The Drakantosdevs have created a special channel on their official discord dedicated to the lore and characters of the upcoming pixel art MMO. Make sure you give it a follow if you want to stay up to date on all the Drakantos news. The devs have been busy filling this new section with character art, gifs, and back story. After sifting through the updates, I am disappointed that there isn’t more, but remain hyped for the release. There is still no release date, but I’ll keep you posted when the information becomes available. Make sure you check out my original post if you want a more detailed first impression.
I am going to post what is available because I want to help promote it. This game looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. I love the art, and the bit of gameplay I’ve seen looks interesting. I can’t wait for its release, but until then, I’ll be following it closely. Make sure you add it to your Wishlist and follow the Discord!
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!
The second closed beta for Taris Land: Mystery of the Hollows is coming to PC and Android devices on November 15. Make sure you head over to the official site to sign up! I’ve already signed up, so fingers crossed I get accepted.
The Beta will last about two weeks in 16 countries and will support eight languages: English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Here are the official start times per region:
North American Server: November 15, 2023 at 8:00 (UTC−4)
South American Server: November 15, 2023 at 9:00 (UTC−3)
European Server: November 15, 2023 at 14:00 (UTC+2)
Asian Server: November 16, 2023 at 9:00 (UTC+8)
Make sure you check out the official FAQ and Discord if you have any other questions about the playtest.
Taris Land: Mystery of the Hollows is an MMORPG coming to PC and mobile devices (Android and IOS). I love the aesthetic of this game, and anything that I can play on my phone is a nice plus. I know people bash mobile gaming, but sometimes, I want to be away from my desk and don’t want to have a lot of extra hardware.
I’ve written about this game before and won’t be repeating too much. I recommend you check out my previous post or go to the official page for more details.
The second playtest will include the nine original classes (Warrior, Priest, Mage, Ranger, Barbarian Fighter, Paladin, and Bard) and introduce two new ones: Shadow Swordsman and a mysterious new class.
The new class looks like a druid to me, but here’s the teaser so you can speculate:
The playtest will feature two raids, a bunch of story quests, the Dark Invasion mode, and the Inscribed Skill Stone system. There will be enough to keep players, new and old, busy for the two weeks of the playtest.
Make sure you keep an open mind going into the beta. This isn’t a finished product, and the game isn’t going to be perfect. This will be a test to make the game better, and I feel like it’s the perfect opportunity for fans to help shape a game they’re going to devote their time to. Just make sure you submit your feedback as soon as the option becomes available.
I am very excited because I love MMO’s and would love a new one to sink some time into. I just hope this game isn’t too grindy and the cash shop isn’t predatory. I’ve signed up, make sure you do too, and I hope to see you in Tarisland!
If you enjoy these updates, make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!
I’ve been following Drakantos closely because I am very excited about its release. Drakantos is a free-to-play pixel art MMO coming to PC and mobile devices. The art is cute, and the bit of gameplay I’ve seen has me interested. No release date has been set yet, so make sure you join the official Discord so you are always up to date.
The October Devlog just dropped, and I recommend you check it out to share in my excitement. We got some new animations, screenshots, and some gameplay footage.
If you enjoy these updates, don’t forget to like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. Make sure you add Drakantos to your wishlist!
Yura Teaser
We got a teaser for Yura, and if it doesn’t get you hyped for the game, nothing will. Combat looks so good and the voice acting is fantastic! Make sure you check out the official discord if you want to get some back story!
Mounts
An MMO needs its mounts, and Drakantos will have mounts, and characters that can transform into their own! We got a teaser of the animation, and I am satisfied:
Screenshots
We also got to see a new screenshot of the world, and I love the art! This world looks so good!
UI Preview
We also got a screenshot of the UI. It’s clean, and I dig the character art.
I’ve been excited about Drakantossince learning about it at GDC. Drakantos is a free-to-play pixel art MMO coming to PC and mobile devices. Instead of classes, players can choose from a roster of 21 unique characters to set off on their adventure. I love the art, the voice acting sounds amazing, and what I’ve seen of the story has me curious. I’ve written about the game in previous posts. Make sure you check those out if you want more details. If you’ve enjoyed these updates, make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends!
