Recent reviews by Ol3livion

I waited to review this game until I put some time into it. I grew up with EQ. This is definitely a spiritual successor, you'll notice it in design choices and sounds and classes and abilities etc.. with some interesting, unique twists. I am extremely skeptical of crowded funded games, early access titles - I feel like they almost never deliver a full product. to be honest, after how long this game's been worked on, I expected 'more', but went into it with lower expectations after talking to friends that have been play testing it for years.

is it buggy? yes, absolutely, full of bugs, but they do at least seem to be aware of them, caution players how to navigate / report them, and seem to be working well on prioritizing and squashing them. despite these, it doesn't impact gameplay that badly.

is it missing features? yes, absolutely. you see half-baked things all over the place, partially implemented systems and just things missing completely that they've been talking about or promising for years.. but at the same time - you can see their vision and intent, and it leaves you curious and interested.

is it missing content? yes. you can tell that they cobbled together what they could and got in 'just enough' polish and content to make early access feel like a living, breathing game. there are tons of areas of zones that are unpopulated, mobs that are not itemized etc .. but you can tell that they are working on it, and patching it in on a regular basis. they communicate updates well.

despite all of this - it plays wonderfully, the combat is interesting and fun, the world exploration is anxiety inducing and enjoyable, the difficulty level is punishing and rewarding, and most importantly - even in early access, I still want to sign in and play more. this is a great game if you enjoy classic, difficult, group-based MMO style gameplay. I can't sugar coat it though - the game needs a TON of work still, but the foundation is wonderful, and the vision/design is great. I can tell that they are dedicated to making this a great game. at this pace of development and how many times they've had to re-do or refactor things, my only concern is if they'll be able to complete the game, or remain financially viable long enough to do so.

An enjoyable survival genre game. The level of risk and the time required to traverse things adds a special risk/reward element that most modern games avoid. It will either encourage you to plan well and play well, or it will frustrate you. you'll feel a bit on edge while you explore and venture further and further away..

overall there is not a lot of diversity in content or a lot of surprise once you figure out each biome and mob type. it's still early access, there's a lot of room for improvement there.