Another "new" MMORPG launching on 9/27 with various headstart preorders. I vaguely recall hearing about this but I never followed it. I know I shouldn't keep looking for new MMOs but I guess this is just what I do lol. Unless I hear horrible things about it I'm probably gonna give it a spin.
https://www.astellia-mmo.com/home
[MMO] Astellia
Moderators: LawBeefaroni, Arcanis, $iljanus
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Skinypupy
- Posts: 20389
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:12 am
- Location: Utah
Re: [MMO] Astellia
Everything I've read about this one indicates is yet another boring Korean grindfest.
I used to think those were at least worth a look, but the more my gaming time decreases, the less patience I have to sift through the monotony to find a few bits of fun.
I used to think those were at least worth a look, but the more my gaming time decreases, the less patience I have to sift through the monotony to find a few bits of fun.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
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rittchard
- Posts: 1664
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:16 pm
Re: [MMO] Astellia
Oh yeahhh!!! I knew I read about it somewhere before. It sounds to me like it hinges on whether or not that pet system is fun or not, and/or whether you care about it. For me on paper it sounds good because I love having pets that actually do something, and this game sounds like you can use different pets for different situations which sounds even better. That was something I really liked in Neverwinter, although those were actually people not pets lol.
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rittchard
- Posts: 1664
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:16 pm
Re: [MMO] Astellia
I played about 5 or 6 hours of this over the weekend, up to level 20 thus far. Short version: Surprisingly I really like it...
That said, I don't know if I could exactly recommend it to others, as it really depends on your taste and maybe your desperation for something new/different in the genre. It's very interesting that this comes at a time when the seemingly most popular MMORPG (at least in my gaming circle) is WoW Classic. In many ways, this game contrasts where the genre has gone over the last 10+ years with where it started. The basics of the game/genre are very, very similar, but the implementation over time has gone in different directions to make the genre more friendly and accessible. The question is given the popularity of Classic, is whether this was the "right" direction. Have things been made so friendly and streamlined that they no longer trigger the same risk/reward response? I guess that's a question for the individual. Most everything comes pretty easily in the game thus far, though not quite as egregious as many mobile games. You get a mount right from the start, you get your skills automatically when you level, you can teleport between spots once you've unlocked them, etc etc.
This game has many similar elements to any number of Asian MMOs as well as current WoW. The art style is kind of a mix between other games but often reminds me of Guild Wars 1 and 2. Some spots look fantastic, others are just OK, but there's definitely some uniqueness that pours through, especially in the character designs. For solo players, this is where the game will likely resonate with you or not. As mentioned above, there is a fairly unique "pet" system that is a big part of the gameplay and story. It's kind of a mix between the companions/teammates in original Guild Wars, the system in Neverwinter, and SRPGs like Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate. You can have one with you at all times, and then bring out 2 more for shorter durations (at least that's what I can do at the moment). The pets level on their own and you can upgrade them with certain drops. They also have their own introduction story, voiceovers, and occasionally their dialog will interact with each other. Thus far I have "unlocked" 7 of them, and they are all very.... unique. They have their own classes (mage, tank, healer, etc) but also their own personalities (for better or worse). Yes, some are grating and will have you reaching for the mute button. But others are pretty cute. For me, though, this adds just enough of the missing element to the solo game that I often get stuck playing in MMOs. The "main" story pet is a tank class, and she is featured throughout many of the cutscenes. Since I'm playing a healer, having her tank has been invaluable. But I've found that as my dps increases, I can often be more efficient using the healer as the main (plus I like the pet better) since he will heal me after every fight and save me the time. But now I've got a mage which can speed my killing rate at the expense of me needing to heal again. Decisions, decisions... When a stronger mob or boss comes up, or I get hit by multiple mobs, I bring out more of the gang to help out. I really like this system, it just works for me.
The game also offers traditional partying, and there's an easy to use matching system similarS to present time WoW if you want to jump into a dungeon with other folks. From the one group I did it played out very similarly to what I'm used to. We wiped a couple of times but once I got the hang of healing and dodging we cleared it pretty quick.
Clearly I'm only in the beginning portion of the game. I think some of the endgame elements haven't been released yet, and I read there would be subclasses later as well. Overall though the pet system makes it a game that I can have fun playing solo but still within an MMO environment. If I like it enough I may try joining a guild or starting my own and see how that goes.