Well, developers just dropped a gameplay trailer, and I can’t help but stay excited for the release. If you are a fan of early-era Runescape, this game may be for you. The gameplay looks relaxing, but there seems to be enough challenge involved to keep it engaging. The boss fights to look like a ton of fun, and it looks like there is an emphasis on party play. I am always in favor of a game that helps foster a strong community. It is too early to tell from the images and video how good this game will be, but I am interested. Hopefully, we get a demo soon. I’ll be following Drakanto’s development closely to report on any major updates, but you should join the official Discord so you are always up to date. Don’t forget to add Drakantos to your wishlist!
I have been watching the Gamescom coverage a bit passively, but one title that has stood out and has gotten me excited is Tarisland. Tarislandis an MMORPG coming to PC and Mobile devices soon. No date has been announced yet, but there is a beta coming in November. I’ll be making an announcement as soon as I know more, but you can either sign up for updates on the official website or join the official Discord.
The art style looks heavily inspired by World of Warcraft, which I kind of like. The gameplay I’ve seen seems fine, but it is too early to tell if it will be any good. The game will feature seven classes: Ranger, Paladin, Warrior, Mage, Priest, Bard, and Barbarian Fighter. Each class offers two distinct styles styles of gameplay.
Barbarian Fighter
Mage
Priest
Paladin
There is some character customization, but it is limited to things like hair style and color. I would have preferred to play set characters like in Genshin Impact instead if the characters were cooler, but I think the goal is to allow customization through cosmetics. I can only hope the price tag for cosmetics isn’t too high because these characters will need cosmetics.
The game will have dungeons, raids, and pvp like in a traditional MMO, but it isn’t going to be pay to win according to the publishers. I will have to take them to task, but I appreciate the sentiment. The game will balance players through seasons where players will start at the same power level and will have the same opportunities as they level up. I assume there will be a battle pass, but they have said no power level will be tied to the cash shop so it might just be cosmetics.
I hope this game isn’t a terrible grind because what I’ve seen so far has me interested. I am always looking for an MMO to get into, and a game I can play anywhere is always a plus. I’ll probably roll a Bard or Priest because I love to support, but I’ve been enjoying the DPS life lately. I’ll be trying to get into this beta, and will be posting updates as I receive them. I just hope Tarisland can be the one that fills the void!
If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends. You can also buy me a coffee
Bandai’s MMO, Blue Protocol, has officially launched in Japan. While there will be a Western release in the future, I can’t wait that long. So I turned on my VPN, made a Japanese account, and have been playing essentially since launch. If you’d like to play in the Japanese servers, I made a quick guide to get you started. Make sure you are using a good VPN or your account will get banned. I use Mozilla VPN to play Blue Protocol. This isn’t an endorsement. It is the VPN I use for everything, and it works great for me.
Before you get started, it might be helpful to install the MORT: English Translation tool if you don’t know how to read Japanese. It comes in handy for some of the less intuitive quests but isn’t essential for your enjoyment of the game. MORT is a third-party app that translates Japanese text to English almost instantly. It is easy to set up and simple to use. Keep in mind that running MORT does put a strain on your computer. While I did not experience any performance issues, it did make my computer run hot. It’s a great tool you can download it on the official site if needed.
The first challenge of any MMO is the character creation. I am not big on character creation and can’t speak on how in-depth it gets. The character designs are heavily anime-inspired, which was fine, and there were enough choices to create a character I was happy with. I was excited to see that Blue Protocol offers darker skin tones in their character creation. It may not seem like a huge deal, but younger me would have loved going on adventures as a brown guy.
Once I made my character and decided on a class, I loaded into one of the most beautiful MMO worlds I have ever played in. I am blown away by how good this game looks. The spells look cool without being too busy, the attack animations are cool, and I love the monster design. Even the early-level boars look good in this game. The attention to detail in this game is astounding. There is a day and night cycle that will allow you to sit through some beautiful sunsets. I loved watching the blow through the grass as I ran through the large open fields. Based on the early levels, Blue Protocol brings a beautiful and immersive world that you should check out at least once. I can go on, but you need to see for yourself.
The early level is similar to any other MMO. I won’t spend too much time talking about the early levels. The early-level quests do a great job of teaching players the fundamental mechanics at a solid pace. There is a healthy population of players to help you if you get stuck. Most of the early-level quests are intuitive and don’t need translating. I did get stuck trying to get to adventure rank 2 to progress through the story, but this video does a great job explaining what to do if you get stuck:
Combat is where this game wins me over. I played the Spellcaster and loved it. There are five playable classes in Blue Protocol: Aegis Fighter, Twin Striker, Blast Archer, Spellcaster, and Heavy Smasher. Don’t stress about your choice too hard because you can change between classes freely later in the game. Choose whatever appeals to you most. I have only played Spellcaster and can’t speak on gameplay for the rest of the classes.
