Pocket Starships

Gameplay

Its Red vs Green in this massive domination style space MMO. You are given a basic ship, with a solar powered laser and a few nukes. It's your job to level your ship, acquire weapon upgrades, purchase additional nukes. Each zone has an HQ, where you must defend from the enemy team or waves of NPC pirates. The more zones a team controls, the more resources they have and money they accumulate. On a larger scale, capturing the most territories before the season ends is the primary goal.

As the Captain, it's your job to explore each Zone and harvest minerals from the asteroids. When your ship is full, you are required to deposit the minerals back at the Zones HQ. During this time, waves of enemy NPC Pirates we'll be attacking you. If you or your HQ is destroyed, you must start the entire process over - losing all acquired resources. You can either complete this task solo or request aid from your team. The HQ has a limit on how much it can process - so when your team comes with you, get your mineral harvest going ASAP.

Controlling your ship and attacking is fairly simple. With your left virtual joystick, your screen moves and rotates around your ship. Your right joystick controls your weapons and harvesting systems. Depending on your role, and your ships build - combat strategy is totally up to the gamer. Entering a large scale battle (barely lvl 5), I hugged my medic and kept enemies off his tail. When you die, you spawn back at your main HQ. If the fight is still progressing, you can warp back in after a short delay or your ship finishes repairs (depending on the zone).

Creativity

Pocket Starships did a great job creating a simple portable space MMO. The overall concept doesn't stretch our imagination, but with the perspective of a pickup-and-play - Bravo! You have a basic amount of customization options, and a fair number or weapons. When it comes to personalization, you'll start recognizing a lot of duplicates. In fact, the game itself does seem a bit plain. The zones are empty - without personality, and even the enemy lacks any real connection.

Aside from the artwork, the organization of the game is unique. If they had to option to play with one hand, or vertically then I'd be impressed. What's going to push this game to the top, is two reasons. The amount of Mobile Space MMOs are low, and the quality of the multiplayer experience. With the amount of players, you don't experience any lag - even over carrier. In fact, I didn't have a single issue with in-game functionality (great job coders.)

Value

You have the option to purchase both in-game currencies - Free-To-Download. Which means “potentially” if you drop about $200 you will acquire the highest/rarest items in under a week. Completely unfair - even if they wanted everyone to do that, the level cap scales to high for the worth. I'm not sure if too many people have been purchasing, I have only seen 6 boss players, and they could be beta testers. The boxes are a fair exchange, and should be the only way to play. The purchase of Solar, (diamonds) is going to kill the game.

If you play the standard way, you are able to unlock everything in-game without spending real money. For now, it isn't too much of a deal being insta-killed. But if the community ever grows, you're going to find a lot of upset gamers. This game does have the option for season resets, which could help with balance issues in the future - if handled properly. Overall I find it hard playing this game for over an hour, boredom sets in with the amount of repetition. If wasn't for the strong multiplayer foundation, it wouldn't have made it over a 7.

Dawn of the Immortals

Dawn of the Immortals is a free-to-play, fantasy MMORPG on mobile devices with high quality graphics, real-time action combat, persistent and instanced maps, lots of quests, an in-depth pet system, and streamlined gameplay.

Classes and Character Creation

Dawn of the Immortals begins with a bright and colorful Character Creation screen that features 6 different characters. Players can choose one of these 6 characters who represent the 3 different classes (Magus, Berzerker, and Priest) with male and female counterparts. Magi are ranged sorcerers armed with staffs that deliver powerful elemental spells upon their foes. Berzerkers are large melee warriors armed with two-handed axes with high amounts of health and decent amounts of damage. Priests are short, half-human, half-animal creatures that specialize in healing and boosting defense. Each character has 5 different hairstyles, which represent the game’s only appearance customization. All the characters, however, are very detailed and are different in both appearance and gameplay.

A Charming Fantasy World

Dawn of the Immortals has a semi-open world that combines persistent areas with instanced quest dungeons. The world is colorful and the graphics look great for a mobile game. Players start off on a grassy persistent area where there are NPCs to talk to and monsters to fight. Dawn of the Immortals has many persistent areas full of quest NPCs and monsters although these areas not super large and players won’t spend too much time in each of these maps. There are, however, a lot of these maps that greatly vary in environments and themes and there are occasionally some other players roaming these areas. Towns are also persistent and players can find shops, quest NPCs, and other players in the main city.

