Can we reflect for a moment how really odd the MMORPG genre is? The extraordinary lifespan of some of these online titles gives us a conduit to revisit the past and even game in them. Perhaps it’s a bit of nostalgia and comfort gaming at work, but we’ve often said here at MassivelyOP that there’s a wealth of great ideas left behind that could be dusted off and updated for modern audiences.
Over the past few weeks, something interesting’s been happening around EverQuest – an MMO that doesn’t get a lot of attention or interest these days. Yet two projects are blooming out of it, and both seek to fuse the old ways with modern design. Is this the way forward for the industry or a strange curiosity that’ll lose its novelty?
Of course, EverQuest’s always had one foot in the past. Even as SOE and Daybreak pushed the title forward, there have been versions that retreated to extremely old school stomping grounds. This includes such relics as EverQuest Mac or the authorized player-run server Project 1999 that’s long tried to keep the “classic” era of the game alive – to say nothing of a few dozen unauthorized rogue servers.
Among those, most recently in the headlines was The Heroes Journey, an emulator that had a lot of interesting ideas but also profited substantially from copyrighted work and got shut down pretty hard in court. However, the popularity of the project proved that there is real interest in taking the bones and sinews of EverQuest and doing something forward-thinking with it.
Now we’re seeing the rise of semi-competing projects that embrace classic EverQuest design along with design changes and ruleset adjustments. The Heroes Journey team was left to strike out on its own and restart with Hollowed Oath, while Daybreak and indie studio Game Jawn collaborate to “reimagine” EverQuest into EverQuest Legends.
Let’s take a quick look at each title. EverQuest Legends is fascinating because it’s being created by a newish studio formed by members of the EverQuest emulation community who are incredibly passionate about this idea and have official collaboration with Daybreak devs to make it happen.
The title wants to take classic EverQuest with its original sound, effects, and art while coupling it with modern game features such as a better UI, a solo-friendly world, and — this is the headlining feature — the ability to choose three classes rather than one for your character (with 560 possible combinations if you factor in races).
Then there’s Hollowed Oath, the “do over” by the Heroes Journey rogue server team. Unlike EverQuest Legends, this title is creating a new world from scratch-ish rather than using Norrath as a base. There are some fun ideas at play here, with fast travel, dynamic loot, and the ability to multiclass between three roles. It’s still in early development but is chugging ahead with all speed and passion that this team’s shown with its past work.
Right away, you can see how both of these projects are skewing away from the “let’s return to hard-as-nails group-centric world design” that games like Embers Adrift and Monsters and Memories embrace. Rather, EverQuest Legends and Hollowed Oath highlight casual-friendly gameplay that’s backed up by overpowered multiclassing options.
Both of these projects have stirred up a lot of interest among veteran MMO players and the younger set alike. While some people enjoy climbing those steep learning curve cliffs and banging their heads on hardcore design, others no doubt feel that it’s this mindset that keeps them from trying out anything “old school” even if the curiosity and desire are there.
While it’s too early to judge how successful EverQuest Legends and Hollowed Oath might be in their pursuit of a different track, I applaud the approach. I don’t think any game can really hurt itself by putting “sheer fun” as its central pillar. It’s fun to multiclass. It’s fun to understand how a game works and interface with an intuitive UI. It’s fun to be a little overpowered and smack mobs around.
And when you remove frustrations but still keep challenge and progress, you’ve got the recipe for long-term engagement.
EverQuest Legends will be the clear front-runner here thanks to its higher profile, known IP, and earlier release window, but I’m glad that Hollowed Oath is there to keep the heat on Legends and provide some competition.
Again, the past is a treasure trove of ideas and older MMOs are ripe for reinvention and a renaissance. Perhaps projects like this and other MMO legacy servers are helping to wake up the industry from sleeping on some potentially amazing relaunches.
Do you love spectating and speculating about upcoming MMOs? We do too! Every week, Justin tackles another upcoming title on the MMO Hype Train with opinions, analysis, and blind fervent hope. Choo choo all aboard!Source link
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