I love the magic mechanics of Blue Protocol. Spellcasters get a basic attack, a recharge action, 4 regular spell slots, and an ultimate. You have to stand still to cast a spell, but the kiting in this game feels so good. I never found myself standing still for too long, even when I was fighting low-level boars. What sets this game apart is how the mana regen mechanic. Mana either replenishes automatically after battles, with a spell you get early on, or with the recharge action. Combat becomes this fun game of managing your resources, kiting, and casting which I am all about now. Coming from the NGS magic system, combat took a bit of getting used to, but it is slowly becoming my favorite. I know for sure now that I will be a Spellcaster main.
I haven’t gotten too deep into the game, but I am enjoying the journey so far. The game looks great, runs perfectly, and it is a lot of fun. I don’t know how grindy it will be towards the end game. The early levels at least don’t haven’t felt grindy, although there are a bit too many fetch quests for my liking.
I have been searching for an MMO to replace the void Phantasy Star Online has left, and I think Blue Protocol might be the one. I have been enjoying it so much that I even stopped following the story because I want to enjoy it properly when it comes to the West. I do watch the cut scenes because the voice acting is fantastic. I will be playing Blue Protocol on the Japanese servers until the official Western release, or until I get banned for being American. Whichever comes first.
If you’ve been away from Destiny 2 for a while, it might be a good time to make your return, especially if you enjoyed its PVP. If you’ve never played Destiny 2, the base game is free-to-play, and the event is free to everyone. The Guardian Games pits its different classes against each other in a fun and limited event that runs for three weeks. The event will end on May 23rd, which should be plenty of time to grind out its unique cosmetics made available through the exclusive event card. The event card is available to all players, but there is a paid track for those who want to earn a bit more bling.
Players who participate in the games will have the opportunity to exchange their medallions for two exclusive weapons.
This year’s weapon is the Taraxippos, the game’s first legendary strand scout rifle.
Who wouldn’t want this colorful rifle?
Players can also earn last year’s The Title, a void machine gun with the unique perk, Repulsor Brace.
If you didn’t get a chance to win it last year, it’s a great time to start working towards it now.
You can also earn some other cool cosmetics like:
Armor
Ships and Sparrows
Ghost Shells
Emotes and Finishers
And Stuff from the Event Card
There is a lot to earn, so make sure you hop in today! The breakdown for earning medallions are as follows:
Activities that award you low-tier (Bronze or Silver) Medallions include Gambit and Quickplay Crucible matches, anything from the Vanguard playlists, as well as most Neptune activities and Defiant Battlegrounds. For high-tier (Gold and Platinum) Medallions, play Nightfalls, raids, dungeons, Competitive Crucible, Trials of Osiris, or Legend Defiant Battlegrounds.
You do not need the latest DLCs to participate in the event. While you might be at a disadvantage gear-wise, I never found it an issue as a free-to-play player. If it’s been a while or you’ve never played before, now is a great time to log in and start blinging out your guardian. Who knows? You might like the experience enough to stay.
To get started, talk to Eva Levante for access to the Guardian Games quest and your class item. I hope to see you there!
This year for the games, Bunjie has partnered with Direct Relief and the International Rescue Committee to host the Guardian Games Cup. All money raised will go to some great causes, so make sure you go to the official site to find out how to participate.
The Guardian Games are returning to Destiny 2, and now might be a great time to come back if you’ve been away. The event will pit guardians against each other as they compete to earn bragging rights and some pretty cool cosmetics. You won’t need the latest expansion to participate, so if you’ve been away for a while or are new to the title, it is completely free to play. Who knows, you might like the game enough to stay.
The Guardian Games begin on May 2nd and will run until the end of the Season of Defiance on May 23rd. To get started, speak with Eva Levante to unlock the Guardian Games quest and get your class item.
Participants will earn medals across the game or through PvP which they can exchange for exclusive cosmetics. More specifically:
Activities that award you low-tier (Bronze or Silver) Medallions include Gambit and Quickplay Crucible matches, anything from the Vanguard playlists, as well as most Neptune activities and Defiant Battlegrounds. For high-tier (Gold and Platinum) Medallions, play Nightfalls, raids, dungeons, Competitive Crucible, Trials of Osiris, or Legend Defiant Battlegrounds.