Questing and Instanced Quest Dungeons

Questing plays a large role in Dawn of the Immortals. Players will constantly move from one quest to another and the game is very beginner-friendly as it guides players to where they need to go. The game has an auto-move feature which is extremely convenient. Tapping on your quest overlay take will you straight to the quest NPC you need to talk to or the monster you’re supposed to fight. Questing usually involves killing a certain number of monsters or talking to a certain NPC. These monsters can be in the persistent areas or the instanced dungeons. Quest NPCs will teleport players to instanced dungeons very often for part of the story, and players will have to solo these areas and complete the quest objectives. The instanced dungeons are quite varied in appearance and the story is somewhat interesting and well-written to aid in the RPG gaming experience. Most objectives in these dungeons, again, are just talking to NPCs and killing monsters but there is usually also a powerful boss to defeat. Overall, questing was very simple and beginner-friendly with the auto-move features but at the same time, very convenient and still interesting to see how the story unfolds and what new areas you will be brought to next.

Simplified but Engaging Action Combat

Dawn of the Immortals features action, hack and slash combat, but is slightly different than the action combat seen in most other games. Players can move their character with a virtual joystick on the bottom left of their screen and have a button on the bottom right to attack, as well as skill hotkeys. Unlike other games, where tapping the attack button will stop your character and make them attack, the attack button in Dawn of the Immortals acts as an auto-targeting mechanism that takes your character to the nearest enemy (if there is an enemy nearby). Once you’re within attacking range (depending on your class), tapping the attack button again will make your character attack and you have to keep tapping to keep attacking. It’s a bit more simplified because technically you don’t have to move with the joystick during combat. If you just keep tapping attack, your character will automatically keep moving to nearby enemies and attacking them. You can, however, move and attack at the same time which adds some kiting fun for the Magus and Priest classes. Using skills also changes up the monotony of spamming the attack button. This game may feel automated to some players due to the auto-move questing and auto-targeting combat.

A Loyal Pet that Fights by Your Side

Dawn of the Immortals has a fairly in-depth pet system that most mobile MMORPGs lack. Players start off with a cute, little, green tribesman pet after completing the tutorial and there are many more pets that can be acquired throughout the game. Pets have various skills that can strengthen themselves or the player, and weaken enemies. Pets can level up by fighting alongside the player and they also get experience when players complete quests. Once a pet has enough “STAR” experience, players can level them up with in-game gold for pets levels 2-5. To reach pet level 6 (max), 3 of the same pets at level 5 must be combined. Pets can be obtained from pet summons (in-app purchase) and from certain instances that drop Pet Eggs. The pet system offers players a unique companion to fight by their side and an additional entity to level up and customize.

Cash Shop/In-App Purchases (IAP)

In-app purchases in Dawn of the Immortals offer players advantages and bonuses but are fairly lenient. Gems (the premium currency) can be used to purchase pet summons and pet items, which include pet enhancement items, pet skills, and pet exp stones. Gems can also be used to purchase equipment enhancement supplies, in-game gold, and cosmetic outfits. There is also VIP statuses players can purchase which gives bonus exp, increases in PVP challenge limits, opportunities to enter special instances, and other bonuses. Paying players can get advantages by obtaining unique pets, items to level their pets faster, exp boosts, and enhancement supplies that allow them to upgrade their equipment faster than others. Spending money, however, is not necessary to enjoy the game but paying will decrease the time spent grinding and offer other bonuses, which in my opinion, is still not really required.

Final Verdict – Great

Dawn of the Immortals was developed by Perfect World Entertainment and had a big name to live up to, but it managed to succeed in many levels. Although the game might feel automated and paying members do have some advantages, Dawn of the Immortals offers impressive graphics, persistent and instanced maps, action gameplay, lenient in-app purchases, and streamlined questing that makes it a very enjoyable mobile MMORPG that all gamers should try out.

Fallen Souls

FallenSouls is an action packed stunner that will leave you eagerly anticipating your next opportunity to play the game. It’s just too bad that everyday life will inevitably get in the way of playing this one. It’s that good. If you're familiar with these types of games there’ll be a lot of elements you are familiar with. There are your typical heroes and villains, missions to complete, and companions to help get you there. Of course you’ll want to constantly upgrade your weapons and armor as you go. To reach hero status in this world full or Orcs, warriors, and the undead you will have to keep your wits about you. This is a free app and it’s compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

MMORPG games are one of the most popular category of games in the App Store: there are just so many to choose from it's actually sometimes difficult to weed out the good ones from the bad ones. The most successful ones feature stunning graphics and lots of in-game upgrade options. The idea is to mimic some of the challenges we face in everyday life, not that we have to fight dragons at the office, but we do have to accept different challenges to move forward in our careers and our lives. FallenSouls does a great job of this. It features a rich background story that’s revealed to you as the game progresses, and each character has their own detailed background that really allows you to immerse yourself in the FallenSouls universe.

