We recently learned about the existence of Astellia Royal, and naturally we initially assumed it was some sort of free-to-play battle royale version of Astellia Online. As it turns out, that’s not quite the case here, as Royal is effectively a free-to-play version of the full MMORPG itself. In fact, Royal is essentially the version of the game that was brought to Korea, as readers will recall the original title was sunsetted in the region in January.
So, what’s different here other than the end of the game’s box price? By all accounts, not too much, though the press release we received touts the ability for players to wear “good equipment at any time without level” in order to power up faster, as well as the addition of open PvP in the game’s world. Beyond that, much of the gameplay is the same, with players being able to summon up to three Astels in battle and take part in activities like crafting, dungeons, Colosseum fights, and the large-scale Avalon battlefield. The game is also celebrating its arrival to North America with a host of different events.
As for how Astellia Online and Astellia Royal plan to co-exist here in the West, that’s not made immediately clear; the original title’s announcements forums provide no hints, while the western version of the game itself has hosted a pair of holiday events, so time will have to tell the tale here. In any event, folks who want to learn more can check out Royal’s official site or take a quick look at gameplay below.