Use these medallions to unlock these year’s Guardian Games weapons:
The Traxippos – The first Legendary Strand Scout Rifle in the game
The Title – The Void Submachine Gun is back with updates, including the fan-favorite perk, Repulsor Brace
Players will also have access to the Guardian Games event card for additional cosmetics. There is a paid tier available for 1000 silver that might be worth it if you want the additional cosmetics.
This event also marks the return of the Guardian Games Cup. Anyone can join so make sure you grab your fire team and help raise money for some great causes. This year, Bungie is teaming up with International Rescue and Direct Relief. Participants of the cup will be fighting for the chance to win:
Top team in the Technical category: custom art of your fireteam by PherianArt
Top team in the Charitable category: custom art of your fireteam by Gammatrap
Top two teams in the Technical and Charitable categories: Guardian Games Pendant ($200 MSRP)
Top three teams in the Technical and Charitable categories: Apricot Dawn emblem
Top four teams in the Technical and Charitable categories: Bungie Store discount codes
The technical category is for the number of medallions earned throughout the event. The charitable category is for the amount of money raised. Make sure you go to the official website to register and start earning.
Participants who donate more than $25 will earn an exclusive Quantum Relay emblem.
I am terrible at PvP, but it might be a great time to dust off my old guardian to start earning some cosmetics.
If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do, please consider buying me a coffee
I got to play Kakeleat GDC and liked it enough to try to get a deeper experience. Make sure you check out my original post for additional information. Kakele is a free-to-play pixel art MMORPG that you can play on IOS, Android, or PC. There is cross-play between devices, and your saves carry over. If you are looking for and cute MMO to try, you should consider Kakale.
I played on both the PC and mobile versions and enjoyed them the same. Each version has its advantage. On PC, I felt like I had better control of my character, and made fewer mistakes in combat. Mobile was much more convenient, and I liked being able to play on the go. I loved that I could grind out some levels while I waited for my oil change. I didn’t feel an unfair advantage between devices, but most players I talked to preferred PC for endgame content and PVP.
Kakele has a voice-acted story, but there are some syntax errors due to the translation. It isn’t so bad you won’t understand what’s going on, but it is noticeable. The voice acting is computer generated, but I appreciate that I don’t always have to read the text. I found the story delightfully quirky, and it did enough to set up its lore. I am curious to see where they take the story, but the English translation needs some love. According to players I chatted with, the story is the quickest way to level up your character.
Kakele has an undeniably adorable aesthetic, but some of the maps can feel a bit cluttered. The character creation is limited to a few sprites and color changes, but they want to sell you skins. The early leveling experience is great. The game does enough to ease new players into their new roles, and there is enough to do to keep players busy. Outside the starter zone, the difficulty felt well-scaled. I felt I was given enough of a foundation to grind efficiently while still feeling challenged. It is easy to get overwhelmed by mobs of enemies if you are playing too passively, or aren’t properly geared or leveled. The combat felt active. I liked that I didn’t have to wait for global cooldowns, and had a blast kiting with the mage.
There is a grind, but it doesn’t feel any different from modern MMOs. You can pay for premium or buy boosts to level up faster, but I leveled quickly without having to spend money. There are global boosts that can be applied to the whole server in the cash shop. I was lucky and always got to play with a global boost and it made the grind more pleasant. At least this early in the game’s life, some charitable players love the game enough to help grow the community.
One issue that might be a barrier to entry is the social element. If you speak Spanish or Portuguese, you will find a healthy supply of friendly players ready to help you. I am fluent in Spanish and understand enough Portuguese to get by. All the interactions I had were pleasant and made me want to play the game more. I was never able to find English-speaking players, at least not on the North American server. I don’t think this is much of an issue because there are plenty of players walking around who will help without the need to communicate. I doubt you will have issues finding groups for PVP or PVE content. At least that was the experience on the PVE server, I can’t speak for the PVP side. If you want to level up with English-speaking players, I recommend you convince friends to join you.
I liked Kakale and played it more than I should have. I love the combat system, love the tone, and enjoy its simplicity. The combat is complex enough to keep the game from growing stale, but the simple graphics means this game can run on anything. I am a huge proponent of games made for all gamers, not just the ones that can afford high-end computers. The game is a lot of fun, and the community is very welcoming. If you are looking for a new MMO while you take a break from your main one, consider playing Kakele. It’s free to play, so you have nothing to lose.
You can download load Kakele for IOS, Android, and PC. Make sure you also check out my previous post for additional information.
