Calling all Ragnarok Journey fans, we’ve got some good news. The browser MMO is set to launch officially on March 27th. For players who did not manage to snag a closed-beta code, this is your chance to jump in game.

According to developers Warpportal, the opening week will have a bunch of player activities to celebrate launch. These include Daily Boss Dungeons, login rewards and other goodies for simply being online.

Besides launch initiatives, more information regarding the game has become available. RJ will have a player driven economy, where items from crafting and world drops can be a commodity in the market. There is a pet system as well, and players can stroll through various biomes for the scenery.

However, if you’re worried there won’t be enough story substance, we can assure you it won’t be an issue. The theme park and linear quests will allow you to explore the lore and history of Midgard. You will also be able to journey to new locations as part of the game’s regular free update.

Over the previous month, we’ve extensively covered Ragnarok Journey in our impressions video. What resonates with me the most is that this MMO is banking largely on your nostalgia for Ragnarok Online. The game has interesting mechanics too. They auto play feature will make things really convenient. On top of that, spending customization points across all the unique classes is easy to do.

For more on RJ, check out our full written review as well. This game definitely has the audience, but can it succeed in on the long run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. To check out Ragnarok Journey, head on over to their official website for more information.

The post Ragnarok Journey Set To Launch On March 27th appeared first on Mmos World.

When it comes to convenience and player power in MMOs, I’m all for it. I think plenty of systems and mechanics in past MMOs are dated, to the point of making them seem grindy, repetitive or just a hassle to deal with. It’s a broad generalization I realize, so lets narrow down and explore categories instead.

Firstly, let’s talk about convenience in the core gameplay. There seems to be a startling trend of recent MMO’s including an “auto-play” feature. Games like Twin Saga, Ragnarok Journey and now Revelation Online are prime suspects. Players have the option to hit the auto-pilot button and watch as their characters automatically move towards objectives. It’s crazy, and having been playing Western MMOs for the majority of my gaming life, this comes as a culture shock.

Gameplay Convenience

I have always been of the mindset that players being in total control of everything in-game was the norm. However, having used the feature extensively, I’m kind of liking it. I’ll let the game do the mundane things for me like travel, and only take the wheel during combat. In a way, it’s convenient, with a risk of encouraging half-assed playing. In the long term, we don’t know how that’ll affect players. Will more players demand the feature in the name of player convenience?

Simplifying Systems & Mechanics

Now let’s dive into some systems, such as the auction house feature. Guild Wars 2 has spoiled me – I strongly believe that GW2’s implementation of an auction house is the best in any MMORPG to-date. It’s simple and idiot proof. It’s just too convenient, to the point I find myself questioning how on earth MMORPGs succeeding it in recent times did not try and replicate it.

Accessing the auction house can be done from anywhere in the game. And buying, selling and looking items is a breeze thanks to it’s smart filtering system. Having just come to Guild Wars 2 from The Elder Scrolls Online, the action house in GW2 is a god send. No more hassle playing with sliders and categories. No more ranting about why there isn’t a search by name feature.

Parting Thoughts

In conclusion, player convenience I feel, is all about what the game stands for and how much the game wants to help players achieve their goals quickly. Some systems that are known for being a clunky mess, like auction houses and crafting should be made more convenient. So too should management systems, such as combining currencies or making this account shared instead of character only. Convenience in these departments will generally make the player base happier and more invested.

On the other hand, totally dumbing down gameplay through auto play features is still a concept that many of us are trying to grasp. Will this make the game too easy? And what does it say about the MMO if it allows players the option to not care enough about the journey? I want your thoughts in the comments below.

The post How Much Player Convenience Should MMOs Offer Its Players? appeared first on Mmos World.

Times have changed, but thankfully, browser-based MMOs are still around. Not many have been able to replicate the magic that Ragnarok Online gave us however. That’s why there’s so much buzz surrounding the release of the bran new Ragnarok Journey. The game is being called a spiritual successor to the first in the franchise. Many aspects of the game intentionally mimics familiar systems to appeal to players who love the first game. We’ve played it and we’ve seen enough to decide if that old game in a modern concept would work. Here’s our full review.

Nostalgia

The one thing that Ragnarok Journey banks on is its visually thematic and familiar to Ragnarok Online. By looking at it from a far, you wouldn’t know the difference. The game is a free to play, top-down isometric game that uses 2D animated graphics. Sound familiar? It’s hard not to feel the tinge of nostalgia.

