So I have been following this game for a while and I’ve been fairly hyped about it, mostrly because I’m a huge RO fan and this game seems to carry that kind of game style.
That said, I started this beta without any preconception or expectation, nor I was expecting to play a modern version of RO and I have to say that I’m both pleased and disappointed.
I’m going to give my impressions on the overall experience, I won’t get into crunchy details.
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Nice feel overall, the lore is still shallow, but promising.
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good design and arts, gotta love that 2.5D, BUT the map design is underwhelming to me…it doesn’t feel open at all, every map is basically a corridor with a few branches and you have to get from point A to point B. it feels like a guided tour rather then a real exploring adventure.
I like that they varied the elevation of the ground, high points, cliffs etc.etc., that’s really neet and keeps the landscape engaging. -
the class system is interesting and , offering (at least on paper) a high variety of customization; maybe it’s a bit “stuck” for my personal tastes, i’d like more starting classes, and the possibility to raise a skill above lvl 5 without having it circle-locked. I know it would mess up the balancing, so i’m not really complaining about it. It’s just that the progression feels a bit too railroaded (like in D&D 4th edition for who knows what i’m talking about).
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I haven’t tried every class, but so far seems like the skills are all pretty nice and fairly varied, with a wide range of effects. I guess we’ll have to see if all of those skills will be viable and effective combat options in the metagame, I hope we will not be forced to use the usual power-skill and having to ignore the more interesting ones.
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the monsters are souless pixels, they spawn very frequently and in huge quanties. It feels like popping bubble wrapping. I don’t feel any connection between them and my character nor between them and the environment, they’re just a quick exp/loot button and nothing more.
I don’t know if I like the fact that they spawn in pockets in the map, it’s definitely handy but it has that mobile casual game feel I really despise. the whole killing experience feels so repetitive, i have to do the exact same thing with each kind of monster, there is not tactics involved up until now. I’ve seen a couple of high level characters on youtube and they seem to be doing the exact same thing as I’m doing at lvl 40: reach a mob pocket, spam your skills, heal if necessary, move to next area. and that’s it. really boring.
sometimes it feels like it doesn’t even matter what skill I use, I’m gonna achieve the same affect anyway (I know this is not completely true, but most of the times it’s like this). -
I’m still trying to figure out if I like how the classes synergize together. I had a really nice experience whit a cleric tank (can’t remember the exact class) while using a pyro. it definitely felt like each one had his own job during the boss fight and it was very satisfying.
other times it feels like the difference between classes are fairly minimal and the roles more vague, making the experience more dull and monotone.
each class is fairly independent and doesn’t necessarily needs a party (like a priest or a wizard in RO); this is neither a good nor a bad thing, but I personally like when classes are tailored toward team play. -
the boss fights are ok. some of them are super boring expecially if you are playing a swordy class. other feel a bit more dynamic, but still a bit dumb. I’d like to see bosses move more, use more skills, try to actually kill me. I like the traps, I mean i’ve never actually noticed them during the fights, but with some reworking they could be an interesting asset.
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I really really HATE the story mode. having to go through the same dumb and boring quests every time I start a new character, being prevented from acutally exploring the world unless I go through the campaign, the railroadingmy experience. definitely NOT what i’m looking for in an MMO. I want to create a character, being thrown in a rough world and explore it at my own pace, when and where I want it. i want to create my OWN story, you should not impose your poorly written narrative. I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be a narrative, but you don’t have to shove it my mouth like that as if I was an infant. hide it places, drench the mechanics and the lore in it, if it’s the story I’m after I’ll go looking for it, don’t worry. just think about Dark Souls, the story is everywhere in that game, even in item descriptions, in where a monster is located, that’s how you create a truly involving narration.
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the quests in general seem not too bad, let’s say not above or below average.
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i’ll wait to see how the economy will be once fully developed, but i’d take away the market npc because it takes away from the immersion I think. it makes trading alienated from the game itself, cutting away human interaction to a certain extent. I curious to see what will drive the economy tho, and how complex it will get.
I can’t think of anything else right now, maybe I’ll edit the post as times goes by.
All in all I don’t know if I would buy this game once released.
the linearity, the story mode and the poor combat really put me off; and it’s a pity because I see plenty of potential in this game, but it seems like the devs wanted to make a dumbed down version of an MMO instead of a real one.