not blink for long periods of time. Every blink or glance taken away from the screen may risk you dying, as blinking or looking away always seems to be prime time for the enemy to strike and shoot.
How much time does someone need to invest in Valorant as, say, a casual player?
As a casual player, you have the option to play short games like Spike Rush, Deathmatch, or just Unrated. An Unrated game usually goes on for about 30 minutes. Valorant is completely free to play. If you have the money you can spend, you could buy skins for your guns to make them look cooler and have finishers. My favourites are Champions, Glitchpop, Reaver and Protocol-781.
Which of the game’s eighteen character (Agent) options do you play? Can you tell us why and call out some of your other favourites?
Skye – I like healing my team because I absolutely HATE it when they’ve taken damage and their health bar is not full. I love using her blinds to fake blind the enemy to make them feel silly once in a while. I find her ult (ultimate abilities) very useful as well when playing against agents like Viper, Yoru, or any agent that moves around really fast as her ult will seek them out of their hiding places.
Reyna – My first main. I have to admit, I was a Reyna insta-locker before she got nerfed. I loved using her ult because when you kill someone, you can turn invisible for a few seconds and the enemies won’t know where you are until you pop out and kill them. I also mainly played her a lot because she can self-heal every time she makes a kill. And as you know, I do not like seeing a depleting health bar. And lastly, her blind doesn’t blind me or my other team and it lasts for a few seconds, so I find that very convenient.
Chamber – When Chamber first came out, I was instantly won over because of his ult. A free Operator! I played around with his other utilities like teleporting and tripwires. One thing I found useful with the trips is that it has a little alarm to notify you when it’s detected someone. I would hide in a weird spot so that when the enemy would point their crosshair to where the trip is to destroy it, I’ll swing out and get an easy kill. If ever I miss (which probably I do 80% of the time) or the enemies are bunched up together holding each other’s hands, I’ll just teleport away. Adios.
How do you think your love of Valorant contributes to the music you create?
The way game soundtracks are made, they fit the way the game or story unfolds. Just like my own life unfolds, my music is the soundtrack to my life and hopefully other people’s lives as well.
Image credit: Valorant / Riot Games
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