The Diablo IV open beta has just ended, and it has made me excited for its release. The art is great, the skill tree is massive, and the combat is so much fun. Even though we had limited content for the beta, there was so much to do that I didn’t have the time to get to it all. I can only imagine how much content there will be at the launch.
The beta had access to the story quests, side quests, and dungeons. I didn’t get a chance to finish the available story because I was having so much fun doing the dungeons and side quests. What little story I got to was enough to hook me to all the new incoming lore. The cutscenes in this game are beautiful, and they do a great job of setting up its grim dark universe.
The best part of this game is how versatile each class can be. With access to a massive skill tree, players can create a character that truly fits their playstyle. I recommend that you play around with your build till you get something you like before you start looking into meta builds. I went for a werebear druid build that might not have been optimal but was a lot of fun.
Combat is a blast in this game. With the new mechanics, I had to think differently about how I approached each fight. Boss fights were a lot harder than I was used to, and I found myself having to manage my supply of potions while avoiding all attacks. It made for intense sessions that had me on the edge of my seat. Losing focus means death.
I wasn’t able to get to max level or fight the world boss during the beta because I had so much content to keep myself busy. Diablo IV is looking to be a casual friendly MMO, but one that has enough challenging content for when you are ready to level up your experience. If you are thinking of buying this game, the beta suggests 4 is going to be a very solid Diablo experience. If I am not overwhelmed by my backlog this summer, this is a title I will most definitely be getting into.
Drakantos: Pixel Art MMORPG – Free, Unique, Exciting!
I didn’t get a chance to try out Drakantos at GDC because the venue’s wifi was giving a lot of presenters issues. I did get the opportunity to speak with a couple of the game’s developers, and they succeeded in making me excited about their game. I want to take this moment to thank them for their time. I know I had a lot of questions, and I appreciate your patience.
Drakantos is a pixel art MMORPG from Brazil that will be playable on your favorite browser. I love the art style, and the trailer was enough to get me interested. The voice acting in this game is fantastic, and I recommend you check out their official discord for samples.
Unlike your traditional MMO, Drakantos will not have a character creation. Instead, the game will release with 21 predesigned characters, with more planned for future releases. You’ll be able to unlock characters through the battle pass or by playing the game. However you may feel about battle passes in gaming, they are now a feature in the industry, and there is no going back. The game will be free to play, so I won’t blame them for trying to make money. All I can hope is that it won’t become pay-to-win. Only 20 characters have been revealed so far. You can find more information on their official discord, but I will post an album for your convenience.
PVE for this game seems promising. The story is fully voice acted, with support coming in different languages. There will also be world bosses, events, and dungeons to help foster a healthy endgame and community. Drakantos will also have PVP arenas with weekly tournaments and a ranking system. Arenes will be 3v3, and the gear won’t matter to avoid power creep. Players will have access to the same pool of characters, making the experience more skill-based than gear reliant. Characters will be locked behind a battle pass and achievements, I just hope it’s not pay to win. I can’t blame them for trying to make money, but I hope that free to play is viable.
I will be trying this game as soon as I can. I suggest you keep tabs on Drakantos by following them on their socials. They are very active with news and updates, and they are always happy to answer any questions. You can find them on Discord, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
GDC Recap: Kakele
On the first day of the Expo, I got to try out the pixel art MMORPG Kakale. This cute little MMO is available on PC, Android, and IOS devices. If you enjoy the game and wish to support it, you can buy cosmetics, support their Patreon, or become a premium subscriber for $6.99 a month. The devs suggested there might be a battle pass implemented in the future, but was assured that none of the paid options offer a competitive advantage. The premium subscription seems to only offer quality-of-life benefits like more storage, a bigger friends list, access to larger instances, and more. You can find the full list of premium benefits on the official site.
Kakele has five classes: berserker, mage, warrior, hunter, and alchemist. Each will have its role to play, especially when you get to end-game content. I have already made my mage and will return with my impressions once I’ve gotten far enough. Aside from your class, you choose the type of experience you want. Kakele offers two kinds of servers, one for PVP and another for PVE. For those who don’t enjoy PVP, there are dungeons, world bosses, and seasonal events to keep you busy. If you join a guild, you fight over castles that will grant you bonuses if captured. You will also need to defend the castles you capture. The game is young, but there already seems lots to do.