While there is a lot to like in this game there was one feature that I found a little disappointing. Battle scenes are, as far as I can tell, completely simulated in this one. While this isn’t uncommon in this type of game, it’s something I’ve always felt was a bad idea. MMORPGs can be a lot of fun, but the ones that actually let you fight your own battle scenes are the most enjoyable ones. This game is all about making the right strategic decisions to grow your character. This app will require 121 MB of available space on your iOS device.

This game features simple gameplay. To navigate through the world you simply tap on the screen to progress through each scene. As you move forward you’ll interact with different gatekeepers that will layout the mission objectives for you as you move forward. It makes following the plot nice and simple. Each mission will eventually culminate in a battle scene. To succeed in battle you need to constantly upgrade your weapons and armor to ensure success. It also helps to make the right alliances along the way.

The main quest will always be displayed on your left-hand side and every time you complete a mission you’ll gather coins and be able to visit the village for important information from your commander, and you’ll also be able to upgrade your equipment at that time as well. These are all pretty standard features of this type of game, and it’s really just the great graphics and excellent soundtrack that separates this one from other similar MMORPGs.

If you’re a fan of MMORPGs then you’ll enjoy FallenSouls. This game features stunning graphics and a great sound track that makes for an enjoyable experience. This is definitely one of the better MMORPGs you’ll find in the App Store. 

Izanagi: Samurai Ninja Online

Review:

Izanagi Online is a free-to-play, 3D mobile MMORPG developed and published by Asobimo Inc, a popular Japan-based MMORPG developer known for their mobile games, Avabel Online and IRUNA Online. Izanagi Online was out in Japan for over a year before it was finally translated into English and released worldwide on April 2, 2015. Izanagi Online was built on the Unreal 3 Engine and has a unique ninja theme. This game offers top notch graphics and the characters were designed by a famous visual and graphical designer. Does this new persistent world mobile MMORPG match up to Asobimo’s high standards or was it released 1-2 years too late?

Classes and Character Creation

Izanagi Online offers traditional fantasy MMORPG classes with a unique ninja twist to them. These classes include: A powerful and tanky two-handed Warrior, a silent and deadly Assassin, a fragile but explosive Mage, and a healing and support-based Priest. Warriors are balanced between attack and defense and have a unique class-based ability to block. Assassins portray the stereotypical Japanese ninjas with quick and deadly strikes, shurikens and leaping attacks, and the unique ability to dodge. Mages have low health but can dish out high amounts of damage via ranged magical spells (most of which also moves them backwards to maintain distance from the enemy) and have the ability to recharge their mana. Priests are similar to Mages but have more supportive (buff) and healing spells and a special Barrier skill. Each class has different gameplay as well as different weapons and armor. Players can choose one of these classes, male or female, and customize their characters with a decent amount of face, hairstyle, hair color, and skin color options.

The Open World of Izanagi Online

Izanagi Online has a large 3D persistent open world. After completing a tutorial full of interesting cutscenes and story elements, players start in a town where they will find many other players roaming around. Unlike a lot of online mobile RPGs, both the town and outside areas are fully persistent. The world is technically semi-open world though since the world is broken up into different zones outside of town. However, these zones are huge and are filled with lots of different terrain, monsters, and NPCs. There are caves to explore, plants and other materials to gather, and lots of monsters to fight, which include some big boss monsters that can be found both in dungeons and in the main world outside.

“Unreal Graphics”

The graphics in Izanagi Online look spectacular. Izanagi Online is one of the few mobile games created with the Unreal 3 Engine, which is capable of producing console quality graphics. The textures are detailed and sharp and the animations are smooth. The game has a dark, gloomy theme to it so the graphics don’t look super bright and colorful but they are good for what the game was going for. The characters in Izanagi Online were designed by Takashi Okazaki, a famous designer most known for writing and illustrating the manga, Afro Samurai. No doubt he was the perfect person to design the characters in this dark, ninja-themed MMORPG. The graphics and designs fit the game’s “ninja and demons” theme well and this is one of the best looking MMORPGs on mobile.

