Even with its share of major problems Rakion as an enjoyable game you can and should play for free
Imagine Unreal Tournament with swords, arrows, magic and stats. With different classes that can summon "cell creatures" and fight to destroy the other team's golem. With the option to run through certain missions co-op with friend or in a single player mode. And with ninjas that can throw nine shurikens at a time. Add lag problems and you'll get Rakion, an interesting mix of action and role-playing.
After creating a character and playing through a tutorial mission, you'll be able to enter game rooms like in a multiplayer FPS. There are five different modes available, including interesting "stage" games (basically co-op missions) and golem games. The golem mode is the most popular out of five, being a variation of traditional CTF. It's not like it's the most interesting one (I prefer TDM), but you get huge amounts of xp by playing it, so it's the only viable choice for leveling purposes.
You can play as archer, blacksmith, swordsman, ninja or mage. The classes are very different, so playing as swordsman feels very unlike playing as blacksmith, even though both classes are front line melee fighters. As mentioned before, you have various stats you can put points into, and even though it feels like nothing on lowers levels, these stats can make a huge difference later on. For instance, a blacksmith can become a special attack blacksmith, using powerful whirlwind moves and explosive shock waves, a ranged blacksmith, using axes and jump attacks, a "rage" blacksmith, compensating his slowness by putting points into attack and run speed, or a tank with points put into armor and health.
This system, combined with different equipment you can buy, lets you create a character that fits your playing style perfectly. Paying for the game gives you some extra points and the ability to buy special equipment and powerful creatures, but doesn't give you that big an advantage, so it's possible to play without paying, too.
Besides, I wouldn't pay for playing Rakion. Sure, it can be fun from time to time, but there are major lag problems and sometimes it can be difficult to find a good team. That's why the game truly shines only when played with real-life friends or people you know, although the code has been improved a little. I think most ways of cheating have been eliminated as well, or maybe the world has become a better place and people stopped using them. I've read there can be problems finding people to play with, but I haven't had any, since there is always more tham a thousand Europeans online.
A good reason to play Rakion is its great map design. Almost all maps are quite small, but include many hiding places and some nice special features, like the slippery ice surfaces of Mammoth or the treacherous jump pads of Gravity. The maps aren't that detailed and some surface textures are pretty blurry, but these faults are compensated by great-looking, almost perfectly animated characters with a lot of work put in small details. By editing an .ini file you can also play Rakion in high-res, and the game doesn't protest against forced FSAA and AF. However, it's unfortunate that you can't enable these options using Rakion's options window.
Unfortunately, the sound aspect isn't as well-done. The music consists of a couple of battle melodies that fit the game surprisingly well, but the characters' screams and the sounds of weapons are quite boring and repetitive. I got used to it after a while, but I hope the developers will change that in future.
Speaking of changing things, the game gets patched around twice in a month, and there are some nice events from time to time. I especially liked this year's Valentine event, since the stages it brought were extremely challenging, good-looking and fun to play with friends. However, the developers have a nasty habit of making tons of useless stuff you can only buy using cash. Using cash isn't that big of a problem, since you don't have to buy anything and skill matters much more than equipment, but in my opinion they could rather make it so the game wasn't p2p (in case you don't know, that would eliminate most lag).
If they did that, I would give the game a 9 for gameplay and write it's a must-try. However, with all the current problems it's just a nice free game that's unlike any other multiplayer game I've seen. If you like swordfighting, class-based tactical combat and don't mind the dated engine, give it a try. After all, the client is only around 300 mb. I play Rakion for a few days per month, and it's quite entertaining. But I don't think paying for playing it is a good idea.
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+ A weird mix of genres that works
+ Highly detailed and wonderfully animated characters
+ Golem games are an interesting variation of good ol' CTF
+ Stages are fun to play with friends
+ Intense gameplay, if you can find people who play well and don't lag
+ Good map design
+ Choice of class really matters. It's like playing five different games!
+ Combat requires skill, teamwork and reflexes
+/- Music isn't good, but it isn't annoying, either
+/- Patches are rarely good, but there are many exceptions
- Lag
- Repetitive and dull sound FX
- Plain and blurry surface textures
- To play the game in decent resolution and with all the cute post-processing effects on you have to edit an .ini file and manually force AA and AF
- Mastering the game can be hard for beginners