One of my favorite aspects of this game right off the bat is that the UI is completely customizable. You can rearrange your hotkeys where ever you want so that you can always have an optimized experience. On mobile devices and tablets, you can even move the D-pad.
So what were my first impressions? This game is super cute, and it brings me back to a time when the only online gaming I could afford was through a browser on a library computer. The art is great and easy to see, the maps are easy to navigate over, and the early leveling experience is fine. Combat at the beginning is laid back as it slowly teaches you how to play, but I can already see its potential to be complex at the end of the game. The game already seems to have a healthy population. At least in the North American servers, the starting zone is populated. The game is from Brazil, so a lot of the activity seems to be in the Portuguese channels, but with time, I am sure this will change.
It is unfair to critique the game with how little I have played it, so I will reserve my judgment for a later date. At the moment, I think the game is at least worth checking out since it is free. If you are looking for a new MMO that you can play almost anywhere, Kakele is worth looking into. You can download this game on Steam, the IOS Appstore, or the Google PlayStore. The game is a cross-play between all devices, and your saves will transfer too.
Thank you to the devs for taking the time to talk to me about their game! I know I am small, but I appreciate your time, patience, and warm reception.
A Brazil Games Preview for GDC 2023
The Game Developer Conference is less than a week away, and I have been busy setting up interviews and other activities that I am not able to reveal to you at the moment.
What I can reveal is that I have the exciting opportunity to meet with the Brazil Game Delegation and try some of the games they have planned for release. Full disclosure, I was asked to write this post, but I wasn’t paid to do so. This post will be my honest impressions based on the materials I was shown.
The Brazil Games delegation is a collection of 43 companies that are working to build the growing and vibrant gaming industry in Brazil and Latin America. I will be trying out Drakantos, a Pixel Art MMORPG by Wingeaon Game Studios, but I am hoping I can sneak in a few others. I am very excited to see what people from my side of the world bring to the table. Until then, let me tell you a bit about what they have planned for GDC.
Drakantos
I will be trying Drakantos at GDC. I was drawn to the title because I am always looking for a new MMO to get into. The art is cute, the voice acting is amazing, and the story seems interesting. I can see this game being successful for those who want an MMO that doesn’t feel like a second job. As long as there is a fun leveling experience, enough content to keep me busy, and an end game, I can see myself sinking hours into this game. It is too early to say for sure with how little I know about it now, but stay tuned for a recap.
BlackThorne Keep – Chronicles
The next game I am hoping to try out is Limiar Studio’s BlackThorne Keep – Chronicles. The game is an open-world RPG for the PC and PlayStation that promises skill-based combat. The game looks a bit clunky in the trailer, but with enough love, I can see this being a lot of fun. The biggest hurdle I can see this game having is that the world might be too open, the physics might not be good enough for the jumping puzzles, and the combat might just be button-mashing. So far, it is very reminiscent of Elder Scrolls, and if they can make that combat more fun, I am here for it. It is too early to have a real opinion based on the trailer alone, but I will be back once I get some first-hand experience. You can check it out on steam if you are curious.
Kriophobia
Fira Soft’s Kriophobia is a hand-drawn survival game that looks beautiful. I am not sure if I will be trying this game because I don’t do well with horror games, but it is one to keep on your watch list if you are
a fan of horror. Based on the trailer, it seems to have some pretty terrifying exploration through a very eerie-looking setting. Based on the music and trailer alone, I am pretty terrified. I will try to make time for this game, but I don’t want to make any promises. Maybe I can find someone to play it for me. You can check it out on Steam if you are curious.
Galaxy Kart VR
If you like cartoon kart racers and have a VR headset, you need to keep an eye out for VR Monkey’s Galaxy Kart VR. I won’t be trying it because I don’t want to risk motion sickness with how busy my schedule is, but I’ll try to check it out. The characters are hilarious, the tracks look fun, and the racing combat is exactly what I want from a kart racer. If you like Mario Kart or any games like it, you should be looking into this game.