Questing: Back to the Basics

Questing in Izanagi Online feels very traditional, which may be a good thing for players familiar with PC MMORPGs. Players will generally find themselves running around town (which is fairly large) talking to NPCs, meeting other players, and fighting monsters outside of town. There are a lot of quests to accept which gives players something to do other than to grind and these quests usually involve killing a certain number of monsters, obtaining a certain number of monster drops, gathering materials, and talking to other NPCs. Each NPC has quest dialogue that provides a somewhat interesting read for those interested in the game’s lore. Questing is fairly generic, but provides objectives for players and gives the game a PC MMORPG feel to it. There’s also a handy quest arrow that guides players to where they need to go.

Combat: The Good and the Bad

Izanagi Online is yet another mobile MMORPG with action, hack and slash combat but there’s good news and bad news about it. Players can move their characters with a virtual joystick and have a button to attack as well as skills to use and a special class ability. Different classes vary greatly in combat gameplay due to their different skills, class ability, and attack style. The action combat makes the fighting more engaging and the smooth animations and flashy skills make it pleasing on the eyes.

However, there is some bad news. Although the attack animations look smooth, it is the attacking itself that feels clunky. First of all, it is a bit hard to aim your attacks. Unlike a lot of mobile games that simply guide your attacks into your enemies, in Izanagi Online, your character will only attack the direction in which your camera is facing. Meaning, if your character is facing the enemy but your camera angle isn’t, you will start whacking forward in a straight line instead of in the direction of the monster. Players have to position the camera so that monsters are “12 o’clock” from their characters in order to attack their enemies.

Attack animations also cannot be cancelled, so if you’re in the middle of an attack and want to block (Warrior), dodge (Assassin), or just move out the way, you have to wait for the attack animation to end (which has a slight delay in ending) and then do an action, such as move. It ends up feeling a bit clunky and doesn’t feel as smooth as most newer action RPGs on mobile. In its defense though, this game was released in Japan 1-2 years ago. This combat system would have been considered amazing 1-2 years ago before all the better action RPGs came out, but it is still decent once you get used to the aiming and attack delays. It can still be very annoying when you’re fighting bosses and need to dodge fast but can’t. Also this game doesn’t have PVP, which will disappoint many players.

Cash Shop/In-App Purchases (IAP)

In-app purchases in Izanagi Online feature a variety of different items that provide advantages and cosmetics but are not required to progress in the game. A large part of the IAP Store consists of lotteries for equipment, items, and Avatars (costumes). The lotteries are separated into different categories and players have chances to obtain high ranked weapons and armors, items such as experience boosts, return scrolls, repair kits, appraisal kits, enhancement items, and more, special Avatars that do not increase stats, and in-game gold. The items can also be bought separately without going through the lottery. Players can also purchase inventory and treasure box expansions. The special weapons and armors can give paying members an edge in combat, although powerful weapons and armors can be found and enhanced without paying. The experience boosts reduce grinding time and the other items are also useful convenience-wise. The Avatars and expansion items aren’t really necessary though. Overall, even though IAPs in this game can provide some advantages, it is not entirely necessary and the game has no PVP so these advantages can’t really affect other players.

Final Verdict – Great

Overall, Izanagi Online is a great open world MMORPG on mobile devices with amazing graphics. Despite the clunky combat, Izanagi Online offers top notch graphics, a large persistent world, a unique and well-designed dark ninja theme, lots of quests, and fair in-app purchases that make it a great mobile MMORPG despite its late release into English.

Order & Chaos 2: Redemption

The Story

Undoubtedly, RPGs are recognized for their deep narratives, which tend to be very well elaborated and provoke emotions no other types of games can achieve. And of course; these are all about role-playing, after all. Order & Chaos 2 is not the exception to this unwritten rule.

As you would expect, this is the continuation to Order & Chaos Online. It has been 600 years since the destruction of the Primal Heart, which ended up causing an unexpected cataclysmic event that caused unbelievable damage to everything this world’s residents knew.

The world is now recovering from all the destruction and heroes are beginning to rise once again. Your goal is to help keep piece and find redemption (that is part of the title, after all).

Characters

Character customization is a staple most MMORPGs adhere to, and Order & Chaos 2 is not the exception. The question is whether this game satisfies your needs for appearance modification or not.

