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Requiem: Bloodymare Review: Requiem Bloodymare Review - Edit
6.5
Mediocre
| Pros |
 
|
 Good if you want gore New spin on classic MMORPG |
| Cons |
  
|
 Lackluster systems implementation Sub-par sounds |
In a host of MMORPGs that often feel like clones of the same remixed combat and character development systems, it's hard to find a game that stands out. Requiem: Bloodymare is one of those games, and it's easy to see why many people are flocking to try an MMORPG that promises a horror genre experience.
Storyline and Immersion
Don't let the horror tag fool you. Requiem is a world of mixed science fiction and fantasy elements - gory, yes, but not terrifying or suspenseful. The back story of Requiem is full of war, technology, and magic, and players come into the story after a tragedy that caused the world to split apart, scattering its races, hiding its secret knowledge, and mutating its wildlife into monsters. Players are part of the Ioxenic genetic reprogramming, utilizing special DNA to create defenders of mere humans caught in this violent world.
Players will only get a feel for this storyline in their first tutorial quests, as they learn the basics of game play and train their skills to learn their first class. Beyond that, the story is mostly forgotten, with generic quests placed into this setting with no feel of heroism or power on the player's part. World areas have little life of their own, and appear to be little more than a dumping ground for NPCs and monsters.
Interface
Requiem uses a simple and relatively clean interface. At default, two skill bars are provided along the bottom of the screen, along with a chat window, the player's health, mana, and buff display, an experience bar, and a minimap. Small buttons along the right side of the screen allow players to access their various character screens, as well as options such as server battles, battlegrounds, and the item mall.
Character movement can only be accomplished via the WASD keys or via the mouse, but only in a point-and-click format. This makes movement awkward, especially in PvP, where the ease of mouse movement or being able to use the arrow keys is denied.
;)
Graphics and Sound
All of the character and monster graphics in Requiem are highly detailed, with a slight Lineage feel. World graphics, however, are not nearly as impressive, and it feels like years of gap between environmental detail and character detail. While characters stand in impressive armor, the world around them is flat, with copied textures with occasional rocks and flora thrown in for detail.
Of course, the real appeal for the graphics in Requiem is the gore, something the game doesn't lack. The game is rated mature, and for good reason: even the deer are subject to dismemberment. Heads and limbs will roll, literally, along the landscape, bones will break, and blood will spew over monsters and players alike. If gore appeals to you, the satisfaction is endless. For players who dislike the effects, the blood effects can be turned down, although the game will remain graphic.
Sound effects, unfortunately, are lacking in the game; monsters generally sound alike, and combat usually consists of general "whacks and thwacks" with no real excitement or realism lent in. Likewise, the background ambiance and music is equally dull and muted; I found the game more enjoyable playing soundtracks from other horror games in place of the generic music.
Combat
;)
Combat in the game is of the usual formula of auto-attack combined with trained skills. At first, players will only have a very limited number of attacks and buffs to use. Healing is also limited to one race only, so most players will find themselves resting or chugging potions after only a few fights.
Monsters have their own abilities, usually involving a strong attack or the ability to call allies to their side. While combat begins as a very single target oriented experience in early levels, it quickly expands into facing players against two or more monsters at once. Spawn times can often be fast for a player going solo, making potions particularly valuable, and can leave players overwhelmed if not above level of the current area.
Equipment is a common drop from monsters, and can be upgraded via compounding and reinforcement systems that allow players to increase specific stats of the item. Armor sets are also offered throughout the game, from level 15 and upward. These sets offer great bonuses that encourage players to instance or trade for them.
Classes, Skills, and Specialization
There are eight basic classes available at level 10 - two to each race - each of which splits further into two subclasses at level 50, for a total of sixteen classes. Each race has an option of melee, ranged, and spell casters, although only Turan Templars can gain healing abilities for their group mates, and only Turan Defenders are designed to tank. This still leaves a variety of classes for each play style, including light to heavily armored melee, ranged and pet classes, and several styles of caster classes. Class balance is not so clear, especially in PvP, where certain classes seem to chew through opponents with ease, although this is an area that is being looked at in an upcoming update.