Lux Ex Cyber Initiation
Ilex Games is coming out with its sequel to Lux Ex. Lux Ex Cyber Initiation is a cyberhero shooter that promises better graphics and more levels. The amount of weapon choices and the procedural generation of levels promises a new experience each time you play through a level. I haven’t been a huge fan of these games because I am not smart enough, but if you are in the market for this kind of shooter, the music seems cool, and the gameplay seems solid. You can wishlist it on Steam.
Tower of Samsara – Hidden Treasures
Tower of Samsara – Hidden Treasures, also by Ilex Games, is a pixel art platformer coming to the PC and Xbox. I am not a huge fan of platformers so I might not try this one. That said, the art looks neat, and the combat and puzzles look interesting. Nothing against the game’s design, I just know that I lack the abilities to be successful in a game like this. That said, if you like platformers like Shovel Knight, Tower of Samsara might be worth getting into.
Wëiph: Reins of Fate
I will be trying to play Game Plan’s Wëiph: Reins of Fate. The art looks super cute, the music is fun, and you get to play as a cat. You play as an abandoned cat named Weiph through an adventure puzzle platformer that is sure to frustrate me, but I will probably cry at the end. It sort of feels like Ori:The Will of the Wisps with visual novel elements. The game is coming for the PC, Switch, Xbox, and PS5. I don’t think I am allowed to post video so here is some official art I pulled off the internet.
What the Duck
What The Duck is an action-adventure game by Seize Studios coming out for the PC and Nintendo Switch. It looks like it is going to be a goofy Zelda game. The game does look a bit clunky in the trailer, but I am willing to overlook this if the mechanics are fun. This looks to be one of those games that won’t take itself seriously. If it is as funny as I think it is, I am here for it.
Wizavior
Wizavior is a single-player 3D platformer coming to the PC, Switch, PS5, and Xbox in 2024. I wasn’t ready for how good the music is in the trailer. The art is also cute enough that I am willing to put my biases against platformers aside. I know this game is going to frustrate me, but I need to listen to the rest of this soundtrack. I am going to try to sneak a turn or at least have someone more competent play this for me. If you aren’t easily frustrated by 3D jumping puzzles, keep an eye out for Wizavior.
Mega Battle
Last but not least we have Cavylabs’ rogue-like deck builder, Mega Battle. I have a soft spot for card games and will be trying this game. What makes this deck builder unique is its mech-building mechanic. It looks like you will get the mech you to take into battle, and I gather that your deck is influenced by the type of parts you use. This is sure to open up the game to a diverse collection of strategies. It does look like a flash game which might turn some people off, but if the card game is fun, why should it matter? It is too early to tell from just the gameplay video, but hopefully, I can come back with a more concrete opinion.You can check it out on Steam.
In Closing
The games are listed in no particular order. I understand that it is unfair to judge the games without trying, so I will reserve my criticism for when I get to play the games. It is all getting more real with each day and I can’t help but to be overcome with excitement. With that, I am off to prep for some interviews.
*Feature Image by Rafael Javier from Pixabay
Games to Look Into: Wayfinder (2023)
I got into the Wayfinder closed beta over the weekend, but I can’t speak on the experience because of the NDA that went with it. The NDA is a reasonable tradeoff since the game isn’t finished yet. It would be unfair to judge it as it is. I appreciate that they opened the beta the way they did because it allows them to get meaningful feedback from members of their potential community. Now that the beta is done, I hope I get into the next one.
Wayfinder is an action MMO that you should keep on your radar if you are in the market for a new MMO. Instead of creating your character and choosing your class, you have to unlock characters as you do in games like Warframe. While I am a bit bummed I won’t get to create my character, it isn’t a deal breaker. I love the art style, and the characters available on the release are cooler than anything I would come up with. Each character seems to have its own combat style which can keep the game refreshing over time. I can’t speak on the gameplay yet because the game isn’t out, but it does look interesting. I hope that the characters aren’t locked behind predatory Gotcha or pay-to-win mechanics.
Wayfinder is planned for early access in Spring 2023 so make sure you keep checking the official site for news. You can wishlist Wayfinder on Steam, Epic Games Store, and PlayStation. The game will be free to play, so you have nothing to lose.
