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Dragon Nest
PC (Steam)
Let's Get this Party Started
4/5 stars
It has been a long time since I have given in to playing an MMORPG - in fact, not since Everquest first hit the scene have I been tempted to jump back in. But thanks to the enthusiasm from fellow MeltedJoystick member, Matt, I was unable to turn this down. Granted it was "Free-to-Play", which is really just code for "Free-to-Play.... until you want better stuff" - there is no such thing as a free lunch, just as there is no such thing as "Free-to-Play" - but Dragon Nest doesn't completely make things difficult in the money department - you could get by (not as easily) without dropping a dime, though providing just a meager $20 with make life much easier.
Presentation: Dragon Nest takes a more laid-back approach compared to, say, World of Warcraft. Obviously inspired by anime - the game is quite colorful yet still has a lot of detail. That goes for the characters as well as the enemies. While there is a bit of overlap between characters, overall they keep things varied enough that each new area feels like it has a distinct personality. The various dungeons also distinguish themselves enough that even whey you have to play through some multiple times, it never gets too old (well, maybe towards the end they could have given a bit more variety). Still, the animation is smooth and even the few times things got a bit bogged down (lagging is a bit more common than I would prefer) things didn't suffer too much.
Considering this was originally a Korean endeavor, the translation is actually pretty effective. The voices are well-cast and the cut-scenes are well done. Although there aren't a lot of in-game content (mostly a few sentences from NPCs and your own character yelling out various things when they attack), none of it feels like it was mistranslated Engrish. The music likewise fits the game and while nothing stands out as something amazing - overall it fits the tone of the game.
As Nelson emphasized, the biggest hit against Dragon Nest has to be the server issues. Problems logging on - randomly getting booted - it is annoying and it happens too often. Despite the great design and atmosphere - the problems are still too big to overlook, no matter how nice the game is at handing out consolation "our server was broken have some XXX for our screwup".
Story: It's fantasy all the way - it's like D&D by way of anime - a world reeling from a not-so-long ago dragon war is thrust back into doom after a cult attempts to revive the beasts who nearly destroyed the world. A prophet in the form of a young village girl is kidnapped and the early part of the adventure concerns tracking her down - various villains fall, but she is always just out of reach. Towards the end, even greater forces come into play - though because the game is an MMO - the story is ongoing so at this time there is no true resolution.
Besides the main story, there are literally hundreds of side quests - from NPCs to the various dungeon boards - and it is quite easy to reach the level cap of 60 at this time. Although a lot of the quest revolve around finding or talking to people in dungeons (or beating the boss of said dungeon) - you play through them so many times, it isn't that big of a hassle. Though there are no Steam achievements for this one, there are a ton of in-game medals (some of which unlock titles that increase your stats). For people like me, who love that type of thing - it gives more incentive to go back an beat those levels.
There is healthy PVP aspect as well - though none of the MJ players got involved in that part of the game. There are also tougher levels - Nests - as well as the all-out enemy waves in the Furious Mezzanine (also not played too much). The game also throws out various events (usually revolving around holidays) that reward you for logging in each day and giving even more content. One thing is for certain - there is a lot to do here and dropping a few hundred hours into this game is pretty much given.
Gameplay: Though the game bills itself as an MMO - you could technically play most of the game alone, if you so choose. The towns are filled with people - but you don't have to interact with any of them. Sure, you can buy and sell things on the marketplace or join bigger parties to tackle the tougher nests (some of which require at least five players) but if you want to go it alone, you certainly can. In fact, unless you are in a guild (which you can create or join at your behest) every time you leave town, you're on your own anyway.
The game is pretty much all action-RPG - fighting consists of various attacks you unlock - you gain additional skills when you hit level 15 and 45 - allowing you to specialize (usually between being more melee or more ranged or magic). There are various classes - Warrior, Cleric, Sorceress, Archer, Tinker and Kali - when we started the Tinker and Kali had just been added and I took the Kali - as she provided plenty of attack power - but far from being a typical tank, the Kali if much more versatile and the biggest advantage is stringing together a lot of attacks and building up huge combos leading to more damage. She can also provide support (though not as much as the cleric) but I chose not to follow that route. She does have one healing spell (that, believe me, comes in quite handy) but mostly she has attacks that hit far and wide and the cool down time is relatively quick, meaning you can attack again quickly as well.
The loot systems is class-based (supposedly) though we found that aspect to be a bit broken. The game allows you to equip armor and weapons both in on your main character and in second "Costume" slot. To get costumes that actually help you (or just to change your look) requires you to spend actual money (and it's not too cheap, either) but that is entirely optional. Your main equipment can be found in levels or crafted with items found in those dungeons though you will probably find it easier to drop some in-game money at the Marketplace and buy it outright. The also features a robust crafting system - in order to enhance weapons and armor you have to gather various items in dungeons (or, once again, buy them in the marketplace) and doing so will greatly enhance the power of said equipment. You can also equip crests - some increase various stats, some make certain attacks more powerful and a unique group provide a special attack (though none are particularly powerful). All items range from Normal (White), Magic (Green), Rare (Blue), Epic (Orange), Unique (Purple) and Legendary (Red) - an as you level up, it opens up a whole range of new, more powerful equipment for that level.
The dungeons themselves feature many difficulty settings - from easy up to abyss - though the game recommends a team to tackle the higher difficulties, if you level up your equipment with the game, even the highest difficulty isn't too tough. In fact, up until the final levels, Abyss was a piece of cake even alone. The game does a good job of at least throwing a nice variety of enemies and bosses at you - even if, for the most part, they go down way too fast. Still, you have a appreciate the variation found here. The closer you get to the "end" however, the more repetition comes into play. You don't have nearly as many dungeons and find yourself going back to the same place mission after mission.
As I said, even though the game is free-to-play, in order to make things easier, you'll probably end up dropping some actual money here. The micro-transaction is the bane of video games - but inevitable - in Dragon Nest you can spend money on everything from pets (used mainly to pick up the loot that falls quickly, rather than bending down and picking it up individually) to outfits for your character to Dragon Eggs that can contain powerful, rare items or complete junk (like potions - woo!). But I found out the hard way the game accepts two forms of credit - those taken by direct payment, and those you can only get by purchasing a specific Karma Coin card at retail outlets. So after dropping $20 on credit - I found out I couldn't even use it to get a lot of the stuff I wanted (including the deeply discounted item expansion slots the game drops on you early on). By the time I finally purchased another $20 Karma card - I had already missed out on on the discounted items, and I'm still kind of pissed off about that. Why the game even gives you an option, I'm not sure - it should be one form of credit only damn it!
Replayability: I guess if you want to start multiple characters in different classes, the game does offer variety (and you can share some of your items even) but other than that, not much. Still, this is a game that gives you a ton to do in one playthrough, so I don't even see the point.
Overall: There's a lot of meat to go around here - and with a group of friends, you'll find plenty to keep you coming back for more. Get some friends together for a better time - and be prepared to spend at least a little money but otherwise, it will keep you plenty busy.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replayability: 3/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
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