Let’s start by saying I am definitely satisfied with the races and classes. There won’t be a plethora of choices,  but Gameloft did a good job at keeping each class and race under its own category and specific characteristics.

You can opt to be a human, elf, orc, mendel or kratan. By the way, the last one happens to be new. Kratans are these reptile-like, tall beasts with an immense amount of strength. They are kind of gentle giants, though, as they happen to prefer diplomacy if possible.

When it comes to appearance customization, the app does very well, but it also doesn’t come near other console-level games. Yes, you can modify your character’s looks a bit, but you only get a few options for the hair, skin color and face types.

I would like to see a deeper appearance altering system, as I am used to having the ability to change every single part of the face and body in my characters, but this will definitely do for a mobile game. Remember, Gameloft can’t go crazy and add even more MBs to their already sizable game app.

Weapon crafting and customization are also viable options. You can even add abilities to your weapons, which is actually quite helpful.

The world

Like any good MMORPG, one of Order & Chaos 2’s largest assets (literally) is its world. Gameloft calls it “a living and breathing world”, and that is exactly what it seems like. For starters, it’s huge. But it’s not like those RPGs that have immense maps with repetitive, lame visuals. You definitely won’t be walking through monotonous fields here (at least not most of the time).

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This world is very much alive. There’s plenty of scenery alterations wherever you go. Other characters will always be present, both players and non-players. I do wish I could see other live players more often, but there are enough out there to keep the social aspect active. And we can’t forget about those monsters, which you can always pick fights on and get loot from.

I do have to say it’s easy to get lost in the game, as the map is a bit hard to read and reach. But what MMORPG doesn’t have a confusing map? At least you can use the guidance line to lead your way when you are heading to a mission.

Gameplay

Gameplay is important for any dedicated gamer. Especially when it comes to titles like Order & Chaos 2, in which the battle system will mean the difference between you totally loving or hating the game. Does Order & Chaos 2 do a good job? It’s definitely fun and active, but strategic gamers probably won’t like its button-smashing nature.

This is because you have to press a button every single time you want your character to do somethings. Otherwise he/she will just stand there and chill while the enemy depletes that precious health bar.

There are four buttons in the bottom-right corner. The main one is for the regular attack, while the other three can give you access to abilities you will continue to get throughout the progression of the game. By the way, these can be customized and switched at will.

Moving around is an important part of the battle, as well, which does make things a bit more exciting. For example, I chose to be a ranger, which means I can back off and continue shooting while the enemies try to get close to me. In most cases I can walk away from a battle with zero damage.

If you need more help, it’s also possible to pull out a secondary menu that will grant you access to more skills, potions and other items. Do try to vary your skills and switch them around depending on your conditions. Sticking to the same attacks is easy, but it gets repetitive, and adapting with your environment can really give you the upper hand in combat.

Quests and missions

Things get interesting here. Order & Chaos: Redemption is certainly no casual game. Gameloft has managed to bring a near-console quality MMORPG to mobile devices. Nothing is lacking here, but we can definitely tell some casual mobile gaming elements were integrated.

Remember those WoW quests and missions in which you had to walk for hours on end? Regular MMORPGs are a sit-down-and-spend-all-your-day-in-the-computer kind of experience. But you can’t do that on mobile. The battery won’t even last that long! Though Order & Chaos 2 can be fun if you continue playing for extended periods of time, it is also designed to be picked up for quick gaming sessions.

I believe my longest mission so far has lasted about 15 minutes. This means I could pull off a quest or mission during a work break, or maybe a bus ride. Just be careful with that data, which this game sure is good at consuming. And obviously, it has no offline mode.

The user will have to get missions from specific characters in the game. These will ask for help and get you started on the intricate story. Don’t you worry, you won’t run out of things to do.

Final thoughts

Will you take on this quest or spend your precious time on another time-consuming hobby? That is the question we are trying to answer here, as an MMORPG like Order & Chaos 2: Redemption is no small investment.

Honestly, it had been some years since I last took on an MMORPG and can say I am satisfied with what Gameloft has put together here. For one, fans of the first Order & Chaos game will definitely have to give it a try. It is a direct continuation of the story, after all. But this doesn’t mean those of us outside this clique won’t find some fun in this game.

I spent some good time with Order & Chaos 2 and can say I am really enjoying the experience. You get the complex story, map, character customization and weapons system, but there is no time-consuming element involved. You can play this game in little spurs, as well as hard-core sessions. It’s a great balance that caters to both casual gamers and more dedicated users alike.

