Review By: RM LongIntro
Allods is a F2P MMORPG being developed by Gala-Net. It is a huge success in Russia and is now migrating to Europe and the US. It features some amazing visuals, great features, and a growing community of players. I got my hands on the first closed beta Allods had for the US as well as the three others they have released. I may not be the max level or even close, but I got a great look at this rising star in the MMO industry.
Now after tweaking your character's appearance and entering the game you are humbly greeted by a storyline driven tutorial. If you are on the League faction you start off fighting a rising demonic force that has attack your leader and destroyed your home or if you are part of the Empire, you must save a dieing ship from League invaders and a gigantic Astral beast.
Overall it is a great intro to an even greater game.
The combat can be somewhat repetitive at times since your character does not have many spells in their arsenal and party play can be a bit glitchy. Your character progresses through a small single tree of spells, unlike the popular US game World of Warcraft, which has 3x the spells. Plus grouping is not very well done. Every time an enemy drops an item being a piece of junk or a quest item, you have to roll for it, making it so that item you just had to fight for to acquire to complete that really hard quest... you have to do it once more for each party member so they all get the item. It seems like more of a chore than a help to players.
The other thing is that Allods features some of the best animation in a F2P MMO I have seen for a while. It is fully motion captured and every detail is taken into account. So your tons of emotes can be spammed in epic detail as you annoy your friends in the capital city.
If this keeps up Allods could be just as much of a success in the US as it was in Europe. I just can't wait for the Open Beta and the rise of more players to quest and raid with.
First Impressions
Allods is a very complex game, you create a character from one the the 2 factions, 6 races, 8 archetypes and 28 classes. This may seem a bit overwhelming, but actually it isn't, based on your race and class combination, it gives you various titles, so your warrior archetype can either be a Champion, a Brawler, a Vanquisher, or a Brute.
Now after tweaking your character's appearance and entering the game you are humbly greeted by a storyline driven tutorial. If you are on the League faction you start off fighting a rising demonic force that has attack your leader and destroyed your home or if you are part of the Empire, you must save a dieing ship from League invaders and a gigantic Astral beast.
Overall it is a great intro to an even greater game.
Gameplay
The gameplay, like most other MMO's, is centered around questing. But on the plus side, Allods features a wide variety of quests to give players a break from the boring kill X mobs quests (which they still do have a lot of). You will be repairing broken pipes, gathering bounties, and escorting the helpless in just the first 10 levels.
The combat can be somewhat repetitive at times since your character does not have many spells in their arsenal and party play can be a bit glitchy. Your character progresses through a small single tree of spells, unlike the popular US game World of Warcraft, which has 3x the spells. Plus grouping is not very well done. Every time an enemy drops an item being a piece of junk or a quest item, you have to roll for it, making it so that item you just had to fight for to acquire to complete that really hard quest... you have to do it once more for each party member so they all get the item. It seems like more of a chore than a help to players.
Graphics
Allods at first looks like just another rip-off of World of Warcraft's unique graphics style, but if you look past the textures and at the models, the game is actually a steam punk, fantasy/sci-fi masterpiece. The game features some amazing lighting and great attention to detail as well as a full day and night system with moving clouds. The water looks great too which is usually the downfall of most cartoon style games.
The other thing is that Allods features some of the best animation in a F2P MMO I have seen for a while. It is fully motion captured and every detail is taken into account. So your tons of emotes can be spammed in epic detail as you annoy your friends in the capital city.
Community
Like I've said before, Allods has only been in closed beta for a few months, but it's community of new and experienced players is amazing for a game that didn't really go mainstream in the US. I ask a question in game and am instantly given an answer by the hundreds of supportive players constantly talking in Zone Chat.
If this keeps up Allods could be just as much of a success in the US as it was in Europe. I just can't wait for the Open Beta and the rise of more players to quest and raid with.
Overall
8.5/10
Play It!
+F2P
+Amazing Graphics
+Expansive World
+Massive Community
-Buggy Party System
-Repetitive Combat System
*Only a Beta!
Check it out At: allods.gpotato.com
Play It!
+F2P
+Amazing Graphics
+Expansive World
+Massive Community
-Buggy Party System
-Repetitive Combat System
*Only a Beta!
Check it out At: allods.gpotato.com
