MMORPG Games

Knight’s Fable is a role-playing MMO set in a time of knights and gods. While it’s very similar to the previous R2-GTArcade release, League of Angels, the title makes small improvements in the area of story - rife with twists, betrayals and a cast of half-demons, nobles and divine beings. However, it still falls short of being truly great thanks to weak writing and heavily automated play.

Combat and the main quest are heavily automated by the system, leaving almost nothing for the player to do – an odd choice for a game that promised a stronger main story experience. Knight’s Fable does better in its customizable party and beast system, where human and monster allies can be unlocked to aid your character in battle. One of the genuinely fun aspects of the game, discovering and upgrading new allies to watch them kick serious ass in combat was exciting and highly rewarding.

The game also runs very well for a browser title even on slower systems, and strikes a good balance with its unobtrusive in-app purchase options. Overall, a decent title for those who love upgrading and customizing their character and parties, and don’t mind a light combat and questing experience.

Monkey King Online is a browser MMORPG developed by R2Games and inspired by the Chinese epic Journey to the West. In the game you play as one of four characters – the Fox, the Bull, Iron Fan or the Monkey King himself – on a sprawling fantasy mission, defeating monsters, leveling up and customizing your character with items you can find, craft or buy. On top of this, you can also choose to team up with other players, join guilds or just battle it out in player-versus-player combat.

The most unique and, for some almost bizarre, aspect of this game is probably the Auto-Path feature, which should really be called Auto-Play. Choose this and the game literally plays itself for you, helping you complete the main story mission, collect items and gold or even just do battle with anyone in range. While it works well, this system may not be for everyone, though it will certainly delight players who have long dreamed of having someone else mine gold and exp for them.

The game has fairly impressive graphics for a browser, but sometimes experience slow performance with backgrounds taking a while to load. However, interesting multiplayer options and fairly complex combat make this title worth playing for fans of the genre.

Embark on the immersive world of Naraka: Bladepoint, a distinctive battle royale game released in August 2021 and converted to Free-to-Play in late 2023 by 24 Entertainment and NetEase Games Montreal. Set on Morus Island, the game accommodates up to 60 players, allowing them to choose from a diverse roster of heroes, each equipped with unique skills.

Naraka: Bladepoint stands out with its focus on martial arts-inspired melee combat and a rock-paper-scissors combat system, creating a dynamic and challenging gameplay experience.

Whether venturing solo or teaming up in trios, players navigate the island, adapting to a shrinking safe zone and strategic encounters with other squads.

With a global player base surpassing 6 million copies sold, the game transitioned to a free-to-play model, extending its reach across PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5 platforms.

Naraka: Bladepoint offers an engaging and accessible entry into the world of battle royale, where players can enjoy the thrill of combat and strategic gameplay in a visually captivating environment.

➔ Main points:

• Martial Arts Mayhem: Get ready for melee combat like you've never seen! It's like Bruce Lee meets a rock-paper-scissors showdown, with weapons, grappling hooks, and skills that'll make you go "whoa!"
• Solo or Trio Tango: Play it your way - solo or team up with two buddies. Because why fight alone when you can have a squad with you? Teamwork makes the dream work, baby!
• Chaos on Morus Island: Explore, fight, and survive on this crazy island. As the safe zone shrinks, the shadow corruption spreads, and you'll be praying at Buddhist sites, dodging enemies, and respawning like it's a wild, action-packed game of tag.
• Global Gaming Galore: With over 6 million copies sold worldwide, Naraka: Bladepoint is strutting its stuff on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5. Plus, it went free-to-play, so now everyone can join the party without breaking the bank!

Naruto Online is a top-down 2D animated MMORPG set in the world of Naruto. The game is officially licensed and contains popular characters and locations based on the anime series. Players participate in quests and instances, doing battle with bosses from the anime alongside ninjas that you can recruit and build a team with. The PVE and PVP content is decent, but the passive combat system may not be for everyone.

Combat is turn-based but players play a minimal part in the execution of battles. Before a battle, you can select which ninjas to pick and create strategic synergies, but then you can only watch how the fight plays out. Graphics are okay but the animations do not look as good as it should on the 2D world backgrounds. Overall, Naruto Online is still a fun game to play especially for hardcore fans of the anime series.

