Argh! Blast you, Greg Dean (author of the hilariously funny daily web comic Real Life)! Thanks to the infamous Cool Link of the Week, I have found yet another black hole into which my free time quickly disappears...

Ragnarok Online is a game in development in Korea.  It plays somewhat like the Secret of Mana.  It includes the massively multiplayer community that made Ultima Online so innovative.  And best of all, all the artwork looks like Final Fantasy Tactics! ^_^

The Game

For an alpha version, Ragnarok Online looks really good!  Right now there's no magic, 2 of the 6 character attributes don't mean anything, several job classes don't work, and particularly for the English version, most of the NPCs in town aren't yet functional.  But even still, Ragnarok Online is a lot of fun!

The game is currently in the alpha testing phase.  For those that don't understand what this means, the alpha phase consists of the first stages of the game, often just a working engine.  When more of the features are in place, the game reaches the beta stages, where it is polished and game play is balanced until its final release.

So far, Ragnarok Online includes the ability to walk, talk, and fight!  There's a party system that lets people form groups, basic trading of items and Zeny ($$$), and the battle system works fine for physical attacks, including swords, daggers, clubs, and bow & arrows!  The biggest problem with the game in its alpha stage is that magic isn't working yet, and most of the NPCs don't work.  This means that there aren't very many shop keepers from which you can buy and sell items (I currently only know of 1 that sells weapons).  There also aren't any quests.

So what's an alpha tester to do?  Well, one could start by clearing the fields of the endlessly respawning hordes of monsters... ^_^  Similar to Everquest, there are some zones near the starting town that should be easy enough for beginning players.  Populated by slimes and small bug types, these monsters won't give players much trouble as they slowly progress and gain experience.

Just like Diablo-type games, simply click on a monster to attack it.  Ragnarok Online also includes the ability to simply hold Ctrl when you click on a monster.  This will cause your character to continually attack the monster until one of you dies, or you disengage from battle (though if you have already attack, the monster will naturally chase after you).

It's easy to form simple parties as well.  Wallin and I have spend a lot of time battling monsters together.  There's a mini-map that shows your location, and other party members show up as a blue/green dot when they are nearby.  You can also use a group chat ability to talk to others regardless of location.  

Just as in Final Fantasy Tactics, there are several different job classes that you can chose from after you have advanced to a sufficient level and obtained the proper items.  For example, while you start the game as a Novice, by getting to experience level 10 and collecting 10 wolf claws, a residence certificate, and 200 Zeny, you can become a swordsman!  Other job classes include Archer, Thief, Merchant, Acolyte, and Magician.  Wallin and I are both swordsmen now.  In the alpha, there's no magic available, which is somewhat limiting.

Finally, the best part of Ragnarok Online...the emotion bubbles!  By pressing Alt and a number key, an emotion bubble pops up above your character's head (similar to Star Ocean 2).  Bubbles include exclamation points, question marks, sweat drops, musical notes, anger clouds, and trailing periods.  Anyone familiar with Japanese anime will feel right at home. ^_^

By pressing Ctrl and minus, plus, or backslash, the symbols for rock-paper-scissors (a.k.a. Janken) appear above your head.  Of course, Wallin and I have twisted these into "Charge!", "High five!", and of course, "Victory!!!" ^_^

Conclusion

Ragnarok Online totally rules! This is the massively multiplayer online RPG anime fans have been waiting for! The game seems to be progressing nicely, and has a lot of potential to steal both my time and money. ^_^

Ragnarok Online is currently free in the alpha stage.  The beta stage begins in November.  No official word on whether there will be any fee for the beta, nor projected pricing for the final release.  Download the alpha version at the Ragnarok Online website at http://www.ragnarokonline.com/

And for tips on getting around, check out the info at http://www.prontera.net/

Rating: 9

Hangin' out

Ooh, a moogle!