Mythica Impressions

Much of the appeal of online RPGs comes in adventuring with other players, but it's possible to get too much of a good thing and have to deal with large crowds of players in popular areas. Microsoft's upcoming Mythica was specifically designed to let groups of players go on adventures without having anonymous strangers interfere by using what the company calls "private realms." What's most innovative about Mythica is that these private realms aren't simply dynamically created areas where you can kill monsters, but are rather scripted story modules that should provide a more structured and more personal gaming experience.

Mythica takes its inspiration from Nordic mythology, and it casts you as an immortal warrior sent back to the mortal world by Odin to do great deeds while you wait for Ragnarok. All characters start off looking like normal humans, but as you complete heroic missions for the two non-human mortal factions, the elves and the dwarves, you can choose to gradually start looking more and more like those races. Classes are picked in a more traditional manner, and four specializations were shown at E3: pyromancer, berserker, huntress, and storm wright. The class names are quite indicative of their functions: The berserker is a typical offense-oriented warrior, the pyromancer is a mage specializing in fire magic, the storm wright can channel the weather, and the huntress is a stealthy scout with special recon abilities.

The other major character decision to make is which major god you'll pledge allegiance to: Thor, Odin, or Loki. The gods play a major role in how you develop your character, teaching you skills and giving you quests. Once you earn sufficient experience from completing quests and killing monsters, you'll ask your god to help you complete your level training and gain new skills. Other special abilities can be gotten from your mortal faction, whether you're allied with Midgard (humans), Vanaheim (elves), or Nidavellir (dwarves).

While character development is at the heart of any role-playing game, it's the epic-sized scripted adventures that distinguish Mythica. Microsoft says that the private realms are akin to Dungeons & Dragons story modules in that they provide a dramatic context for mostly free-form adventures. The fact that only members of your group are present in a given instance of a private realm adventure makes scripted sequences possible, so a quest may have events like bridges collapsing and characters running up to talk to you. The transition from wide-open public spaces to private realms is often accompanied by an in-engine cinematic that highlights the task at hand.

We watched as a party led an attack on a fire temple in a dark volcanic location. Characters with specific skills had to work together to take down the huge target structure, with the huntress moving forward to target the building as the magic users hung back to cast powerful spells. The temple collapsed in a heap and a giant monster appeared. Since you're playing an immortal, you'll have abilities that make you feel powerful from day one, but what we witnessed exemplified some higher-level skills. Characters took out groups of monsters with a single spell and a dwarven warrior grew to many times his normal size to battle the giant in hand-to-hand combat.

More than other upcoming online RPGs, Mythica has the potential to bridge the gap between the rich story-based experiences characteristic of single-player RPGs and the dynamism of adventuring in a group of real players. We'll see more of the game in the coming months. Mythica is due out in 2004.