First Look: Lineage: The Bloodpledge

Los Angeles-based NC Interactive sent us a group of screenshots from its online fantasy role-playing game, Lineage: The Bloodpledge. Lineage was first released by NCsoft in Korea in 1998, and it has since grown in popularity and become Korea's top Internet game. NC Interactive was founded as a subsidiary of NCsoft in order to promote and support Lineage in the US. The 2D game takes place in a persistent medieval-style fantasy world complete with castles, villages, magic, and monsters. Players choose one of several different character classes, including magicians, elves, knights, and princes and princesses. Each class has different strengths and weaknesses.

The political world of Lineage is centered on the castle. Much of the game revolves around siege warfare and battles for control of castles and their surrounding areas, and players can hire mercenaries to aid them in combat. One element that makes Lineage stand out from other online role-playing games is that it allows player killing. For more information about Lineage: The Bloodpledge, visit the official Lineage Web site. Interested players can also sign up at the official Web site to participate in an open beta test of the game.