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

One of the perks of being a video game journalist, and more specifically a MMOG journalist, is that we are often times granted special access and pre-made toons to check out games.  This provides us with a great way to get into a game, gather the information quickly, and explore the newest content or latest changes with ease. Sometimes, however, what seems like every gamers dream--a max level toon with twinked out gear--becomes a burden at best or ruins your impression of a game at worst.  My most recent assignment, checking out Gates of Andaron, was an experience almost sabotaged by the latter. I was given a high level warrior with some amazing gear and a full complement of talent points to assign and set loose upon the game’s world, Iberia, to wreak some havoc. Instead of the aforementioned type of wreaking however, I found there to be a lot more reeking from a game that felt hodgepodged together and incomplete.  Some of the most stereotypical elements of F2P gaming were on display here and I finally understood how a gamer could spend more money on a free game than a subscription one. But hey, it can’t be all bad can it? Read on to find out. 

Overview

Gates of Andaron is the North American version of a popular Asian F2P - 4Story

Gates of Andaron is a free-to-play MMOG, published by German company Gameforge,  and  developed by  the Korean company  Zemi Interactive as a localized version of their game 4Story.  The game is faction-based and focuses on the war between the Valorian and the Derion for conquest of the world of Iberia. PvP plays a large role in the game and character advancement; it’s both a central element in the story and a persistent theme in the game geography as both factions vie for control of several contested zones.

Classes and Races 

There are three races to choose from and six classes. The races are Human, Feline and Fairy. The classes are divided into Warrior, Night Walker (rogue), Archer, Magicians, Priests and Evocators. The Evocator is perhaps the most unique class found in the game. It’s a pet class that feels like an EverQuest mage and a WoW Warlock but can wear leather armor and has some modest crowd control. Faction choice is account bound--the game currently only has one server and the initial faction choice locks the account out of making characters of the opposite faction.

User Interface 

The focal point of the UI is the Shop button

Most of the typical features you would hope to find are present in the game, if somewhat limited in their execution. The UI is standard fair, with not much in the room of real customization or re-ordering on the screen. One of the most notable features of the UI is the placement of the microtransaction shop button, which gets prime real estate smack dab in the middle of the screen.

Graphics 

The graphics are mediocre and give it the look of a cheap WoW or Warhammer Online knock off., and while I usually don’t care much either about graphics in a compelling game, they are a definite detractor here.  The game world is wide open for exploration and allows for seamless transitions from one area to the next, but even on a smoking fast machine the area transitions are blocky and slow. Character models are very stylized and reminiscent of other popular Asian games; in fact at times I thought I may have been having some Final Fantasy flashbacks.

Gameplay 

 

SquareSoft might want to call their lawyer....

Venturing into the game I found it fairly easy to navigate as it featured the standard controls common to most MMOGs as well as the ability to switch to a click to move format if you prefer. Quest NPC’s are easily identifiable on both the mini and full-sized maps, with the standard exclamation and question marks pasted to the tops of their heads. While the underpinnings of the game are fairly solid, gameplay is where the cracks in the game’s armor start to show. Combat is bland and unimpressive, with most abilities feeling about as interesting as a Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck romantic comedy.

One of the bright spots in Gates of Andaron is the way you can specialize your character with skill points gained each level. These points are spent in one of three unique talent trees and allow you to purchase new abilities and upgrade existing ones to flavor your toon and enhance the style of gameplay you prefer.  These points take the place of traditional level based spells/abilities so there is a measure of research needed to make sure you choose wisely.

As I mentioned, my experience was almost completely negative as the result of being dropped into the game with a high level character and decent gear, and it wasn’t due to a lack of understanding the game or a lack of familiarity. In actuality, the problem was with being stripped of the ability to explore as a noob. When I started over as a new character I found the intro levels and quests fun and well paced; even if they were nothing new and innovative, they were at least simple and entertaining. Exploring a new game is always somewhat interesting and I enjoy my virtual Vasco da Gama persona no matter what the setting. The leveling pace is frantic and I soon found myself in the mid to high 20s, happily kiting mobs and gaining power as a pussy-cat archer (hey, when in Rome folks!) but as I approached level 30 a few things became readily apparent and I started to make connections in my dulled synapses.

Gates of Andaron

Ahh, beautiful Elwynn Forest, err nevermind.

, pre level 30, is a fun, mindless, enjoyable PvE game with some decent
quests and interesting talent trees to flesh out. Post thirty, it becomes a PvP gank fest that requires some fairly deep pockets to stay competitive in. This game fails miserably at my free-to-play litmus test in the regards that overall gameplay should never be dependent on RMT, merely enhanced by it. Simple things that should be available to anyone, such as mounts, are restricted to the item shop. In the case of mounts, they aren’t even a permanent addition; they come in 24 hour, one week or one month versions that ensure your continued dependence on RMT. There is also no auction house in the game which further necessitates hitting the shop button for many items.

Final Thoughts

While certainly not the worst free-to-play on the market today, Gates of Andaron isn’t going to be garnering any high praise any time soon. It is a mediocre sum of its parts; a great character customization system is tempered by a serious dependency on microtransactions and a fun quest system is overshadowed by a lack of consensual PvP past level thirty.  The saying you get what you pay for has never been more evident in a MMOG than it is here, and sadly that mentality gives free-to-play games a bad name far too often. If you enjoy rolling alts but aren’t a fan of RMT or PvP ganking then you can still enjoy this game by playing each of the six classes up to thirty. And if you have deep pockets and enjoy the competition of open faction-based PvP then you may have fun with GoA all the way to end game.