Pros:
+ Gameplay succeeds at being slightly addictive and plain fun. + Character clones are few after lvl 25+. + Great exp rate and game pace. + Nice blend of arcade and RPG elements. + Large selection of characters to choose from; all with unique abilities and playstyles (even armour in some cases).
Cons:
- Playerbase is full of whining children. Considering dungeons are much better run with 4 people being around them can get extremely irritating. - No restrictions cast upon GM's leading to frequent needless banning; yellow cards are seldom given if given at all and the GM's tend to act like raging teenagers. - Cash shops items can potentially be money burning and bring frequent imbalance in PvP. - Horrible customer support. - PvP is marred horrendously with flaws and is the undoubtedly worst aspect of the game as it is a combination of the first 3 cons.
I've previously given the game a 10. At the time, I was still fairly new to the game and was addicted for quite a while. Reality, however, has struck me square in the face. I'll come back to this a minute.
The story revolves around a group of 10 teens (number subject to change) whom call themselves the Grand Chasers. They are your average heroes on a quest to save the world*, nothing too special here.
Gameplay is simple. You are presented with a world comprised of 6 continents, each with a multitude of dungeons. You start off in Beremesiah and work your way through the dungeons to unlock the others. Within each dungeon are rooms which can hold a maximum of 4 people, including the host. Each dungeon also has difficulty settings presented by stars, 3 stars to be exact (1- easiest, 3- hardest). When the game starts you bash your way through the dungeon sections (number of sections vary with dungeon) with an arcade control scheme and play-style. Move with the arrow keys, attack with the z-key (can execute combos), x-key function varies with the character.
You also have a shop where you can spend your GP (non-cash), and Cash points. GP gear looks average for an mmo like this, same with the Cash gear. It is possible to get to the endgame without spending a dime.
The sounds in the game gradually get better as you advance. The BGM that is, not to confuse. Combat sounds are nothing special, but they aren't bad either. Character voices are fine as well.
The PVP in the game uses the same mechanic as the dungeons, players will click on the PVP tab above and enter a room which can hold a maximum of 6 people. The 2 modes available are Team Matches and Survival Matches. Don't bother with PVP at higher levels unless you have Cash gear.
Now that I've covered most of the game, it's time to get down to what really holds the game down. The community. Anime MMOs are generally filled with whiny children but this game is definitely up there in terms of whiny population. The World chat is unbearable, I would strongly recommend against ever even clicking on it. Nobody can take a loss in PVP. Dungeon runs are fine because people barely talk unless they're with friends of theirs and I've noticed that even the people who do like to chat in dungeons are pretty good overall. The GMs have nearly zero oversight so they can ban you for the slightest offense. Generally, they're supposed to give yellow cards for minor offenses, 3 of them equaling a red card which is a ban. I have yet to see somebody being banned temporarily, they are almost always permanent. The management is terrible to begin with and it paves the way for power-hungry GMs to show off their e-peens, so to speak. Customer service is practically non-existent; if there was an error with processing a payment for your Cash points, may you have the best of luck getting even a dollar back. Countless threads I have come across with people's transactions ending in error (and being CHARGED) with not even so much as a "hi" from customer service.
To make this game bearable you must play with friends. I myself am not a fan of playing MMOs solo but there's only a small fraction of the community that I would dare co-op with. Stay away from the GMs and don't call them on their bull, it's not worth the ban. However feel completely free to throw subliminal comments at them because they're too stupid to catch it.
Overall you want to stay away from the majority of players in a social and PVP sense. This game deserves no more than a 6.
*Join the Chase, Save the World!
(headline)