I feel like everyone had some MMO that they were really invested in for some amount of time as a kid. For a lot of kids it was Runescape or Maplestory or etc, but the one that stuck for me was Mabinogi.
It's honestly fitting, the more I look back on it, that I was so enamored with this game, even if I never got that far. It had this focus on skilling that was (and is) so unique that I still wish manifested in the form of a sequel. I guess in a way this game was my Runescape in the way that the games are weirdly similar in some regards.
I think in the creators' minds it was supposed to be a very immersive sort of life game, and you can tell in the way that you talk to NPCs using keywords rather than dialogue options and how skills are increased through usage and unique ways of using the skills rather than just grinding away at using them over and over.
Honestly this game really probably is one of the most unique and interesting MMOs out there and that it hasn't been followed up is always sad to me. The closest thing is like, Black Desert, but that really doesn't scratch the same itches.
But hey, at least OSRS is still living its best life.
It's honestly fitting, the more I look back on it, that I was so enamored with this game, even if I never got that far. It had this focus on skilling that was (and is) so unique that I still wish manifested in the form of a sequel. I guess in a way this game was my Runescape in the way that the games are weirdly similar in some regards.
I think in the creators' minds it was supposed to be a very immersive sort of life game, and you can tell in the way that you talk to NPCs using keywords rather than dialogue options and how skills are increased through usage and unique ways of using the skills rather than just grinding away at using them over and over.
Honestly this game really probably is one of the most unique and interesting MMOs out there and that it hasn't been followed up is always sad to me. The closest thing is like, Black Desert, but that really doesn't scratch the same itches.
But hey, at least OSRS is still living its best life.
Sometimes I can't believe how good can be a really, really, objectively really bad game like Mabinogi. Pay-to-win grindfest that made me come back to it over and over again. The only game I ever spent in for cosmetic items. The incredible fun and joy of riding on your giant friend's shoulder for the first time. Playing rickroll on Dun's central square and telling naive nubies this is albanian anthem...
Standing in front of destroyed Memory Tower and having one of the most unique, confusing, saddening, and overall emotional moment I ever had in games.
And the most saddening is that no new player will ever be able to experience this feeling.
Standing in front of destroyed Memory Tower and having one of the most unique, confusing, saddening, and overall emotional moment I ever had in games.
And the most saddening is that no new player will ever be able to experience this feeling.
Mabinogi was my first MMORPG, which I started playing in 2011. I played the game for 6 years before finally moving on to Final Fantasy XIV. Even now, I still check in on it every now and then to see how things have changed.
There's a lot of memories in this game for me, including a lot of friends I've made, characters I've designed, and even music and storylines that I still remember vividly without playing the game anymore.
There's a lot of memories in this game for me, including a lot of friends I've made, characters I've designed, and even music and storylines that I still remember vividly without playing the game anymore.
I played the heck out of this game back in the day. I was a life skills main with a puppetry backbone when I needed to fight. It was a great time, and I have many fond memories, but I would struggle to get back into it given how aged poorly a lot of its systems are. The rock-paper-scissors of its original combat system was amazing, though, and I hope one day we see a modern MMO take a crack at it.
This is probably the only MMO I've played in my years that has managed to keep me coming back from time to time and hold my attention enough to keep me in its charm.
But it really is a bad game. Doesn't mean I don't love it any less- but to say whether or not I'd recommend this game to anyone... I probably wouldn't. The graphics are bad. The controls are janky- optimization is horrendous. It plays like an old MMO and no amount of quality of life improvements will ever change that. While it's less grindy than it used to be that doesn't mean it doesn't come with its fair share of grind. Quests are a slog and boring to do. The only charm out of them is if the characters endear you enough that you want to listen to them and while they do endear me I can't say they would for anyone else. Most NPCs are one dimensional save the important ones tied to the Generational quests and overall narrative and even then they can be rather tropey. (Still love them though and that probably definitely is pure nostalgia talking.)
Who would I recommend this to then? Probably... someone that has a lot of time on their hands to sink into an MMO. Someone who doesn't mind whale-ing and being pay to win. (You can play free to play but you'll be at a disadvantage. Stupid, I know.) And someone who really likes lore and world building and design. (Because, really, the world is where this MMO shines. Unlike most MMOs where the setting is generic fantasy- this game takes a lot of inspiration from Celtic mythology and it makes for a refreshing setting. The story also has its charm if you bother to pay attention to it.)
This game also has something that most MMOs at least from what I've seen don't have and that's slice of life elements. It's... honestly really cozy! I love just running around collecting wheat in a field with my sickle and standing by a campfire to cook some food. You can even play music in this game. (Yes, I'm looking at you all of you Megalovania freaks. You can play that in this game to your heart's content)
All in all this game is a breath of fresh air in the oversaturated market that's MMOs and it definitely stands as something that is different and unique. But whether or not you'll like it may depend on what you're hoping to get out of it. As someone who enjoys the world, the story, the cozy vibes- it's great! But the way it plays can be a bit frustrating.
With the new Mabinogi Mobile coming out I can only hope more people can fall in love with this world with that new fresh coat of paint on its shoulders. It'll be mobile gamey I'm sure- and mobile games aren't for everyone- but I think it'll have its charm and place in the Mabinogi IP and it'll be good for the franchise as a whole. I can't wait.
But it really is a bad game. Doesn't mean I don't love it any less- but to say whether or not I'd recommend this game to anyone... I probably wouldn't. The graphics are bad. The controls are janky- optimization is horrendous. It plays like an old MMO and no amount of quality of life improvements will ever change that. While it's less grindy than it used to be that doesn't mean it doesn't come with its fair share of grind. Quests are a slog and boring to do. The only charm out of them is if the characters endear you enough that you want to listen to them and while they do endear me I can't say they would for anyone else. Most NPCs are one dimensional save the important ones tied to the Generational quests and overall narrative and even then they can be rather tropey. (Still love them though and that probably definitely is pure nostalgia talking.)
Who would I recommend this to then? Probably... someone that has a lot of time on their hands to sink into an MMO. Someone who doesn't mind whale-ing and being pay to win. (You can play free to play but you'll be at a disadvantage. Stupid, I know.) And someone who really likes lore and world building and design. (Because, really, the world is where this MMO shines. Unlike most MMOs where the setting is generic fantasy- this game takes a lot of inspiration from Celtic mythology and it makes for a refreshing setting. The story also has its charm if you bother to pay attention to it.)
This game also has something that most MMOs at least from what I've seen don't have and that's slice of life elements. It's... honestly really cozy! I love just running around collecting wheat in a field with my sickle and standing by a campfire to cook some food. You can even play music in this game. (Yes, I'm looking at you all of you Megalovania freaks. You can play that in this game to your heart's content)
All in all this game is a breath of fresh air in the oversaturated market that's MMOs and it definitely stands as something that is different and unique. But whether or not you'll like it may depend on what you're hoping to get out of it. As someone who enjoys the world, the story, the cozy vibes- it's great! But the way it plays can be a bit frustrating.
With the new Mabinogi Mobile coming out I can only hope more people can fall in love with this world with that new fresh coat of paint on its shoulders. It'll be mobile gamey I'm sure- and mobile games aren't for everyone- but I think it'll have its charm and place in the Mabinogi IP and it'll be good for the franchise as a whole. I can't wait.