That said, I don't know if I could exactly recommend it to others, as it really depends on your taste and maybe your desperation for something new/different in the genre. It's very interesting that this comes at a time when the seemingly most popular MMORPG (at least in my gaming circle) is WoW Classic. In many ways, this game contrasts where the genre has gone over the last 10+ years with where it started. The basics of the game/genre are very, very similar, but the implementation over time has gone in different directions to make the genre more friendly and accessible. The question is given the popularity of Classic, is whether this was the "right" direction. Have things been made so friendly and streamlined that they no longer trigger the same risk/reward response? I guess that's a question for the individual. Most everything comes pretty easily in the game thus far, though not quite as egregious as many mobile games. You get a mount right from the start, you get your skills automatically when you level, you can teleport between spots once you've unlocked them, etc etc.
This game has many similar elements to any number of Asian MMOs as well as current WoW. The art style is kind of a mix between other games but often reminds me of Guild Wars 1 and 2. Some spots look fantastic, others are just OK, but there's definitely some uniqueness that pours through, especially in the character designs. For solo players, this is where the game will likely resonate with you or not. As mentioned above, there is a fairly unique "pet" system that is a big part of the gameplay and story. It's kind of a mix between the companions/teammates in original Guild Wars, the system in Neverwinter, and SRPGs like Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate. You can have one with you at all times, and then bring out 2 more for shorter durations (at least that's what I can do at the moment). The pets level on their own and you can upgrade them with certain drops. They also have their own introduction story, voiceovers, and occasionally their dialog will interact with each other. Thus far I have "unlocked" 7 of them, and they are all very.... unique. They have their own classes (mage, tank, healer, etc) but also their own personalities (for better or worse). Yes, some are grating and will have you reaching for the mute button. But others are pretty cute. For me, though, this adds just enough of the missing element to the solo game that I often get stuck playing in MMOs. The "main" story pet is a tank class, and she is featured throughout many of the cutscenes. Since I'm playing a healer, having her tank has been invaluable. But I've found that as my dps increases, I can often be more efficient using the healer as the main (plus I like the pet better) since he will heal me after every fight and save me the time. But now I've got a mage which can speed my killing rate at the expense of me needing to heal again. Decisions, decisions... When a stronger mob or boss comes up, or I get hit by multiple mobs, I bring out more of the gang to help out. I really like this system, it just works for me.
The game also offers traditional partying, and there's an easy to use matching system similarS to present time WoW if you want to jump into a dungeon with other folks. From the one group I did it played out very similarly to what I'm used to. We wiped a couple of times but once I got the hang of healing and dodging we cleared it pretty quick.
Clearly I'm only in the beginning portion of the game. I think some of the endgame elements haven't been released yet, and I read there would be subclasses later as well. Overall though the pet system makes it a game that I can have fun playing solo but still within an MMO environment. If I like it enough I may try joining a guild or starting my own and see how that goes.
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Daehawk
- Posts: 63687
- Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am
Re: [MMO] Astellia
Is this free or did you have to buy into it?
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I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
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rittchard
- Posts: 1664
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:16 pm
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rittchard
- Posts: 1664
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:16 pm
Re: [MMO] Astellia
Correction, upon release it is $30 to buy to play, or $10/month as a subscription. Basically you can try the game out for $10 for a month OR pay $30 flat - but that doesn't apply to the $30 total.
Game is still quite fun relatively speaking. It reminds me of a mix of different MMOs including FF, GW, WoW, etc. Most of the elements are streamlined from traditional MMOs, so in many ways the game plays like the opposite of classic WoW. Horses for movement at start, fast travel through teleport locations, some auto-move features, the ability to change to a different "channel" if a spot/mob is camped, etc. You can enter the same dungeons solo or in a party, a really nice feature for those of us who always seem challenged to get a party.
Thus far whether you like the game still probably hinges on the Astel (pet) system. I'm around lvl 35 (I think 50 is the max) and have collected about 15 different pets. The pet "deck" allows 8 of them to be ready for use at any time (and accumulating xp), and I believe having them in the deck gives the player some additional (minor) passive bonuses. Many of the pets have their own quest line and mini story to follow, and some will continue to comment on the main story as you go along. One has a hideous voice actress but there are a couple that are kind of cute/appealing, ymmv. You can also get additional drop versions of them in dungeons, which are used to increase the power level of the pet similar to many card collecting mobile games. It's a pretty cool system overall and adds an extra dimension to the traditional MMO tab target combat.
Big questions are what happens in the later/end game. Quite a few promised features have not been implemented, so they jury's still out on whether it will be a good long term investment.