Blue Protocol
Amazon’s newest MMO has certainly piqued my interest. With every new bit of news that comes across my desk, I continue to grow more excited. I love MMOs and am always looking for a new one to sink some time into. Blue Protocol seems like a promising title that might fill a void in my life.
Blue Protocol is a sci-fi open-world MMO that was announced sometime in 2023. A trailer was released during this year’s Game Awards, and I have to say, it looks pretty cool. I am a huge fan of the art, but then again I love anime. The world looks beautiful, with huge maps and a very open-world experience. I have a terrible sense of direction, so I will most likely be spending most of my game time trying to figure out where I need to go.
What excites me most about Blue Protocol is the combat. From what I have seen, it is a very active experience. A problem I have with some MMOs is that I don’t have the patience to wait around for cooldowns. If I am not actively moving, dodging, or attacking, I get easily distracted. It is why games like Guild Wars and PSO2 rank among my favorites. Blue Protocol seems to have a similar combat system to PSO2, I just hope it has more content. There also seems to be an elemental system, I hope it allows you to switch between different elements. Blue Protocol features all the traditional classes, although I didn’t see a healing class. I am very excited to try the mage class, but as an alt-aholic, I will be trying them all.
I’ll admit, the fact that Amazon is tied to this has me a little worried. I am scared the monetization will be too predatory and the gameplay will be too grindy. The few Amazon Titles have left me with mixed feelings, but I am willing to give them another chance. I did sign up for the Beta and will be reporting on my experience as soon as I can. Until then, I will be monitoring the official site closely. In the meantime, I guess I’ll try giving Lost Ark one more go.
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My First Impressions of Horizon XI the FFXI Private Server
Update
I haven’t played this game in a while now because I’ve been too busy. A few people in my comment section have voiced their concern about the current state of the game that you should consider. It seems it has become a bit more toxic than when I first got to play it. It might be a good idea to do a bit more research before diving in.
I want to give out a huge shoutout to Michaël Janssens for buying me some coffee. I really appreciate the support and yes the coffee is going to taste so good. I hope you have a great day, stay blessed!
I got to play HorizonXI over the weekend during their official launch, and I was blown away by how smoothly it went. HorizonXI is a private server where you can play the classic MMO Final Fantasy XI. Sure its launch wasn’t without its issues, but it was a better experience than a few modern MMO launches I tried this year. If you were a fan of Final Fantasy 11 when it was alive and thriving, you need to get on this game now. If you are like me and never got the chance to play it back in the day, give this game a try. Final Fantasy XI is a classic MMO at its finest. Best of all, it is free. All you have to do is download the client from the official HorizonXI website and you are good to go.
At its peak, the server held about 3000 players and it ran well. I didn’t notice any performance issues, but the server did shut down a couple of times for bug fixes and resets. The shutdowns were rare, and the developers did a fantastic job at keeping the base informed on any news. If you are going to play this game, join the official discord server. This is a great place for questions, tips, parties, and for keeping up to date on news and the status of the server.
The gameplay so far has been a lot of fun. This is an early MMO so the grind is very noticeable, but I hear that it isn’t as bad as the original. Early leveling is chill, but it can be competitive at the start, especially during peak times. You will be competing for mobs in this game since you can’t attack an enemy that has already been tagged. I spent a lot of time in the starting zone rushing around mashing the enter key hoping that I could tag anything. If you find yourself in a competitive starting zone, find a bunny or worm and camp its spawn. I recommend you don’t start hardcore mode on a character until you are at least familiar with the game or else you will die to user error.
There is little hand-holding in this game. There are no arrows or markers to tell you where you need to go. You will be given directions, and you will have to find your own way. I have a terrible sense of direction. I spent a lot of my time running around in circles. I suggest you activate the allmaps addon from the start.
If this is your first time playing FFXI, the interface is going to be tricky. Spend some time learning the menus and adjusting the interface to your liking. You can use a keyboard and mouse to play, but I found the best configuration for me was to use the keyboard alone. I use the arrow keys to move the camera and asdw for movement. Controlling the camera with your mouse is a terrible idea, but if it works for you, go for it. If you prefer to use a controller, Horizons makes it very easy to configure through their launcher.
