Try a Different MMORPG: Atlantica

May 2009
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Friday, May 1st, 2009 @ 4:50 pm | Review, Software

Do you like computer games? I know I do. There’s a ton of great titles out there, but there is also a large volume of chaff – and there’s even virtually identical games released under different names by different companies. And this is especially true of the MMO genre (and even more so true of the i-rpg games on the iPhone – they’re all identical!) – Most games are repackaging of the same old concepts and enemies. And since World of Warcraft is so insanely popular, most games are knockoffs of this general mold – hunting quests, the camera controls, just the general feel pervades so many games. Blizzard’s success has effectively killed a lot of the innovation in the MMORPG genre.

Then I played Atlantica. In a lot of respects it admittedly does resemble the World of Warcraft model, but in a lot of respects it doesn’t. One major difference is that you start the game with a party of three, and you consistently control more than one character. The big, big difference though is that combat is turn based. It takes an interesting approach to this – you’re given a time limit for your turn, dependant on how many people are in your party. There’s a variety of mercenaries that you can hire, and via quests you can expand you main party size. Each type of mercenary has a unique attack pattern and at least one unique skill. Another feature I like is the auto move function – instead of wandering looking for a quest objective, you can click a button and be taken to it. It’s incredibly convenient.

The potential diversification of your group is something I definitely like about this game. Even the typical elemental attacks are divided among several characters, so you are forced to make a choice between versatility and strength (choices are always good – more choices means each player has more opportunities to play their way. Sometimes the choices are tough though). Usually the weaker classes have the ability to hit multiple enemies, while stronger ones are confined to attacking only the enemies in the front. The magic classes also have three special abilities as opposed to melee classes’ one skill (though the melee skills often have tactical advantages – for example the archer has the ability to silence enemy spell casters).

Admittedly I’ve only played a little of this game due to my busy schedule. It has, however, been a refreshing change from the usual repetition inherent to most MMORPGs. I’ll be continuing playing it, and if I find anything else that impresses or disappoints me I’ll let you know. Definitely give it a try if you like RPGs!