Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Stuff Smashing, Presented by the Local Orchestra
The audio in Rohan is a bit bewildering because the music is fantastic while the sound effects are a mixed bag. The music suits each location perfectly, and an ancient forest might have a haunting melody played out on a flute while a cave will feature the deep tones of a brass instrument. In that ancient forest, players might hear a bird chirping or a brook babbling nearby, but starkly juxtaposed would be the complete lack of sound effects in the cave. No howling wind, growling animals, or rumbling mining cars; it's just you and the background music. It was a minor thing that turned into a big complaint for me, as I found it broke my immersion faster than someone calling out "Where are the Cheetos?" during a D&D session (see Summoner Geeks).

Likewise, combat sounds can be frustrating. Arrows fly out from your bow with a satisfying "fwip!" But the same arrow strikes the target with a "tsh!" It sounds a bit like a punch landing in Street Fighter II. To the best of my knowledge, arrows do not sound like that, but then, I've never fought giant spiders with a bow and arrow. I'm a noob like that.

You Say Tomato
This is the hardest part of a Rohan review--the fun factor. The first 20 levels of the game are very solid. Engaging storylines, varied locales, and fun gameplay features make the game one of the best around, F2P or otherwise. By the end of the 20s, and definitely in the thirties, leveling begins to feel a bit like stirring molasses. The story tapers off, and players are encouraged to PvP or engage in Township battles. Whether or not you'll find the game worth playing at that point depends on how much the bells and whistles appeal to you. Those bells and whistles include gear alteration, M Kill, Township battles, and the Hit List.

Players can perform a sort of reverse engineering to alter gear they cannot wear to be able to equip it. It's a system balanced on risk and reward in theory. If you looted a cool sword that requires level 32 when you're only level 28, you can attempt to reduce its level requirement. Succeed, and you get to wear a powerful item early. Fail and the item requirements could go up to level 36.

M Kill is a system that gives you bonus experience for every 20th kill. This means a lot in the early levels since you can kill 19 easy monsters and one hard one and possibly get a level. The system breaks down at higher levels and in groups. First, the experience curve gets brutal, making M Kills the only way to get noticeable progress toward the next level. Secondly, you need to get everyone in the group on the same kill number to take full advantage of M Kill. That way the group can pick on the really strong enemies at the right time to maximize XP.

Township battles (mentioned several times already) are large scale PvP battles for large guilds of players level 30+. Almost a game unto itself, a coordinated guild can make Township battles fun. Poor leadership can leave you feeling like the stormtroopers who lost the outpost to the Ewoks on the forest moon of Endor.

Since Rohan depends on PvP so much, the Hit List is a handy feature. It tracks who kills you so you know who to get when it's payback time. To add to the PvP frenzy, though, a pair of races (Dekan and Dhan) can avoid being on your Hit List by entering Assassination Mode. In this mode, the player's name is not visible--only his race. Again, this reward carries a risk. A character who gets PKed in Assassination Mode loses more XP than normal and runs a higher risk of losing gear.

Parting Thoughts
My frustration with Rohan comes from the dichotomy between the beginning of the game and the rest of the game. YNK does not disguise the fact that Rohan is based on player interaction and PvP, so that's not the problem. It just seems like the first half has a lot more polish. If you are a PvP fan and the features I have described appeal to you, add one hammer to my final review score. If PvP is not your bag, you'll love the beginning of the game and have fun rolling alts to see new story lines. The last half of the game will be murder.

(3 / 5 Hammers)