The HorizonXI Launcher is incredible. You can configure your resolution, select the language, and activate addons to help your play experience. Make sure you check your window resolution before you launch the game. Mine was set way too small. I am not sure if this has been fixed, but when I launched the game, everything was in Japanese. I had to go back into settings and change the language to Japanese and then change it back to English for it to work. The texture addon is on by default, and I recommend you leave it on because the game looks better with it on. Other addons are included with the launcher that you can activate with a flip of a switch, but your stability may suffer so be conscious of what you activate. There is a full list of allowed addons on their website. If there is something they don’t offer, you can always request it or install it through Windower.
HorizonXI is intended to be community-driven, and the actions from the developers have proven this fact so far. They are very active on their discord and will quickly address issues as they arise. One thing to note is that this project is run by passionate gamers who do this for the love of the game. There will be issues that arise, but they have proven that they are more than capable to keep the game afloat. Please be patient with the incredible people who are working on HorizonXI. They do this in their free time so there are bound to be issues, but best believe they will work on ironing them out when they can.
I love the experience so far. It may not be the high-paced MMO experience I am used to, but it feels more meaningful. One thing to note is that this game feels a lot more turn based than traditional MMOs I’ve played, and this has made for a chill early leveling experience. I love the leveling experience in MMO. I find peace in a certain amount of grind, so the early leveling in MMOs is a huge determining factor of whether or not I will stick with a game. I have dropped a lot of the modern titles because the experience was empty. FFXI is giving me a sense of peace that I have been savoring because I know the challenge that is to come.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to HorizonXI and experience a brilliant classic MMO worth your time and attention.
Horizon XI – Private Server for Final Fantasy XI
This is not a sponsored post. I just found out about an interesting indie project to revive the classic MMORP Final Fantasy XI. While I never got the chance to play the game back in the day, I am excited to try it out this weekend.
HorizonXI is spearheaded by a collection of passionate fans who want to bring their favorite game to a modern audience. It is important to note that everyone working on this project is a volunteer, and while I am sure they have done a wonderful job, don’t expect it to be perfect. This is a passion project that I am sure will improve as it gets more love and attention.
Their latest Dev Blog has me excited for what is to come. They have attempted to fix a lot of the issues that were present in the original. There are bug fixes, quality-of-life changes, and some new features that I’m excited about are the addition of a hardcore mode. Earn unique cosmetics as you try to reach level 75 without dying. Can you manage? The Dev blog goes into much more depth, and it is definitely worth the watch. Go check it out and show them some love.
While you wait for the launch, head over to their website and register now. You can also create a character so that you are ready from the start. If you have any questions, they have a lively discord you can join.
This game will be free to play, so you have nothing to lose. If you want to relive some Final Fantasy XI nostalgia or want to experience some that you missed, head over to Horizon XI. I will be doing my best to get into the game this weekend, and I will be back with my first impressions. As with MMO, I am sure the servers will be overloaded, so please be patient. I hope to see you there! Don’t forget to join their Discord.
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Game Preview: Project F4E Beta
I got to play the beta for Project F4E this weekend, and I thought I’d share my experience. While it is too early to form a proper critique of the game, the beta offered a taste of what the full game has in store. Because the game is still in an early alpha build, I will not speak on the crashes and bugs I encountered.
Project F4E is a MOBA with some RPG elements to it. The objective is simple, kill the world bosses before the timer runs out. You are one of three players who roam a large open map, searching for bosses to kill. You can build some towers, or animate and power up large statues that will help you with the mobs and bosses. Although there is a direct path to take to the bosses, the world is pretty open. You can clear the mobs in any order, but be mindful of the ever-ticking timer.
The beta had four different champions to choose from: a tank, support, a ranger, and a healer. You start with a basic ability, and game stats and abilities as you level. At each level, you get a choice from the cards you draw from this deck. Each level offers you two cards to choose from. This mechanic offers some variety in the gameplay because it is unlikely you will pull the same set of cards twice. I enjoyed the randomness this brings to the game, but I can see it becoming unfairly broken. I can only hope that they can make the champions balanced.
