Am I a Mortal Online fanboy? Definitely not. But this game is simply breathtaking. I have never, and I do mean never, played a game with suchAm I a Mortal Online fanboy? Definitely not. But this game is simply breathtaking. I have never, and I do mean never, played a game with such beauty, MMOs and single player games included. The environmental effects are simply stunning, and the trees, sunlight effects, shadows, are second to none. Now, that that's out of the way. The game truly is intimidating, clunky and non-intuitive. After reading reviews around the web saying the same things over and over (broken game, paid alpha, etc), I decided to give it a try myself. And what I've discovered is that it's simply not easy. I think 90% of the reviews I read are, while earnest, are missing the point. If you are a casual or quick gamer, don't have alot of time to put into something and used to the arcade style games of current FPS or MMOs (or are under the age of let's say, 25ish), this game is DEFINITELY NOT for you, DO NOT EVEN TRY IT, and WALK AWAY NOW. That will save you time and trouble, frustration, and ultimately visits to forums spouting about how bad this game is. It's not bad, it's different. Yes, there are plenty of things that could be done better. The UI is pretty tough to navigate, buying and selling is difficult, there's almost nothing in the way of tutorials (but they do get the basics out of the way, there are help menus and trainer NPCs that have all the information you need to get you going). But anything more complicated than "how do I use my sword" or "how do I put things in a hotbar" are left unanswered. Crafting or recipe question? Visit the forums or ask in the help channel. Don't know where a certain vendor is? Get ready to spend a while looking for him! But to me, all this is simply amazing. It's VERY nostalgic for me, and reminiscent of very early internet gaming/mmos, while having the beefy environmental graphics/texturing that makes me not play the early ones anymore. I feel like my first time strapping into the original everquest after release, and being awestruck by what I see. "Let's see what's up this mountain....OMG, what's a 'Belbus'?" Followed by a hastily executed retreat as it eats my face. I feel like I'm viewing life through the eyes of a child in this game, and it's wonderful. It almost feels like I'm playing a form of art. So if you do NOT have patience to figure things out on your own without being told, again, it's not for you. I would write more, but I'm getting ready for work. The game has a new expansion called "Awakening" coming out soon (releasing as a free game update), that negates all of the cons I've spoken of so far as it is addressing many of these issues, from a wholly new and redone UI to advanced AI responses in npc creatures and characters.
One major complaint that I have heard is "griefers gank new players repeatedly, making them quit the game". I experienced this myself. But I didn't quit, I simply rounded up other players killed by this guy and took him out, then we were invited to a guild, and given weapons and armor to defend ourselves. The guy killing us, had none. He eventually left us alone. The game tries to force you to make tough decisions about social relationships. And I love it!
My only real negative, and the reason I really could not feel right giving this game a "10", is that the in game GMs in the help channel and the companies/dev's presence on the forums is a bit lacking. The community on the forums is still strong, but the developers seem to stay silent on everything except when they have an update or announcement, rather than answering individual players' questions. This is something I hope to see changed in the future, though I understand the development team stands somewhere around seven people. The in game help channel, the actual "helpers" seem to lack any real "helpfulness", but there are PLENTY of players in the same channel willing to answer any questions you have, making up for it.
In the end, it's up to you. but know what you're getting into before you play this game. It's tough. It can be lonely, frustrating and clunky at times, but YOU control what you become, who you interact with, and everything that goes on around you. I give this game a 9.
Signed,
A truely brand new MO player.… Expand
