A decent Action RPG/Multiplayer game which is great in some areas and lacking in others. (But whatever, it's free).
When you start up you'll have to choose a character of which there are 5; Swordsman, Blacksmith, Archer, Mage, and Ninja. I say choose because there isn't really any "creating" or "making" to be done here. All you need to do is pick a class and give your character a name; then its off to the fighting.
If you were looking for some customization; nope it's not here. You do get to buy upgrades such as new armor and weapons for your character, but none of them are really going to make you stand out from the crowd. Pretty much everyone ends up looking the same, but that's not exactly a bad thing if you aren't into character creation. You're there to beat someone to death and not stare at his/her gear. Levelling up in Rakion is pretty slow. You get very little experience points for winning matches and a bit more for completing stages. This isn't necessarily a bad thing seeing as the game is so balanced that levels don't mean that much.
The gameplay in Rakion is its strong point. You've got a variety of modes which include the standard Death Match and Team Death Match, and the fairly unique Golem War. However, while there are a good number of modes, the core is always the same; kill the other players. That said, it does add a strategic element to some of the modes which actually do have other objectives other than kill players. For example, in Golem War you can either find yourself killing every player on the opposing team, or going straight to killing the opposing team's Golem. Fighting against other players involves alot of strategy, prediction, and luck. The game seems pretty balanced in this respect, which is great. No class really has a huge advantage over another, and even levels and gear don't influence the outcome of a fight. What does matter is how you play your character. Even if your opponent is level 25 and you're level 2, you still have a chance. Every class has its own moves and combos which are performed using simple commands. After using an attack, your character has to recover, so there is a small delay (your opponents invitation to come and whack you). As such, every move you make is important. If you swing your sword at the wrong time, you're gonna receive some punishment. This creates a sense of alertness for the player, which can get you really into it.
As well as the PvP content, there's also a stage mode in the game. This is basically a set of stages where you usually have to kill all the monsters in a certain time limit. They start off as solo adventures but sooner or later you'll need a friend or 2 to come and help. This part of the game is nothing to go nuts over. It's pretty bland and repetitive, and there's no real sense of joy in completing a stage. However, completing stages are one of the best ways to get experience points and money, so you'll probably end up doing them sooner or later. The graphics in Rakion are decent for a free game. There are few environments ranging from an icy cave to an underground hellish looking arena. It's nothing much, but at least it doesn't look ugly. Sound in the game is average as well. You've got a few tracks, which to their credit are appropriate for the game's fighting nature - but it's nothing special. That said, you're probably not going to be listening to the music as the battles are quite intense. Battle sounds are all here at least; from your characters battle cries, to the sounds of weapons clashing. Lag is obviously an issue in the game, and it really doesn't help a game of this nature where timing is very important. The game tries to remedy this by only allowing you into a server if you have a similar connection speed to those already in the server, but you will always get a lagger here and there. Lag also provokes alot of trash talk from players, but pretty much everything you can think of that is a four letter swear is censored with the letters LOVE (Yup, I don't understand why either.) Overall Rakion is a solid free game and provides a very enjoyable and addictive PvP experience. People who are not into PvP are probably better off leaving Rakion alone, because you won't find anything other than PvP here. Those of you who enjoy hack n' slash games and competitive play - you'll find it all here. If you're tired of getting owned by high level, ridiculously geared players and are looking for some balanced PvP action, Rakion might be your cup of tea as well. -Gam