And did I mention it’s a free game? Yes, there are in-app purchases in here, but I found I never had to use them to really enjoy the game and move forward. Those who find pleasure in long, complex games that never really end will find a nice home in the Order & Chaos 2 world. I believe you can’t do much better than this when it comes to mobile MMORPGs.

Hit the button below to download Order & Chaos 2: Redemption straight from the Google Play Store. And don’t forget to hit the comments and tell us your very own experiences on the game. Have you been playing this title? What do you think of it? Do you have a preference for another similar game?

Stellacept Online

Stellacept Online is a free-to-play, 3D sci-fi fantasy MMORPG developed and published by Asobimo Inc, a well-known Japan-based mobile MMORPG developer most known for their flagship MMORPG, Avabel Online. Stellacept Online is Asobimo Inc’s most recent English translated game that launched globally on July 16, 2015 with the potential of topping Avabel Online. Stellacept Online offers a unique sci-fi fantasy theme similar to the Phantasy Star game series, gorgeous graphics, and engaging story-based questing that speaks of high production value. Stellacept Online reached over 100,000 downloads on Google Play and iTunes one week after its release and is currently set on becoming one of the top MMORPGs on mobile devices.

Character Creation

Players begin Stellacept Online by creating a character with many appearance customization options in hand. The character creation screen itself looks very sleek and reminiscent of console JRPGs. Players can choose male or female, and choose from 12 different face and hair style options and 10 different hair colors. Players can also change their height, skin color, inner armor (underwear) color, and outer armor color (for their starting armor). The character customization is definitely in-depth with a lot of options to choose from to make each character look somewhat unique. Players can also enter their birthdate since zodiacs and astrology play a role in the game. There are no classes to choose from during Character Creation because the game has an unrestricted class system based on nine weapon types.

An Open Sci-fi Fantasy World

Stellacept Online has an open persistent world divided into many large zones. Players start off in a futuristic, yet very colorful and fantasy-looking, base that serves as the main town in the game. The town is persistent and is full of players and quests NPCs scattered around. There is a tunnel on the left side of town that teleports players to maps for their active quests. Quest progression is fairly linear so the tunnel automatically knows which map the player is headed towards next. These maps are huge and are filled with NPCs, players, monsters, and various story-related objects. As of this review, the game was bustling with new players running around at every corner, which actually made questing a bit of a hindrance due to how many players were trying to kill the same monsters. Each map is large and persistent so there is quite a bit of running to do sometimes but it really brings the open world to life.

Wonderful Graphics

Stellacept Online has great graphics and is one of Asobimo Inc’s best looking MMORPGs. The game has a sci-fi fantasy theme reminiscent of the Phantasy Star game series. The world is futuristic and yet very medieval fantasy-looking at the same time. Weaponry is very high-tech with laser blasters, energy blades, robotic spheres, and more, while the armor in this game has a more advanced, feudal look. Most of the environments, other than the main town, look very fantasy-esque with grassy fields, trees, and creatures such as wolves and giant mosquitoes. There are also some unique creatures such as dragons, giant fish monsters, and demon-like bosses. The interfaces and menus have a very sleek, sci-fi JRPG look and are easy to navigate and use. Overall, the game looks great and the world and character designs are very detailed.

Freedom to Customize Your Build

Stellacept Online does not have a set class system which allows players to build their characters how they like. The game has 9 unique weapons which include: Blade, Blaster, Sphere, Glaive, Launcher, Disc, Vice, Chaser, and Ranger. Each weapon has different attack styles and separate skill trees containing many skills to choose from. With so many different weapons and skills to customize, the combinations are almost endless. There is also an option to quickly switch between two weapon types (named “Main” and “Sub” weapons) so the game encourages players to choose at least two weapons to focus on.

Players can also customize their builds through the S/G/M Level and Status upgrades. Defeating monsters will give players Star Spicas which they can use toward S/G/M Level upgrades. The S Level strengthens Blade, Glaive, Vice, and Ranger weapons, the G Level strengthens Blaster, Launcher, Chaser, and Vice weapons, and the M Level strengthens Sphere, Ranger, and Chaser weapons. The S/G/M Levels only increase after twenty points have been allocated toward one of them so they do take a relatively long time to level up. Points for Status upgrades are obtained from leveling up. The 6 Status options are STR (affects SLASH, SHOT, MAGIC), BODY (affects DEF and MAX HP), TECH (affects ACC), SPD (affects AVD and MOV), SOUL (affects CRIT Resist and GRD), and LUCK (affects CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG). They are basically like stat points in other MMORPGs and it is important to allocate them wisely depending on the weapons players decide to focus on.

