When a Devil
Tree Fall in Atlantica,
It Makes a Sound

The sound effects in Atlantica
Online are mostly first-rate. Fire crackles, metal clangs,
and
rocks fall with pleasing sounds. The voice acting is passable, but many
players will find themselves mocking the phrases their mercenaries say
over and over (and over) again after a few hours of play time.

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style="font-style: italic;">The fighting and the pace get
intense as you fill out your squad. style="font-style: italic;">

The music fares better, providing sweeping orchestral pieces
outside
of combat and thumping drums sequences in battle. It's not the stuff
of John Williams (see " href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn_95hdy6Nw">Imperial
March"), but it works just fine. The cumulative effect of
all the audio is more than adequate and won't distract players.

Je Ne Sais Quoi

Fun is where Atlantica
truly shines as long you don't want your game to be all href="http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2007/04/12/care-bears.jpg"
target="_blank">Care Bears and rainbows. The game
isn't brutally difficult; it just requires thought. Throughout all
phases of Closed Beta, Open Beta, and after launch, I frequently saw
players asking for help on the first major boss, Hellish Fairy. Each
time, I saw or gave answers about how to silence her so that her spells
could not devastate the group or how to create a formation that would
minimize the damage. Whack-a-Mole wasn't working, and gamers were
confounded.

Then there is the league play, or PvP (see a PvP video href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/45182">here).
I didn't get to play with this system much, but it's an area of
gameplay
guaranteed to increase sales of href="http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a35/jetspeed/MOnsterAss.jpg"
target="_blank">Monster Energy [Good looking
can in that shot! --Ed.] and keep people playing into the wee hours of
the
morning. The game builds in rewards for PvP wins, and players can
frequently dispatch someone of a higher level with the right formation
and tactics.

For
a
brief time, many fans worried that a gameplay mechanic released
mid-beta--Stamina--would ruin the game. Stamina is a pool of points
consumed in battle.
Players lose more stamina for fighting solo than in groups, which can
hold up to three players and 27 fighters. Players can regain Stamina
through PvP battles, giving gifts to lower level players, or even just
resting out of battle. In the end, Stamina has not negatively impacted
the fun of Atlantica,
and the whole ruckus turned out to be another href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071222000659AAOovEo"
target="_blank">Y2K scare.

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style="font-style: italic;">Fans of tactical games will find
Atlantica
spellbinding.

Parting Thoughts

I fell in love with Atlantica
the first time I played it, and I tell anyone who will listen that it's
a terrific game. It's groundbreaking in that it requires gamers to
think a little instead of just mashing buttons, and it's rare in that
it has earned the highest review I have ever given a game in my time
with Ten Ton Hammer. I could stop playing pretty much everything else
and be happy with just this game for a long time to come.

Finally, as I have already noted, NDOORS has shown a
dedication to
keeping the game 100% F2P for those who don't want to spend money. The
merchandise available in the item mall does not break the game but
provides conveniences to those willing to spend some cash. Unless you
have a serious axe to grind with F2P games, you owe it to yourself to
try Atlantica Online.

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(4.5 / 5
Hammers)