Ragnarok Online - Mind the Feral Fried Eggs
Ragnarok Online is a MMORPG that's been around for a while
in Beta mode and has recently been fully released, becoming
a pay-for-play online RPG. It's benefited from its years
in public Beta, though not perhaps quite as much as you
might expect, and it's definitely a niche game, but it's
a high-quality one nonetheless.
RO is based on a Japanese Manga, Ragnarok, that draws heavily
on Norse mythology. However, apart from a few names, the
game really doesn't use its mythological basis at all. In
fact, there's really no plot to RO at all; it's one of those
games that emphasises freedom to play however you choose
at the expense of over-arching plot development. The download
is free, and after a fifteen day trial, the game will cost
you about $10 a month.
A warning right from the start. Your character's sex is
entirely determined by the sex you register yourself as.
So, unless they realised and deliberately lied, every female
character you see is played by a woman, every male by a
man. Some people, especially female gamers, are going to
find that downright creepy. Certainly it's more usual for
online RPGs to provide a greater level of anonymity. Combine
that with the fact that the developers, Gravity, have recently
included the ability for characters to get married (and
divorced), and you get a social vibe to the game that might
make some people uncomfortable.
That leaves you able to choose your character's hairstyle,
and tweak their stats into the combination you're happiest
with. You won't choose your character's job until they're
level 10, but those initial stats still matter. You'll get
to choose between swordsman, mage, thief, merchant, archer,
or accolyte.
Most tutorials follow a learn by doing pattern. In RO,
the tutorial is learn by reading and sitting a test. You
can't go into the game until you pass the test, which WILL
teach you how the controls work, but could also be a massive
pain you might just want to skip.
PvP is available after you reach level 31. This is going
to put off people whose sole interest is killing other players,
because you obviously have to play for a while to get there.
Possibly finding another interest along the way. Even then,
you'll have to pay game-money (zeny) for entry to one of
the special rooms dedicated to PvP.
The graphics in RO really are superb, and without being
too processor-heavy. They're anime style, 2D characters
on detailed 3D backgrounds, and they look good. Unlike a
lot of Western RPGs, the colours are bright and the graphics
tend towards the cute rather than the pretentiously broody.
Obviously, though, if you really don't like anime, they're
going to grate. The sound initially is pretty good, but
the music tracks loop very quickly, making them annoying
even for game music, given you'll be hearing them for hours.
Because there are no huge plot arcs, RO suffers a bit from
becoming repetitive, which is a weakness of the genre. Gravity
do seem to spend a lot of time adding new content to the
game, throwing in special events and holiday items. They
also run 'capture the flag' type castle wars between guilds
twice a week, and these events attract lots of whoopingly
powerful characters.
One of RO's main attractions, though, is the element of
whimsy through the game. Liked Diablo's murderous cows?
Warcraft's exploding sheep? Ragnarok Online features homicidal
grandfather clocks and ridiculously dangerous fried eggs
which attack with their own frying pans. There's a toy factory
where it's constantly Christmas and the presents try to
kill you.
So, Ragnarok Online is a game with specific appeal. If
you want to fight cute monsters, or indeed tame them and
keep them as pets, and you don't mind a bit of bright and
bubbly, even just as a change from moodier games, it's probably
well worth taking a look.
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