Character customization is done through assigning skill points while leveling. Every other level, a skill point is gained and may be used at a trainer in the city. Depending on how skill points are spent, players may also choose DNA skills, which allow for a passive enhancement such as duration to currently trained skills. Each character can utilize five DNA slots, but must spend money instead of skill points to do so.
;)
Most skills are within a player's first class choice. The secondary class choice often unlocks only one or two additional skills, as well as allowing specific skills from the first class choice to be enhanced further (such as an assassin enhancing their stealth further). This is relatively disappointing in that it disallows for customization at high levels; new skills are felt as necessary since they are the only defining characteristic of the final class, and so two players of the same class are generally identical except for lower level skill choices.
With a max level of 71, there are limited skill points available. Players must assign these points carefully, as the only option to re-specialize a character's skill points is via an item purchased in the item mall; not even a single point can be undone for free. These items cost about five USD (ten USD for a higher level option), and can be traded for in game coin if a seller can be found.
The Nightmare and Possession System
If horror can be said to be present anywhere in game play besides the graphics, it's in the small three game-hour (36 real time minutes) window from 23:00 to 2:00 when Nightmare Monsters appear. Nightmare Monsters are dangerous and designed as group encounters. Although early Nightmare Monsters are utilized for quests, at later levels, these beasts drop Possession Beast Pieces.
The Possession Beast system allows a character to transform temporarily into one of these beasts, after filling a "Hardcore Gauge" through killing enemies regularly. Possession beasts have their own set of skills that can be trained, as well as their own useable equipment. However, the possession only lasts a limited time, during which the Hardcore Gauge depletes. Once it is empty, the player loses the transformation and must again build the gauge before transforming again. Currently, there are only two possession beasts in the game, and players can get and use both.
While not entirely unique - other MMOs have provided similar transformation systems - the possession system does lend an interesting, but limited, dynamic to game play. Just like character skills, options are so limited as to make players feel homogenous.
Community
For the style of game, I was particularly impressed by the helpfulness of players in and out of game. Unfortunately, players in game seem to be spread out thinly. This could be due to the fact that regional chat is not available to characters without a premium subscription - meaning that finding groups can be incredibly difficult, and leaving most zones, especially the starter zone, feeling empty and void.
For a game that seems to focus on PvP content, the game felt even more lacking. Several weekends were spent queuing for battlegrounds and even the special server battle, only to wait without ever entering. At most, during peak weekend hours, I saw one or two battlegrounds running across the server. However, other players say they usually have 10-30 people on in their guild during the evening, which is a generally good showing overall.
Subscriptions and Micro-transactions
;)
While Requiem: Bloodymare is free to play, there are two subscription options for players seeking bonuses, at $5.99 and $12.99 a month. The primary benefits of these subscriptions increase experience, lower death penalties, and increase item drop rates. What isn't stated clearly is the player experience; the leveling curve becomes so steep for the last ten levels that hours of grinding may only net 5% of a player's experience bar. Dying also gives a harsh experience penalty (which will be capable of de-leveling your character in a future update.) To help with this grind, the item mall is full of items designed to give experience bonuses: for example, the "Weekend Grind Packs," which give a character an experience boost for three days, plus potions and other adventuring items.
With this kind of experience system, it's clear that later levels become reliant on the micro-transaction system that Gravity has set up. This is disappointing, as games should generate micro-transaction revenue primarily because players enjoy the game and want bonuses, not feel they are necessary to get to level, compete, or - as previously mentioned - alter a character's specialization.
Overall Impressions
There's no doubt that Requiem is different. It breaks away from the typical MMORPG setting, and offers itself to players who are looking for a more realistically detailed game. The game's equipment, possession, and class systems offer great new experiences to a classically styled MMORPG, but feel lackluster and limited in their current implementation. The greatest concern, however, seems to be the harsh experience penalties to players without a premium subscription or experience boost from the item mall.
Requiem has a passionate community behind it, and clearly has potential to become a better, more fun MMO. With a large game update designed to enhance leveling and class balance planned for a September 24th release, Requiem could be taking steps in the right direction to take it from being average to being great.
This is a game that since its announce i've been interested in playing but just never really bothered to look far enough into it.
