Welcome back to another roundup of MMOs and other online games you’ve (probably) never heard of (or have totally forgotten about!).
Exocraft caught my attention because graphics are so dang glowy and colorful. Developer GoldFire Studios is calling it a “massively multiplayer action strategy” title, and the idea is that you’re running a space mining fleet through which you design ships and run a crew as you fight and harvest resources – or participate in competitive modes. “Exocraft is a true massively multiplayer online game where your progression is saved and everyone shares the same massive world,” the studio writes. “Instead of splitting the world between servers like most IO games, the game world grows and shrinks to match the online players, meaning you can always play with everyone and compete for the same resources in a truly unique gaming experience.” It launches March 12th.
DK Online is not a new game at all, having originally launched in the early twenty-tens, but it’s new on Steam this week thanks to publisher Masangsoft, which describes it as a “classic 3-D MMORPG” that “aims to realize the Middle Ages fantasy world realistically,” apparently with boob-window platemail and elf ears. “DK Online allows players to customize their characters by selecting the race and its specific classes,” the studio says.” Players can immerse themselves in PvP, transformation into diverse monsters, and item reinforcements for endless hours of entertainment. In-game guilds and massive castle siege battles are also available for those who prefer playing as a team.”
How about something free? Lord of Chains rolled out to Android at the end of February; the developer’s dubbed it an MMORPG with “hundreds of players in a virtual fantasy world,” where you’re customizing toons and “pillaging nearby kingdoms.” The catch is that it’s primarily played through a text-based interface – but it also runs in a web browser.
https://youtu.be/k5vlJBV1nUU
Finally, keep an eye on Defend the Night, a game developer Ninja Loot Games says is influenced by classic MMOs, with progression, PvP, events, and no pay-to-win. It’s apparently in pre-alpha and has been in development since 2017. Here’s the dev pitch: “We believe that the current MMORPG genre has left behind many of its fans and abandoned the principles that endeared classic MMOs to so many of us. Defend The Night is a return to classic, challenging gameplay without all of the hand-holding, cash grab schemes, and modern frills that ruin immersion and remove any sense of danger. The game will feature new and modern mechanics and art, but gameplay will bring back some classical elements of MMOs that have been left out or watered down in more recent games.”
