Indulge yourself in a MMORPG set in a hybrid fantasy steampunk setting with interesting turn-based battles to fight.
General impression
The general impression of this game is very good. Graphics could be better, but are more than I expect from a free MMO, and the economy is reasonably well balanced. Grinding XP to get to the new level is something that feels just right in difficulty but tends to get repetitive above lvl100, but perhaps that is the case with any MMO. The game also feels like it is not yet completely finished, and it shows since they are still adding content, especially to enrich the end-game experience. The character creation is not too spectacular: there are numerous default classes to choose from, but very limited looks, which means that everyone wielding a sword at your level walks around in more or less the same gear with the same looks. On the other hand, in battle it already looks different since your mercenaries make up the complete team.
Innovative battle system and a helpful community
There are lot's of MMOs trying out new concepts, but I feel a few ones in Atlantica really makes the game worth mentioning. First of all the innovative battle system: one annoyance of some free MMOs is that you are hacking and slashing through tonnes of mobs, grinding XP or doing quests, and that especially at peek hours server lag leads to a decrease in fun as you get slaughtered for not being able to give the proper commands to your hero. Atlantica found a solution in an innovative way: each battle is initiated in a seperated instance (which start instantly) and you have turn-based battles: a maximum of 5 (of your party of 9, 1 main character and 8 mercenaries) can act per round with either melee attacks, ranged attacks, magic or special skills. Good fun, and it really doesnt get boring at all as there are many dimensions that can change the tide of each battle.
Another element is the community: many quests are related to helping beginners or doing things in a group. The effect of this, is that people generally respond quite fast when you have questions or are in need of help somewhere. You're also allowed to join guilds, and with a number of guilds you can form a nation and occupy a city as your own. Taking another city can go peacefully, but can also lead to wars between nations, where the entire world is a battleground and only cities guarantee your safety.
Free League and PvP
Wars are one way of entering the PvP battles, and can sometimes be unfair because of level differences. Free League is another thing, and really adds to the fun. It's a tournament held every 3 hours, allowing you to fight other players of similar skill and level, spread across 16 divisions. This requires a completely different set of tactics, and the competitve character and rewards really add to the fun. Combinations of characters and tactics are endless, and although there are a few "above average" formations, no formation is perfect and good tactics beat nice gear and a few levels in difference any day.
Conclusion
In general, this MMO really sticks out in a good way: a lot of innovations make you think why others never tried that, and the game really has a lot of fun elements. They could improve on the appearance of the game, but the gameplay is just excellent. And since you can download and play it for free, I would recommend anyone to give it a try!