When I first heard about this MMO waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in my middle school years, I was entranced. I loved the art style, the classes looked great, and it just looked fun. Unfortunately, due to our only computers being business computers, I couldn't play it. That is, until two days ago, when I downloaded it to my laptop and played it for the first time.
Is it everything I had hoped for, or is it just another leaf blowing with the wind? Let's find out.
Part 1: Classes
Since this is an MMO, I'm going to approach this slightly differently than a normal game. Due to the social aspect and customization that these games possess, people play MMOs that wouldn't play any other video game. So first, we are beginning with the class choices, as it is the first major choice you make.
It should be noted right off the bat that this game's classes are AMAZING. Sure, you have your standard Warrior, Archer, Thief, and Mage, but beyond that the classes expand into all different areas. Pirates, Demons, Dragonmasters, Mech Riders, a person riding a freaking panther with a crossbow, there's all kinds of interesting choices. Also, each different group of class has a different main story as well (I will get more into this later), making your character feel even more unique.
Now, the art style might feel a little overdone to you in terms of MMOs, but Maplestory was possibly the first MMO to use this art style. This game was massive online game company Nexon's first game ever, and has been out since the days of games like Runescape. It also still has it's own charm to it that works well.
In terms of balance, each class is fairly balanced out, although the classes that were added to the game later may have an advantage due to being further developed.
Part 2: The World of Maplestory and it's inhabitants.
Maplestory's graphics and world are beautiful. Despite the simplistic art design, the sprites are very detailed and the animations flow wonderfully. The world itself is also very detailed and looks fantastic. Each place is creative and unique, and is easy to navigate due to the simple platforming control scheme as well as the easy-to-access map. The only problem with navigation is that sometimes it can take awhile to get to your destination, as you can't naturally teleport from one place to another. It requires special items to do so, so you'll spend most of your time walking. Many classes have abilities that assist with this though, so traversing gets better over time.
Now let's talk about the NPCs. Each NPC, like the landscape is simply creative. They all have different personalities that are all well presented through character model, expressions, and writing. Also, rarely are NPCs useless, as almost ALL of them have some form of shop or a group of quests.
'Finally, we have the monsters. These are possibly the most creative things in the game, as even monsters as common as the Slime have their own personality and attitude due through creative genius. Heck, even the tree stumps look pretty cool!
In short, the world of Maplestory is pretty awesome. Granted, if you aren't much of a fan of fantasy or 2D art, then the world may not be pleasing to you. But in terms of hitting it's target audience while making the game iconic in it's own special way, I think it hits the nail right on the head.
Part 3: The Maplestory (Heh heh heh)
Like most online games now, Maplestory has...well, a story. There's this evil organization that's doing bad stuff, monsters are bad, kill em'.
However, within that context Maplestory offers a very unique way of giving story. Now, as expected, most of the story comes through the NPCs, which as I explained earlier is pretty well written...but your part in this whole thing actually differs depending on your choice of class.
Someone who chose one of the Explorer classes will not only have a different start than, say, the Resistance classes, but will also start in a different location, have different NPCs they need to interact with, and in a sense have a VERY different experience. You can still visit the same NPCs and locations, but you'll run into them at different times, and most of the main story for your character will come from what class group you chose.
You're also awarded by doing story stuff, or really any quest in general. Many items obtained through quests can't be obtained any other way, and the exp yield is usually very good. Completing a quest around your level will often lead to an immediate level up.
To put it simply, not only is the story good, but you're always rewarded for your effort put into it.
Part 4: Combat
This is the part that I think will either make or break the game for most people: the combat.
Maplestory has an interesting combat system, one like I've never played before. I know other games like this exist, but as with the art style, my guess is that they were probably the first to use it anyways.
Maplestory uses an action/rpg combat system. You have stats that are affect by equipment and level as well as experience, but the actual fighting is done through the arrow keys and other keys, not clicks of the mouse. You can move left/right, jump, use a basic attack, use items, crouch (which I have yet to find the purpose of), rest, and use class skills.
Class skills are skills that you can assign to buttons that you unlock by choosing a class. Every time you gain a level, you get points which you can use to level up your skills. Each skills is unique to it's own class, and work fantastically. I think this is probably the best use of the skill system I have ever seen in an MMO.
Fighting monsters can be a problem sometimes as it's not uncommon to get caught among a group of them and being knocked between them, but it's just a minor issue.
I like this system, and I think it works well for what it's trying to be. You may not enjoy it, and that's fine, but I think as a whole it's well crafted.
Part 5: Social Aspect
This is probably the weakest part of the game, which is good and bad at the same time.
Due to being 2D and a simplistic art style, character customization has it's limits, which might make a lot of people ignore it. There are a few emotes you have access to, but beyond that there's not much beyond conversation.
However, what's good about this is the people that DO play the game. I haven't really made any friends on their yet (due to just starting), but my guess is that this game attracts less of the general crowd and more of the gamer crowd, meaning you're more likely to have similarities and understand easier. Also, conversation isn't very common unless among friends, so spamming isn't very common. This is also great if you're not one for conversation and simply want to have fun.
Verdict: 9/10
This game is certainly not for everyone, as it's very unique. However, in terms of accomplishing what they try to accomplish, I think they did outstanding. The classes are cool, the world is impressive, the story is good, combat is fun and diverse, and while there's a lack of social capability, it's not that big of an issue. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys action rpgs or someone looking for a new experience. In my personal opinion, it's the best MMO I've ever played.
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