After reading the review, I think I will give it a go as things like sound don't really bother me that much and its F2P so what can i lose =P
Brilliant review :)
Excellent review, and pretty spot on. As someone who played this game all the way to level 70, I agree with most of the points. Except one. Whereas the community was once very helpful to new players, most of those people have either moved on to other games or to Hammerine, the most populated server at the moment. This game will feel pretty empty to most people until they hit their 60's and get access the later zones where the veteran players are.
Hammerine, of which a spoke, is a mixed bag. This is a PK server, so you get all the things that come with such. But a lot of people have moved there because it's simply more populated.
I played Requiem on Hammerine and I can agree that is is what it is, a PK server. But it's nice to see the game is going to make some changes going forward. I've got a 4x rogue there and don't mind going back every now and then just to grind. I will make it to 70 someday...
Good review also. Mediocre isn't a great score but it's honest, for a free game and a change in scenery it's great.
On some points the review is right. The landscapes are very bland and ugly, while the character and monster models are great. This game shows how important a well made landscape is.
But a helpful community? Can't agree. 99% of the time you ask a question you get no reply, no matter how many people are there. And I never got a single "thanks" when I helped someone else.
Great Review.
Requiem has been the only F2P I have played for more than an hour. The gore and "Screen Shake" during combat is really cool, and the classes are fun to play. I actually was able to bring in a few of my friends and we all leveled up to about 40. Then the grind came in....
After about level 36, you run out of quests. You are then forced to just kill "Elite" mobs for an hour or two, gaining about 0.3-0.8 xp per kill (without Sub or MT Scrolls). Then comes level 40. You would think a new zone or a plethora of quests would open up. Nope. You are still forced to grind, however this time you have an area called Wrecked ship, where you can join "AoE parties" and level up a little bit faster then you would solo ( on Hammerine server this is a PK'ers wetdream). Basically the game turns into a Korean Grindfest, and from what i've read, can take 100+ hours to make a level at 65+. This right here killed it for all of us.
Battlegrounds are kinda cool, at least when u can actually get into one. I joined the level 29 Ion Mine and it was a lot of fun for a bit, until i realized all it was about is 8 players running around an empty, bland canyon taking flags. The Server vs. Server is just an open flat field, where 200 vs 200 duke it out, however the lagg is incredible and just really ruins it.
Some of the dungeons are really cool looking, with unique "booby traps" and awesome Cut-Scenes. However the Ai is retarded and either bugs through walls or Walkways, or just doesn't do anything cool. Basically npcs run up to you and make some weird noises, and sometimes throw out a hack or slash at you.
Basically the game just starts to suck at 40+ and hopefully they are gonna change that in the future, because the game has a unique genre and some unique classes. They just need more quests added and some fixes to AI and Dungeons and I would totally come back.
I just found the game too laggy. Now I know I don't have a fast computer, but it is above their recommended specs. I also found the new players areas fairly full, but did not find many helpful players. I found I could not kill even level mobs, now that could be related to my lagginess, but I saw a lot of players my level doing the same thing and the experience loss is significant.
They have some updates coming, I will be interested in what they do, but if they include deleveling on experience loss, I will not play the game anymore.
This is one of those games that while f2p is not really free, the item shop becomes more and more important the higher you go.
Totally true. If you are really serious about this game, or just one of those folks that like to min-max toons, you cannot do without the CS items. Yeah, Gravity does a lot of 50% or 30% XP weekends, but in order to fully take advantage of them you'll want scrolls. The max amount of XP comes from having an XP weekend, a 30% scroll, and having a premium subscription.
Not to say that level 71 isn't obtainable playing for free. Just don't be in a hurry. And given that there's little to no end-game content still, what's the rush anyway?
This is the game that turned me on to RPG's. Before Requiem, I was a die-hard FPS player. Now I play Aion and other RPG games. My FPS friends also liked the game; maybe it's because the way that movement is controlled feels like FPS controls.
Now that I have played several MMORPG's, I have to disagree a little with the reviewer. This game may be a tiny bit more repetitive than other MMORPG's, in terms of terrain and monsters. It is not very different in that regard than EVERY other game in it's class. Unlike other games, though, there is something very satisfying in Requiem, seeing the monsters you defeat end up in a bloody mess.