➔ Main points:

• Play through authentic Naruto world, characters and events
• Good amount of PVE content that plays out exactly like the anime series
• Friendly player community that is active
• Collect ninjas and build your ideal team

ArcheAge is a free-to-play (with an optional subscription) MMORPG developed by XLGAMES, published by Trion Worlds, and created by the Korean game designer, Jake Song. You might remember him from Lineage, a game he helped to create way back when. Park originally envisioned ArcheAge as a “sandpark” MMO, meant to mix the openness of a sandbox game with the more structured approach of a themepark MMO, but as time went on, the game became more theme and less sand, with a fair amount of paying-to-win.

➔ Main points:

• Great graphics, higher system requirements
• Houses give you a place to rest your feet
• Interesting justice system.
• 120 Classes

A fun to play game with lively graphics, Big Farm comes in as a good competitor to the run of the mill farming games. Based on the concept of balancing your resources and making your farm blossom, the game offers a number of avenues which you can take up to maximize your profits. Crops can be grown and harvested and animals can be raised while using fertilizers and other boosters.

Big Farm also offers the players to enjoy a few multiplayer game modes in which they can apply their expertise and achieve the objectives before their rivals to win. They can also play together as a team and expand their farms the best they can. Big Farm is very simple to play on one hand, and offers unique building upgrades on the other, making it a really fun game to play.

➔ Main points:

• A farming game with colorful graphics.
• Engaging multiplayer element.
• Fun gameplay.
• Easily understandable objectives.
• Graphic details could have been better.

Black Desert Online is an open world sandbox MMORPG that features Asian style graphics and some of the best action combat in any MMO game to-date. The graphics ranging from environment designs to the character creator is top notch.

There’s plenty of content for players to soak their teeth into for both PvE and PvP. Besides the decent amount of class choices, players can also dive into Life Skills, which is a refreshing take on crafting systems within the MMORPG genre. One great aspect of Black Desert Online is that it rewards you for simply playing the game and doing the activities you enjoy most, as players gain a multitude of XP and points to spend that progresses their characters further. The game does offer something for every playstyle.

Overall, Black Desert Online is the poster child and an excellent example of a Buy to Play Asian MMORPG that’s done right. It may have its issues such as the heavy grind and over reliance on RNG and luck, but the game deserves to be played nonetheless.

➔ Main points:

• Addictive fast paced action combat MMORPG
• Excellent character creator and graphics
• Huge open sandbox world with no loading screens between zones
• Free content updates and expansions
• Large population and active in-game community

Blade and Soul is a Korean MMORPG recently published by veterans of the MMO industry, NCSoft.

Originally published in Asia, a little over four years ago, the long anticipated game finally makes its way westward. Fans here in the west have long been clamoring for Blade and Soul: the flashy anime inspired graphics and the apparent innovation of its highly touted combat system make NCSoft’s newest experience seem like an amazing proposition.

The question though, does it live up to all the hype? In many ways yes, the game’s combat is reminiscent of classic combo based fighting games, making each encounter engaging and unique.

The graphics are great, if a little dated. However optimization issues and lag run rampant, PvE is somewhat lack luster, and gearing at max level can be a bit of a chore.

The game is a mixed bag, it does some things right and some wrong, however the things it does correctly may be enough to outshine its rougher aspects by the standards of some players.

➔ Main points:

• 2016 Free to Play MMO
• Action Combat
• Fun 1v1 PvP
• Great Environments

Bleach Saga Online is a browser-based MMORPG with a fantasy setting and Anime style. It was launched on july 2014 by GoGames

The game’s plot happens in the manga universe created by Tite Kubo, which means you may run into, meet, interact and even play as many of his best-known characters.

➔ Main points:

• Original Story and anime style
• Three classes to choose from
• PvP arena
• Turn-based automated combat
• Guild system

Blood Rites is a free to play Asian fantasy MMORPG, first released in 2011. The game features a tab-target combat system, four classes and plenty of progression systems to sink your teeth into. These include weapon enchantments and the more popular Elf companion system, which lets you increase attributes with pets. In the content department, the game's PvE dungeons and raids is where you'll have the most fun, as opposed to the unbalanced PvP modes and a bland story and questing experience to level cap. Graphics and visuals doesn't do Blood Rites any favors, but players actively looking for a classic MMORPG won't mind that too much. Elswhere, the in-game cash shop can be obtrusive if you want to be a competitive player, but otherwise the game is completely playable as a free title.

➔ Main points:

• Fully free to play without any restrictions
• Only four classes but plenty of growth systems to make up for it
• Aging graphics and game engine
• Fun PvE group content to counter the bland questing