When you usually think of an MMO today, you tend to think of an immersive game environment with slatherings of 3D gameplay, orcs and trolls, lots of magic and lots and lots of combat. You don't generally think about playing a side-scrolling game populated with cutesy Anime-style characters and animals. That's where MapleStory bends your brain a little.
The base concepts of this MMO are very similar to FlyFF. You start off as a Beginner before choosing your first profession, and once you reach a particular level of skill, you can then specialize further into a second profession which then leads to further and further specialization. For example, the stock Warrior profession can become a Fighter, Page or Spearman. A Fighter can then become a Crusader and then a Hero. Conversely, a Rogue/Thief can specialize into an Assassin or Bandit, and so forth. There are four initial professions you can choose from: Warrior, Wizard, Bowman and Thief. Sound familiar? Yup, it's the stock Dungeons & Dragons character classes translated to the online world.
The major feature that differentiates this game from others is that it operates in 2D side-scrolling mode. This adds a strange retro feel to the game, almost as if you're playing an old 8-bit computer game that's been networked. The art style is cartoony and Anime-inspired and there are quite a few options for creating your own personalized character. The game world is pretty large and there are a variety of monsters to kill and quests to complete to improve your character. There are a number of in-game minigames that you can play alone and with others too.
As with other Asian MMOs, play is free, and you can buy additional items through a cash shop. One of the cool things that the company does is allow you to buy Game Cards in various stores such as Target, so if you've got a family member or friend playing the game, you can help feed their cash shop habit. Alternatively you can buy cash shop gear with a credit card or Paypal. Like many free to play games, it's not necessary to get enjoyment from the game, but it can add a little extra.
The game requires Windows 98 as a minimum (it will only run on Windows) and at least a 1 Ghz processor with 3D acceleration (which is strange, seeing as the game is in 2D). You'll need around 1.5Gb of hard drive space for the game itself, and the same again for the installer before installation. The good news is that this game is playable via modem and is designed for modem play, so it's one of the few MMOs that non-broadband users can get to play.
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Tags: Free Games, MMO Monday, Online Gaming by Teh Bagder
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