You get rewarded for completing matches and quests, and bonuses for winning. The in-game currency is used to power up your abilities. Leveling up your abilities gives them permanent buffs. As you level your champion, you gain new abilities and boosts that you can use to change up your deck. As is the tradition in MMOs, there is also loot to be had. Matches and quests drop items that boost your character’s stats.
So what did I think of Project F4e? It was fun once I got the hang of it, but the gameplay got stale pretty quickly. Although I always had a different deck, the game felt the same each time. Matches were either a slow-moving escort mission to the world bosses, or they were an aimless and frustrating walk about.
The combat was ok, but it was stiff and slow. Most of the time I spent waiting for cooldowns or dying because the level-up menu would pop up at the worst times. The mobs in this game all felt the same regardless of what biome we ended up in. It got stale and repetitive pretty quickly despite having a random element.
This is a Moba, and strong communication and coordination are important. I lost a lot of games because we couldn’t coordinate correctly or someone wanted to solo everything. F4E at the very least offers a true MOBA experience. The gameplay is a bit repetitive, but it is too early for it to be absolute.
If you like MOBA’s but need a break from the toxic ones, you should at least keep F4E on your radar. You can find out more about the game on their official website. Don’t forget to sign up for their future betas.
Game Review: Tower of Fantasy
The new Gotcha MMO Tower of Fantasy has just been released and if you are thinking of trying it out, now is a good time because of how many rewards they are throwing at their players.
For those not familiar, this is a Genshin Impact clone that is trying to make its place in the genre. For the most part, I think it’s succeeding. Full disclosure, I am not an expert on the game and will be speaking about this game from a casual perspective. If you are someone looking for the best strategies to optimize your gaming experience, there are tons of YouTube channels dedicated to the subject.
Tower of Fantasy is playable on Android, IOS and PC. It is cross-platform, and I was able to play it on both PC and mobile. As far as the art goes, it is fine. It isn’t too busy, but I do prefer the dreamlike art style of Genshin Impact slightly better. There is character creation to this, but I can’t speak on how detailed it can get. I tend to randomize my appearance, but I liked my character. Not that character creation matters because you can roll for playable characters later on through the game’s Gotcha mechanic.
As far as Gotcha games go, Tower of Fantasy doesn’t feel very predatory. I got a healthy amount of in-game currency and was able to pull a couple of the chased characters. Most importantly, I found a character I love playing without spending any money on the game.
The game has a story, but it isn’t very good. You go from town to town completing chores and learning about the world’s lore. There is voice acting in this game, but it is very inconsistent. Some voice actors are great, but there are some bad recordings. I guess we can be grateful that there is voice acting, but some of the cut scenes are a chore to get through. The NPCs aren’t very memorable unless you want to play as them. I didn’t care enough about the story to care about many of the characters.
The gameplay is like any open-world MMO. There is a map you are encouraged to explore, tons of enemies to fight, and real people you can play with. Exploration is fun. You get a mount early on and other movement abilities that make traveling across the map interesting. Sometimes the movement abilities feel clunky and don’t work as intended, but the game just came so I can forgive it for now. The game encourages exploration by hiding treasures and secrets across the map that offer in-game currencies or items.
Combat is my favorite part of this game. You carry three weapons that you must switch between to maximize your damage. You work towards combos and ultimate attacks by fighting, switching weapons, and dodging properly. I never felt like the combat got stale because there is always a different combo to pull off. You have to level up your gear to keep up with the mob levels by feeding your equipment materials you find in the world. I got a steady amount of supplies to keep up with the content by only playing casually.
I’ve played this game on PC, iPhone, and the iPad. While I much prefer the PC experience because it runs smoother and my big fingers don’t get in the way, it runs fine enough on mobile. I will say that it felt especially clunky, and I encountered the most crashes on my iPad 8.
Tower of Fate has had a solid launch. I’ve encountered a few bugs and crashes, but nothing that would ruin the experience. It honestly comes down to taste. If you like the art style, go for it. If you are on the fence, try it out, it’s free. This is a very casual friendly game, especially if you only have an hour a day to play your games.
You can find out more information on the game’s official website.