One of the upcoming free-to-play titles that Massively had a chance to see this month is Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent from Atlus. Our hands-on gallery feature is a good introduction to the look and feel of the game world, but now that Neo Steam is in open beta, we're expecting more info about the game to be forthcoming.
We came across a ZAM interview with Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent lead editor Jason Ruper, conducted by Andrew "Tamat" Beegle. Ruper gives some background on the game's setting and lore, saying, "The game has a lush, fantasy-steampunk setting, and everything -- from the machine wasteyards and polluted rivers to the rickety vehicles and the ancient ruins from before the shattering -- contributes to this setting and reminds you that your nation is in a state of reconstruction as well as in the middle of a cold war."
He also explains a bit about how they try to engage players with the storyline even in the beginning of the game. "After the early levels, you can not only invade the other nation's soil, but you'll even get quests to assassinate some of their leaders in various towns and outposts," says Ruper.
The game has some unique classes and skills which Ruper mentions, namely the base Machinist class and the specialized sub-classes: Galvanists, Tinkerers, Artificers, and Gadgeteers. He also discusses Neo Steam's PvP, pets and customizable personal siege engines, and the relatively new idea of bringing steampunk to MMOs. If you're interested in Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent, Jason Ruper's interview at ZAM is definitely worth a read.
