Metin2 is decent. It is the same grind and lvl game you see most places with fewer character customizations available. It's pretty straight forward, I play and am an eternal noob, my 5 & 7 year olds play a little.
I started on the UK server 2-3 years ago and switched to the US server once I found it existed, about 3 months after starting. If you start Metin2 you have to expect many bugs and glitches, poor customer service and virtually no help from those running the game.
Metin2 is worth a go but don't put too much time in it or money because chances are in the end you will have your inventory disappear, be accused of cheating, hacking PKing or other and be in trouble. We've seen it happen time and time again and no matter how much support a player has from his comrades GM's and customer service don't listen.
Is there a good, player friendly free fantasy based game available for a casual player? I'd like to find a replacement for my time spent on Metin.

Try Regnum.  I have played it on and off for a couple of years now and haven't had any problems.  The community is ok and it is being constantly updated.  They have just developed a new engine which promises to be a major leap in game-play and graphics for example.