As of late, I have been adventuring through RIFT’s Planetouched Wilds zone and having an absolute ball with my journeys. Part of the reason for my enthusiasm is the inclusion of a pair of semi-crazy NPC companions that the game saddled me with to help explain the lore of the region, provide color commentary, and be useful figures in the overarching story.
While weird to have these non-pet NPCs hanging around, it’s actually really grown on me. I’ve learned more about the whole region’s backstory from them than I ever would have from quest text boxes, and their role in the quests and constant dialogue has kept me vastly entertained. The back-and-forth reminded me a lot of how well BioWare handles its companions in non-SWTOR games.
It also made me think that assigned companions might be very useful storytelling aids in MMOs, as long as they were toggleable (which these are) and not too annoying (your mileage may vary). What do you think? Would you enjoy this type of feature?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