Game play is not worlds apart either. Clicking moves your character, and the world and characters are pretty much just how you remembered it. Even while it’s in closed beta, there’s an incredible feel of polish for this browser-based MMO. The UI on the other hand has been modernized, and made to feel like it belongs in a plethora of 21st century games. Everything that holds to the game together is pretty much standard fare. Thematically, it’s a very Asian MMO and depending on where you stand on that, the nostalgia will keep you going or will make you quit.

Questing Convenience Gone Too Far

When it comes to character progression, the game does have interesting ideas. For starters, there’s a new autopilot mode called auto play that might just blow your mind. When the option is active, you pretty much sit back and watch as your character goes about their business. Quests get completed on their own. You involuntarily walk around, talk to NPCs to pick up the objectives and move on your merry way. If it’s a combat objective, like kill ten rats, then the autopilot will take care of that too. It’s a weird feeling seeing your character engage in monotonous combat without complex abilities being used.

In some was, the feature brings back memories of Twilight Saga. While the entire auto play feature is purely optional, it’s hard to think of how easy the game’s been made. This brings up the question of convenience in MMORPGs. In traditionally 3D games, things aren’t usually this convenient unless there’s a catch. And that usually involves microtransactions and ways to make more money for selling ease of playing. Guild Wars 2 was the first modern MMORPG that does away with that rhetoric. When it comes to browser MMOs, it seems the opposite is true. While some players may enjoy the fact that they can sit back and sip on tea while their characters do the heavy duty work in Ragnarok Journey, I can’t help but ponder. Is this what gamers really want? Is progression in a virtual game world, the epitome of MMO enjoyment becoming obsolete?

The Halfway House

Other parts of the game are surprisingly well thought out. There are multiple progression systems in play, from the end-game sieges and PVP to diverse classes. Classes are pretty fun as well. There are eight archetypes to pick from, including Warriors, Archers and Mages. You get to pick what you want to play as in later levels and skill points earned through XP gains are put into class abilities. Combat is as usual what you’d expect from a Ragnarok game however. It’s basic and perfunctory. Animations aren’t Oscar worthy but it is a browser game after all.

Where it falls short is its reliance on falling back on old MMO tropes. The most obvious one is of course the grind involved. Convenience is weirdly nice, but it’s what the substance of the content is that’s bothers me. There’s just too many similar quests involving killing, fetching and talking. There’s not enough diversity there to hold the interest of non Ragnarok fans. To top it off, the in-game store is not helping either. There’s scores of advantageous items that boost stats which players can pay for using diamonds aka real cash.

The Final Verdict

Ultimately, Ragnarok Journey is a decent throwback to the golden age of browser MMOs. In its time, Ragnarok blew up the East as Runescape did for the west. This game on the other hand, feels like a prop. It’s fun in ways that peaks your interest and nostalgia for those good old times. How well you tolerate the lack of a cohesive story on top of the grind is entirely up to you. But either way, this is a free to play game with interesting idea that deserves a shot to uphold its legacy.

The post Ragnarok Journey (2017) Review appeared first on Mmos World.

A lot of us grew up playing the original Ragnarok Online for many years. We shared plenty of adventures, laughs and good times. Ragnarok Journey will be the latest entry in the franchise. It serves one purpose, and that’s to transport us all back to the glory days.

Developed and published by Wegames Corp and Gravitiy Interactive, the game is entering closed beta this week. Ragnarok Journey isn’t exactly new either. The game has been out in the eastern markets but is now ready for western gamers.

Ragnarok Journey is very similar to the first game. It features top down, 3D isometric point of view gameplay. Players can move their characters around by point and clicking too. But perhaps the most striking thing about this is how it all works. Quests, dialogue, items and character progression all bring back the nostalgia of Ragnarok Online.

Each class in the game features cookie cutter builds bit with more unique and broader class designations. There’s also sieges that we’ve come to love from the original classic. There isn’t a release date set in stone, but we do have access to the current closed beta. We will be jumping in for a review so stay tuned for that!

When it comes to the Ragnarok franchise, nostalgia plays a huge factor in pulling in gamers. I feel that this is exactly how the game will operate, with familiar NPCs and follow up quests making appearances.

If that’s the case, then it’s fair to say that we can expect a lot of old players to return. Will that include you? Let us know your thoughts on Ragnarok Journey. Is it just to milk the franchise or is it a genuine attempt to rekindle it? For players interested in more news, sign up to the game’s newsletter here.

The post Ragnarok Journey Aims To Heighten The Nostalgia Factor For RO Fans appeared first on Mmos World.