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Iris Online opens registration for beta testing

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

While free-to-play games aren't everyone's cup of tea, it's hard to deny that some imaginative mechanics come out of them that wouldn't thrive anywhere else. Iris Online is a prime example, utilizing a Tarot-based set of mechanics that tie 22 dungeons of the game to the 22 Major Arcana and allow players to change into monsters via a card system. Gala-Net is opening the game up for beta testing registration, with the game's testing set to commence at an unspecified time in the future.

Described as a gypsy-themed fantasy game, the aesthetics feature a surfeit of bright colors and surreal imagery, such as the accordion-legged horses seen in the title image. (Those are mounts, for the record.) It also sticks to the Tarot theme in its dungeon mechanics -- the Lovers dungeon, for instance, may only be entered by a male character and a female character, both of whom must survive together. While the details on gameplay are yet to be fully revealed, Iris Online certainly has a unique look to it, and those interested can sign up for beta testing now.

Iris Online opens registration for beta testing originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: Alganon

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Launches, New titles, First Impressions, Alganon

Today's First Impressions could use a little bit of external reading before you go too deeply into it. So I'm going to start by linking an article that's nearly seven years old but still excellent -- Fantasy Heartbreakers.

Now that you've all clicked "Back" in some confusion or just avoided the link in the first place, some explanation. The article is the origin of a term that pen-and-paper RPG fans have come to use to describe a certain type of game referenced in the article. It's referring to the countless game companies who thought they could make a game that was better at being Dungeons and Dragons than, well, Dungeons and Dragons. Many of the games in question weren't bad games -- sometimes even good ones -- but they were built on the fundamental premise that they would be "like D&D but with X."

Some of you probably see where this is going, or got it as soon as you saw the term. Because we're all very aware of how predominant World of Warcraft has become in the MMO marketplace, to the point where it's the essential standard that other MMOs are judged against. Alganon, then, could be seen as our genre's first fantasy heartbreaker. Because it's genuinely tough not to play the game and see that there's some really good stuff in here.

Continue reading First Impressions: Alganon

First Impressions: Alganon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sword of the New World expands with Nocturnal Sonata

James Egan — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Sword of the New World, News items, Free-to-play

IGN has a scoop on the new 'Nocturnal Sonata' expansion to Sword of the New World, an MMO also known as Granado Espada in Asia. Sword of the New World is a free-to-play title brought to North America and Europe by the K2 Network. Massively has looked at this game in the past and found it to be a quirky title; IGN describes its setting as 'the European Baroque period if it was designed by a modern anime artist'. Sword of the New World becomes even more surreal given that its old world setting is juxtaposed with a techno soundtrack.

Surreal qualities aside, the game has some interesting features, particularly the use of collectible UPCs, or Unique Player Characters. The concept is somewhat comparable to the Heroes in Guild Wars. You control up to three characters at once who are members of your 'family'; certain NPCs for whom you've successfully completed quests offer themselves up to be added to your family as UPCs and called upon to aid you in your adventures. They provide access to special hybrid classes with unique powers to match. There are over 40 such UPCs, and two more are initially being added in the Nocturnal Sonata expansion: Vincent Rio (who inflicts damage with music) and Baek Ho (martial artist extraordinaire). Yet more UPCs are to follow in the coming months, adding new gameplay possibilities to Sword of the New World. The Nocturnal Sonata expansion will be released on June 25, and closely follows the 'The Land of the Dead' expansion released only three months ago.

Sword of the New World expands with Nocturnal Sonata originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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