Questing with an Engaging Story

Stellacept Online combines traditional questing with a story that keeps things interesting. The questing is very beginner friendly and the game holds the player’s hand for most of the game, which in my opinion, is a good thing. The game guides players from one quest to another with quest arrows and simple objectives. The quests mainly involve killing a certain number of monsters or a specific boss, talking to NPCs, and collecting monster drops, but story elements in between help keep the game interesting. Every NPC interaction becomes more immersive as the camera zooms in on them and there are many NPC to NPC interactions creating some amusing dialogue and animations. Additionally, NPCs speak conversationally so there are no big “walls of text” to read. There are also many cutscenes involving both NPCs and the player character. The lore itself is also interesting. Everyone in the world of Stellacept Online has a Stella, which is like a spirit companion, and these Stella are mysterious and causes the player to occasionally enter strange flashbacks in order to unlock the truth and hidden potentials of the Stella.

Combat: An Action and Point-and-Click Hybrid

Asobimo Inc has made their fair share of both action and point-and-click MMORPGs and Stellacept Online is a mix of both. Players move with a virtual joystick and have a button to attack similar to mobile action RPGs except it isn’t as action-oriented as say, Avabel Online. Pressing the attack button will target and attack near-by enemies but the attacking is slower than true action RPGs so it somewhat seems automated. Essentially players will keep spamming the attack button as they characters stand there and attack, which kind of feels like a point-and-click game since players are somewhat auto-targetting and cannot dodge. There is, however, a combo and skill system that makes it more action-oriented. Players can attack monsters for 3 hit combos before the attack animations reset but using a skill after the third hit will trigger a 4-hit combo for extra damage. Additional skills can also be combined into attack sequences for higher combos. Despite the hybrid combat, the combat is definitely not bland or boring. The animations are very smooth and the flashy skills and effects make the combat exciting to watch. Plus it is still somewhat action-oriented and players can move and attack with the ranged weapons. There are also bosses in each map that can be a blast to fight once players are of the proper level.

The Mysterious Stella and Burst Mode

Stellas are glowing orbs of energy (possibly spirits) that follows players around. Everyone has one, even all of the NPCs. They are a unique and mysterious aspect of the game’s lore and play a large role in the story. Every now and then, players will unlock a star in their astrology chart (from completing story missions) which contains 4 potential stars for each zodiac. These stars give the player special skills during Burst mode. Players have a Burst meter that gradually fills up while fighting monsters. When the bar is full, players can enter Burst mode which transforms them into a giant, glowing deity that can quickly destroy any foe that they attack. Unfortunately this mode only lasts for a couple of seconds, due to overpowered it is, so this mode is best used wisely. Stella skills can be used during Burst mode and different Stella skills can be learned throughout the game. These skills include powerful AOE attacks, buffs, and passive abilities. Stellas are mysterious and progressing through the story will unlock their true potential.

Cash Shop/In-App Purchases (IAP)

The in-app purchases in Stellacept Online are similar to most of Asobimo Inc’s other MMORPGs, which are lenient and unnecessary but offer slight advantages and cosmetic items.

The most popular items in the Cash Shop at the moment are the Avatar items, which are purely cosmetic costumes that enhance the character’s appearance with many unique themes. These costumes are obtained from a wheel that randomly gives out different parts of the outfit and different colors of the costumes so players cannot directly buy the ones that they want. There are also item wheels that give out random useful items such as upgrade and boost items. With Gems (premium currency), players can also buy a beginner weapon pack, hair cosmetics (hair styles and colors), skill resets, revives, teleports, Star Spica (skill exp) boosts, and bag expansion items. Other than the beginner weapon pack, which gives slightly better versions of the beginner weapons, there is no other equipment that can be bought from the Shop. The in-app purchases are mainly cosmetic and convenience items and are overall very reasonable and the game currently is in no way, pay-to-win.

Final Verdict – Great

Stellacept Online is yet another top notch MMORPG from the well-known, Asobimo Inc. With high quality graphics, a unique sci-fi fantasy theme, engaging questing and story, and fair in-app purchases, Stellacept Online is a great mobile MMORPG that all MMORPG fans should try out.