AdventureQuest Worlds - Free to Play MMORPG
Gameplay (4 out of 5)
You start out by creating your own character and picking a starting class. You choices are initially narrowed down to Warrior, Mage, Rogue and Priest. However, it doesn’t make that big of a difference simply because as you play the game, you are free to change classes at any point simply by switching your class armor.
The game plays like your typical MMORPG. You talk to npcs, get quests, complete quests, level up and collect loot. There is currently a level cap set at level 20. However, there is an added feature called a class rank. Class rank is used to determine when you get new abilities. Instead of purchasing abilities at certain levels, each time you get a certain rank you will acquire new class skills/abilities or spells. It’s kind of like having two different experience bars.
Each time you level up you get access to upgrades called enhancements. Enhancements make the gear you are wearing stronger. Also, upon leveling up, your hit points and your mana pool will grow slightly. There are a several areas for you to explore along with a few quests for each area. The zones are split up in to varring degrees of difficulty. With different zones having harder quests and deadlier monsters. If solo play is more your style you will find plenty of that. If party based play is what your looking for, there are a few quests that will require a group to complete.
The only item you wear that is of any importance is your weapon. All skills, abilities and spells are based around the amount of damage your weapon does. All other pieces of gear, as of right now, are meerely just there for changing the appearance of your character. While this might sound dull and boring, it’s actually quite addicting once you start seeing a lot of the different armor styles you can collect throughout the game.
Free Member VS Paid Member
AdventureQuest Worlds allows you to purchase an upgraded membership for AdventureQuest Worlds which unlocks all of the member only features. But what exactly are you missing out on as a free member?
The biggest benefit to being a paid member appears to be simply a greater variety of gear to wear.
Of course there is also new zones that are for members only but you get enough as a free member to pass the time. There are 23 zones you are allowed to go to as a free member and only a mere 3 member only zones. However, inside the 23 free zones there will be some areas of a particular zone that only members can access.
What appears to be the biggest benefit, aside from sweet looking gear, is the ability to use pets to help you in combat. There is a wide variety of them and are usually collected by killing certain monsters.
As you play throughout the game you will know what is member only and what is for free members. For example, when you go shopping for better looking gear or more powerful weapons, member only items will be listed in gold text while free member items will be listed in white text.
Graphics and Sound (3 out of 5)
The graphics and sound of the game appear to be an exact carbon copy from their previous titles. You won’t find much of a difference from AdventureQuest or DragonFable. If the graphics and sounds in those games didn’t satisfy you, you won’t find it any better here.
If you haven’t played their previous titles however, for a 2D based game I would have to say they do an amazing job with the graphics. Every part of AdventureQuest Worlds is polished with graphics that will keep you playing for hours. The use of colors, shadows and effects are entertaining to say the least. So long as you do not expect to play in a fantastic 3d world that looks like Everquest 2, you should be ok.
For sound, there appears to be a complete lack of a sound track. AdventureQuest Worlds currently doesn’t have any background music what so ever. The only time you will hear music is during the cutscenes that are sporadically slipped in throught the game. The sound effects are lame and stick to the “swich”, “smack” “whoosh” sounds that you would expect from a saturday morning cartoon….except not as good. Perhaps the best ‘feature’ about the sounds is that you can mute them and even disable them through the options menu.
Summary (5 out of 5)
Overall the game is enough to keep you entertained if nothing else. It’s made for people who want to play an MMORPG for a few minutes at a time all throughout the day. It’s not going to appease the appetite of hardcore gamers as its built more for the casual players. Member only features are not quite enough to justify the $19.95 for 3 months. However, with the majority of AdventureQuest Worlds being available to free members and the ease and simplicity of the game there doesn’t appear to be a good enough reason to subscribe, I would definitely say that it is worth your time though if you plan on becoming a paid member or not. If your looking for a new MMORPG to play with at a casual pace, AdventureQuest Worlds is definitely one you should check out.