If you like Korean MMOs, but sick of the regular formula, this is the game for you!
This game however, has a lot innovative aspects. Most noticeably is the Multi Character Control (MCC). This lets you create and control three characters. At first I thought it would be something like Guild Wars, AI controlled character that simply follow you around. When I tried the game for the first time I was pleasantly surprised. You create three characters that you have full control over. The AI is very simple. They will attack what you attack, or you can put them in Defend Mode which causes them to attack whatever is closest..
The graphics in this game are wonderful. I’m not at all surprised it has won awards for its stunning graphics. The detail of your characters and all the NPCs walking around is amazing. It’s the same with the surroundings and various creatures and monsters. I am particularly amazed with the detail on the buildings in the cities..
But there are some negative sides to game as well. Although the sound is very good, the music is not always the best. Of course it depends on what kind of music you like. In this game they chose to go with techno/trance music. The music can help set the mood, particularly in combination with the fast paced combat, but if you’re like me and use headphones the music can get quite repetitive and tedious after a while. I have found an easy solution though. I turn of the music in-game, and play my own music. But not all the music is of the techno sort. They have some beautiful classic-inspired pieces as well.
The character creation process is not the best I’ve seen in an MMO either. It is very simple. It’s almost as simple as it can get. You can choose class (fighter, musketeer, wizard, scout and elementalist), gender and costume. There is no customization of physical appearances like hair, face, height etc. However, with the combination of what you can choose plus the fact you create three characters, it’s very unlikely you’ll meet anyone with the exact same party. Then there are UPCs (unique player characters). These are character you can obtain by doing various quests, and can then add to your party (assuming you have enough space in your quarters). The UPC helps make your party feel more unique.
The gameplay is the best I’ve seen in any MMORPG. It might get a bit tedious after a while, but I just take a break from playing for a day or so, and then the game feels like new. This is astounding, because when I get bored with something, I usually stay bored. The combat is fast paced, and the quests are versatile enough to not get too repetitive. There are some quests that are repeated to flesh out the storyline, but I think it works. Leveling is also very fast, although it doesn’t seem that way. I would say it’s fast compared to other Korean MMOs like Lineage 2, where it took me a week to reach level 20, whereas in SotNW it took me a couple of days. This may be because I’m not a very fast leveler, and I tend to dawdle with other things.
So in conclusion, this is a wonderful game with a few flaws, but nothing that interrupts the gameplay. I feel this review cannot do the game justice, because it must be experienced. I hope my review has piqued your curiosity. Remember, the game is free to download, and free to play until level 20. Go ahead and play!