Darkfall Online Really Exists
Darkfall Online Really Exists-Much Maligned Game Sees Hands-On Review
The team at Aventurine has been hard at work bringing innovation to the MMORPG world. With the tremendous amount of attention that the developers have received in recent years, it seems that the release of the Darkfall Online MMO was based on smoke and mirrors. With no physical proof that a game actually existed with this name, there was much doubt and derision cast upon the developer.
But all that has changed with the release of a reviewable copy of an early build of the game to Italian reviewers. Although poorly translated, the play-by-play Journal of the game experience makes it clear that the game is far more than just vaporware and that it might very well be the World of Warcraft killer that it was advertised as from the start. Once the player logs on, they choose from six playable races, adjust hairstyles, clothing and facial characteristics and basically modify their character using sliders. Each race has a choice of three different starting areas, amounting to a total of 18 different starting areas altogether.
While the control system seems somewhat complex, it is simply something of a learning curve because it is quite different from other MMORPG titles. The learning curve is somewhat steep but the buttons are completely customizable, making it easy enough to change the settings to mimic whatever type of setup you prefer. With an extreme level of personalization, it is not difficult to find the sweet spot that works best for you and jump into the action.
Early quests are generally designed to simply showcase the combat system and help players understand how to move around the game world. The combat takes place completely in real-time and requires the player to actually calibrate their targeting system. When the target moves, you must adjust your aiming as well, as the targeting system is not completely automatic as in an MMORPG such as World of Warcraft. This particular function becomes more and more difficult as the target moves to a farther range. This real-time effort at combat is a massive departure from the norm, making it very difficult for individuals who are used to the handholding element of World of Warcraft to get used to the Darkfall Online system.
The starting areas are filled with goblins, basically referred to as the rats of Darkfall Online. Mobs attack from range, switching to melee gear as the encounter gets up close. Once the player has defeated the particular mob, they can loot them for whatever gear they were using during the battle, including bows, arrows, shields and axes. Since you start out with only a basic level of equipment, you’ll be needing these types of gear almost immediately in order to survive against the incoming mobs.
Since the mobs are somewhat intelligent, at least compared to other free MMORPGs, it is important to use the terrain against them during combat and to use a tactical approach in order to ensure that you are victorious. With a fantastic and detailed approach to the graphics and sound, it is clear that the developers were more interested in functionality and actually being able to use the graphics to your advantage than in fancy effects and pretty lights.