Well, this one is pretty simple. Fantasy Online is a flash-based MMORPG you can play right out of your browser, and links in with facebook nicely. If you do play it through facebook, you can exchange gifts between friends, and form fellowships, much like many other facebook games. FO isn’t a very complicated game, as I state before, it’s simple. Extremely simple. In fact, I’m not sure a game can get any simpler without degenerating into Pong or Tetris. Sometimes, though, simplicity is just what the doctor ordered, and for those of you looking for a basic, point-and-click adventure you can play in the office when your boss isn’t looking, Fantasy Online just might be what you need.
First Impressions
Logging into Fantasy Online, I was greeted by a character creation screen. Of course, my first instinct (as it is with many others) was to find the “gender” button. Much to my dismay, there wasn’t one. That’s right! In FO, no one has a gender. You are simply an asexual, blocky adventurer out to save the day. This doesn’t necessarily bother me, especially considering that you can choose some eyes and hairs that look especially girly. No big deal.
One of the first things I noticed about FO was the strange gems that seem to be the game’s premium currency. These are apparently used to give yourself EXP gain boosts, and other benefits. The game has a “rested state” system similar to WoW and many others, though FO goes the extra mile in making it so you actually become far less effective when you play for long periods, forcing you to log out for a time, or buy more rested state with gems. Weird, but standard fare for a browser game.
The combat isn’t much to write home about. You see a monster, you click on it, you auto-attack it until it dies. HP and MP regenerate over time. You can use active abilities in combat, but you only start out with one, and don’t get another until level 6. MP seems to run out very quickly with heavy ability use, leaving you to rely on your auto-attack more than I’d personally prefer.
Humor and Inside Jokes FTW!
Once you spawn into the starting area, you’re tasked by an old man to kill crabs. Just in this initial dialogue, I could tell that this is a game that absolutely does NOT take itself seriously. The evidence supporting this was reinforced by brilliant skill descriptions. For example, in the description of the skill “Lick Your Wounds,” which heals the player for a small amount, it suggests you can also lick other people’s wounds, and it won’t judge you. Cute.
It certainly doesn’t end there, though. FO is obviously shooting to satirize and make fun of other MMORPGs. In this way, many of the facts of the gameplay being rather boring or samey can be forgiven; the game is very aware of it, and makes fun of the fact constantly. It knows it’s an MMORPG, and perhaps even laments it a little. The light-hearted humor and nerdy inside jokes in the form of skills like “Nerd Rage” and “BOOM! Headshot” are really great.
Is that… it?
I wandered the game for a while trying to find something unique or interesting, but I came up short. While the game’s humor provided a chuckle or three at first, for me, it wasn’t enough to mask the fact that I was playing something that could very well simply be one of those pre-packaged Windows games from the mid 90′s. The user-interface is decidely modern, some might even say “WoW-esque,” but that doesn’t save it from the harsh reality of being kind of boring.
Of course, let’s compare it to other browser-based games. It certainly pales in comparison to something like Runescape, or heaven forbid it, even Farmville. There are simply loys of other unique, free, browser-based games and RPGs that don’t unapologetically recycle the same hack n’ slash combat we’ve all seen five-hundred times before – the difference in FO being that it’s all done with an ancient 2D engine.
Final Verdict: Poor
I don’t like giving games a poor rating, but I’ve actually played quite a few browser RPGs, and this one doesn’t really compare to its competition. The humor and silliness can only carry it so far – after the initial effect of it wears off, we’re left with a stale, pixelated game that doesn’t really do anything for me. If you’re in the market for something really simple and really goofy RPG that doesn’t require much brainpower and is guaranteed to give you a snicker now and again, FO is for you. Those of you looking for more in-depth games, look elsewhere.
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Topic: Fantasy Online (Read 1452 times)