If you get a second chance to make a first impression but that second chance makes the exact same impression as the first, did anything ever change? We put up this bit of navel-gazing thinking as a result of Life is Feudal: Arden, the latest attempt by Malaysia-based publisher Long Tale Games to bring the medieval survival MMO back from the dead – and with similar results as its first time.
Allow us a moment to recap this whole thing (again): LIF MMO was sunsetted in 2021 by former publisher Bitbox citing reasons beyond its control, but then suddenly returned in 2023 under the stewardship of Long Tale, starting first with a subscriber-only beta test and then a relaunch on Steam a year later, which was met with negative player sentiment. Additionally, the game required a subscription, but at some point later listed itself free-to-play though recent Steam reviews point out that isn’t the case.
This brings us to November 2024 when Arden was first introduced as a free-to-play title with a host of updates like a new map and streamlined crafting and progression. At the time of that report, LTG stated its intention to kick off open beta in February 2025 on both Steam and its bespoke games launcher, and that indeed came to pass this week as promised.
Arden’s initial reception on Steam has been similarly negative, with many reviews claiming that Arden is trying to trick people into paying a subscription or that it’s a gateway to the original MMO and its subscription. This prompted a reply from LTG that says Arden grants a seven-day trial to LIF MMO but doesn’t bill players otherwise. Other reviews complain about bugs, assume LTG is preparing to ignore the first title, and incomplete quests. So clearly this is starting off as a totally good idea.
