Since its
release, the game has received several expansions called “Generations” that
include new areas, new features and advancements to the game’s story content. I
got to play this way back during the first couple of generations and a have
returned to see that a lot has changed… for better or for worse, that is. So is
this “Fantasy Life” still worth living? Let’s take a look.
Customization
The initial
character customization has a very little to offer, but at the same time it
features many different options. This is all due to the game’s character card
system: There are two types of character cards, Basic and Premium, among three
main playable races: Human, Elf and Giant. Basic only gives you access to a
handful of eye, hair, mouth and color options while Premium gives you a ton.
You only get one basic human card whenever you create a new account, and unless
you want to play as any race with a nicer look, you’re going to have to cough
up $9.50 for another card.
With initial
character creation, you’ll also have to choose your character’s age; A very
unique feature that must be taken into consideration since it determines your
starting initial stats, how fast you can rank up your skills and how soon you
can rebirth your character (more on this later.)
Customization
outside of creating character is fairly deep, allowing lots of different
outfits to be worn for battle and fashion. All weapons, armors and outfits can
be enchanted and upgraded with special effects and stats and all that typical
MMO stuff.
Controls
It took a
while for this game to catch up to the modern age, but Mabinogi now uses WSAD
controls (WHOA!) and it seems to work pretty well, but mouse control for
movement is still recommended, since using WSAD will give you frustrating lag
issues from time to time that will make your character look like it’s trying to
hump a wall or something. Using the mouse to perform basic attacks is simple
and intuitive, while using skills sets to your hotkeys (F1-F12) has delays and
queues, so you have to think carefully regarding your next move. As it is,
Mabinogi remains a game for those with a bit of patience.
Gameplay/Features
The world of
Mabinogi is filled with choices. You can start up a homestead (which plays out
like Farmville without all the evil), cook food, look for treasure, make
clothing, go fishing, play music, go on many, many quests or just run around
and kill stuff. The number of life skills, quests and activities you can
perform here is staggering, so much that I can’t possibly cover each one in
this single review, but I can say they’re all simple and done well enough to give
you something new and interesting to try out every time you play.
One of my favorite
aspects of Mabinogi has to be in its skill system - There are no literal
character classes here, so you’re free to create your character in any way you
want. Want to make your hero as a swordsman AND an archer? Go ahead. Want to
create a wizard/alchemist hero that’s ALSO a spoony bard that knits clothing?
Go for it, just as long as you have enough AP (Ability Points) to fit the bill.
It’s real
freaking neat-o, but my favorite system is also a bit of a flawed system,
because here’s the thing about earning AP: Since Mabinogi is more dependent on
skill ranking instead of earning levels (Mabinogi has NO level cap, so you can
level your character to 1000+ if you really have that much time on your hands.)
Stats earned from leveling up are mostly insignificant, and the AP you earn
from leveling up is only one point each, so ranking up your skills from
leveling up alone can be a real drag, unless you decide rebirth your character
and earn AP easier from aging, but this means having to wait 3 to 10 weeks in order
to rebirth for free at age 20, or buy another character card to rebirth after
one week.
These
options really bog down the experience if you plan to play without paying a
cent, and all this just makes me wonder if they can really call it “free-to-play”
with a game kind of tries to nickel-and-dime you at every turn (well I guess
it’s still free-to-play in the sense that you can register, download and play
it without monthly fees but… oh you know what I’m talking about, right?)
While
Mabinogi’s core combat seems like a simple game of Rock Paper Scissors with
some extra variables, it’s actually a lot more tactical than most MMOs. Combat
is based on contextual inputs, meaning you’ll have to attack, block and counter
instead of mashing hotkeys and chugging potions for five hours. Fighting like a
warrior means getting up in your enemy’s face, using ranged skills means
playing it safe with enemies from a distance, and rolling up wizard style means
annoying the crap out of everyone with magic for stunning and a one shot kills.
Oh and there’s also alchemy that lets you do a little bit of everything.
Lag issues
are still heavy around this game, and if you don’t have a decent net connection
ranging around 40ms in ping, prepare for a few rage inducing battles. Since
combat requires imitate reactions from players, any bit of lag will have your
character perform actions too late, and I can’t tell you the countless amount
of times I failed my RP quests because my connection started to lag at the
worst possible moment (my ISP sucks, I know!)
While the
core combat is nice and solid (when there’s no lag present), the pacing feels
incredibly slow. Your character can only move at two speeds: Slow and turtle,
which makes getting around somewhat tiring and traveling around the world on
foot can be a nightmare unless you’re lucky enough to catch the next moon gate
to your designated location. This also makes picking out a mountable pet from
the cash shop almost mandatory ( You do get a free horse mount when your first
start playing but you only get to keep it for seven days, so enjoy it while it
lasts…)
Graphics/Presentation
Now this is
mostly going to adhere to your own personal point of view on style/aesthetics,
but for me, the visuals of Mabinogi still holds up. The anime style used here
is nice and distinct, even though the textures look a bit old and dull, but if
you can force some Anti-Aliasing over this, everything will look right as rain.
The clangs and clashes of combat all sound appropriate, but the music comes off
as cheesy and generic. As for the voice acting with some of the Shakespeare
generation scenes? Hit and miss.
Community
The
community for Mabinogi is filled with many social players. You’re never too far
from finding a player that’s willing to show you around or help you out with
some of your quests. Of course, you will run into a couple of sour grapes, but
don’t worry about them too much so for the most part, Mabinogi’s playerbase is
pretty decent.
Overall
As a
free-to-play experience, Mabinogi is filled with flaws and contradictions, but
for those that decide to partake (and perhaps spend some money on it) will find
an interesting and enjoyable MMORPG experience here, because just about no
other MMO out there can give this much variety, choice and freedom.
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