One of my favorite things about the MMORPG genre is that there are so many titles out there that there’s always something that even someone who writes about these games as a full-time job has never heard of, or at least has entirely forgotten. Case in point: Secondhand Lands. MMO blogger Bhagpuss recently pointed it out to us, as he himself stumbled across it just hiding out in plain sight on Steam. We’ve never covered here on New Massively, and on Old Massively, I found just three mentions of the game: a closed beta announcement, a (long-lost) stream entry, and a brief note in a game column about “freakshow” MMOs, all from at least eight or more years ago. I personally copyedited two of these articles and had absolutely no memory of the game!
Anyway, apparently, Secondhand Lands originally ran from 2009 to 2012 but sunsetted over a teensy player pop, but then it was brought back on Steam in 2017 as a free-to-play title.
“Secondhand Lands is a massively multiplayer online game set in a fairytale world colored with parody and witty fun,” current studio and publisher Callipygian Games says. “The heroes are comprised of a motley crew of wolves, sheep, catgirls, and scrappers who have pledged their undying allegiance to either Little Bo Peep or Red Riding Hood.”
Bhagpuss’ visit to the game is just as bizarre as that description makes it sound; I admit I lost it when I got to the “Save Ten Cats” questline. Check out his impressions piece over on Inventory Full and grab the game on Steam – it’s free, after all.