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Aika Online
- Area: North America
- Sito Ufficiale: Aika Online
- Editore: Gala-Net (gPotato)
- Sviluppatore: Gala-Net
- Piattaforma: Download, PC, Microsoft Windows
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- Area: North America
- Sito Ufficiale: Aika Online
- Editore: Gala-Net (gPotato)
- Sviluppatore: Gala-Net
- Piattaforma: Download, PC, Microsoft Windows
Like this game? Tell your friends!
Review
Reviewed by Daniel Ball
Aika is an MMO that generally impressed me in its first closed beta, so I was happy to give it another go when the second closed beta test came around. The level cap: 50. New zones? Bring it.
It’s the same Aika as in closed beta one, only tightened up. The crafting is still simple yet satisfying, character customisation is still a little underwhelming, you can still have your little Prans (speaking of… there seems to be a stronger variety of Prans this time around) follow you around, and you can still engage in huge PvP fights and look cool doing it.
In closed beta one I chose the dual gunner class. This time around I was a sniper. No eye candy there, but I kept going. The sniper class is one that I could actually see myself using the most when the full game releases. I was especially fond of the ‘headshot’ ability I had which seemed (when coupled with some buffs) to crit any mob to death in one shot, which was nice. I also liked the deployable turret skill I had which annihilated the monsters like a mini steam punk tank on the ground.
The classes in Aika aren’t your basic, cookie cutter classes and they don’t feel ‘cheap’, like a lot of bad MMOs’ classes these days. Each class has had attention payed to it which is reflected in-game, and in how each class handles. This is especially important in a game where the PvP is as big as it is, and of course makes the PvE more satisfying.
The animations seemed to have tightened up in this beta. In the first closed beta I experienced some trouble with the animations lagging as well as my character seeming as though she was sliding around the place whenever I changed direction. Although there is still a slight amount of sliding going on, the animations (even generally speaking and not just the running animation) have been smoothed out quite a bit. That popup you used to get about ‘speed hacks’ is nonexistent now, and not once did I get forcefully logged out, which means things are really being fixed by the Aika team.
I took a brief stroll through each of the closed beta 2’s new zones. First stop was Tabazra Desert. As you can expect, it’s a desert. A desert filled with snakes and cacti (both simple plants and mobs). I was taking in the general scope and beauty of the desert when some kind of sand beast appeared out of the sand, amidst giant bone arches and started attacking me. Stupid move; I put him down with a few rifle rounds, but an interesting way to implement a zone’s mob. It’s the kind of creativity I like to see in an MMO.
Satisfied enough with my beat slaying skills and having admired the desert long enough I left for another one of the new zones, Mt. Hessian.
Let’s just say I got a little too confident on the border of Mt. Hessian and was promptly dealt with by the unlikely team of two rock golems, a harpy and a boar, who all decided I wasn’t allowed into Mt. Hessian. I died, I respawned and eventually I got to Mt. Hessian.
Mt. Hessian is like Tabazra Desert, but darker and with more angry men in robes with swords. Oh, and mountain tigers (there are a lot of Tigers around Aika, strangely enough).
However, the main mobs around Mt. Hessian’s centre point (a nice, big colourful tree that all the NPCs hang around) are all bugs. Centipedes called ‘guru’s—for whatever reason—and flying bugs. Oh, and did I mention what I like to call ‘flying death diamonds’? There are small, floating diamonds, generally around the humanoid NPCs that shoot laser beams at you. They weren’t all that effective against my almighty rifle, however.
Finally, I ended up at Cirrugor, a city surrounded by clouds and still being built. There wasn’t a whole lot to do at Cirrugur but sight-see, and I did spend a little too long staring at the mounts that are on show. Two words: air motorcycles.
Now, going through these zones, I kept being reminded of other MMO zones I’d walked through, but something was different. The Aika team have taken the tried and tested ideas (ideas that work for a reason; they’re good) and have added something unique to them. I wasn’t bored. I felt something that’s rare in MMOs: immersion!
The music in each of these places was extremely fitting also and really draws you in. The battle music is especially epic. Generally, the music really impressed me in closed beta one and I don’t think that’s ever going to change. It’s quality.
For some, music isn’t a huge deal, but to me, it’s essential to the enjoyment of the game. Even if it’s only in the back of your head, it’s going to make those promised 1000v1000 PvP battles and the castle raids that little bit better.
Aika has all the makings of a game done well. It has so far met every one of the promises it has kept and has had little go wrong. The team seems dedicated to making this game successful and something really fun to play and also provided consistent new content and events for players.
A lot of the new features weren’t fully tested in the beta, for instance the castle siege ran over time and no Lord Marshals were crowned. It will definitely be interesting to see how the political war aspect of the game develops and influences the game after its official release.
In any case, Aika is shaping up to be a game that will demand your attention. The bugs are being dealt with quickly, the PvP is improving, the PvE is growing, the in-game shops are apparently only just starting. The politics and lore behind Aika and how they will affect gameplay is yet to be fully seen and I can’t wait to see it, as it seems it can only get better from here.