I recommend that everyone give Requiem a try. Play to level 12 and see if you like it too.
heh, i just tried this one. unless you max out the graphics its not looking pretty. also the quests are horrible, basically a LOT of running around clicking through a story u dont care about, the pop wasnt that bad though (well, at least it was looking good in the starter area)
im what, lvl 12 or so? still wanna do another good playsession before i delete the game, unless the game takes off once ive chosen my first job. at this point its "just another korean mmo"
Grafics were soso, played till lvl 10 then I was repulsed from the primitive controls. Just put your attention to the camera, made me sick :p + rather high grind lvl. Yet some peeps love this game no idea why :)
Pretty stupid to review Requiem now when they are vastly changing the game in a couple weeks.
Making this review outdated and worthless.
So, way to keep up with the game you are reviewing.
Unfortunately, community is one of those things that's sometimes hard to get a feel for, and can differ from one person's experience to the next. I had a great experience with the community, and met many helpful people. I don't discount that others have had different experiences though.
As for the game changing later this month, I am well aware of that change, and made a few references to the upcoming changes. I am actually personally excited with some of the changes that are coming, and plan on giving Requiem another go after the changes are live. How much those changes are going to effectively change the face of Requiem is yet to be seen - there's a lot of promise, but you can't count your buffs before they're patched.
The review is definetly more indepth then you would typically encounter in a review. The reviewer obviously got above level 60. I think such a review would take time, and if it was delayed to take in mind the next update. This review wouldn't be done until November.
Crescent is the oldest map in the game. So if you start in Crescent, you won't be impressed. Parness and South Hammerine Woods definetly have a bit more style to them then Crescent.
Great review, I had a blast playing that game, got my Assassin to lvl 66 but required about 25$ a month to get all the xp pots and on occasion would spend 50$ a month for the mounts and other things, the game is cool no doubt but it's highway robbery at the same time, the grind will stop you from playing, it did me
I have a lvl 66 almost 67 Dominator on Hammerine and I have to tell you that this is the only MMO that kept me going for more than 1 year. I'm semi inactive now, waiting for the new update on the 24th of September and then I'll be back in gear.
I'm a sucker for gore. :o
P.S Some Requiem players here might know me so I'll say "HI" ;)
I remember you Overlord, I tried to go tot he pvp arena the other day and got my ass handed to me, almost everyone is lvl 69-71, can hardly do any damage to them, so i stopped playing lol
another random mmo.
the only thing that stands out is the 'horror' aspect which i couldnt even find in that game.
only the blood & gore.
everything else is typical shitty grindfest.
how someone can get impressed by this game... i have no idea.
I think this is a very very fair review. The game is seriously lacking and while the monster characters look fantastic, the player characters and environments are bland and look weird. Moreover the game lacks fun in the early levels and the quests are incredibly boring to perform. It will be interesting to see what the major patch can do to change the gameplay of Requiem and I will definitely be giving it a second shot.
If this game had a repeatable quest system or even a daily quest function as wow and runes of magic has I would of stayed longer.
It just has to turn the grind down or at least give us some choices. When I hit the 40's I found out about the "don't do quests" leveling guide on the wiki. So I was stuck with a hellacious grind that makes me wonder if it's worth it. I did do a few of the higher instance and it was plane jane same road; tank and spank bosses.
However, I did find out that if you do the monthly sub, you really don't need to hit the cash shop as much. Gravity also lowered the price of the sub which is usually unheard of.
Nice review for a game that seems to have an interesting concept, but in the end even being free to play I'm going to give it a pass. First off I despise games that give exp debt I find the concept entirely useless and far too great a deterent to any benefit I may get from a game, and the item mall added on top of that sealed the deal for me with both of these features included in the game it's enough to push me to the pass side of even giving it a go but good luck to those who enjoy the game.
I have no idea where the servers are located, but i had a constant ping of 3000 and up..
Decent F2P game except for the lag.
I agree with most of this review. Personally I didn't enjoy the game enough to continue to play it. The first time in game I was having a blast, I even bought 2 of the 8 dollar subscriptions for 2 months.
Yeah Its ok, its some what entertaining but once you reach around level 25 a lot of that fun just dies down. You are usually left with very few quests to do and end up grinding a ton of the time. Dungeons are there to keep players busy but they are not a main focus. The community is virtually non exsistent and I found maybe 5 players my entire 2 months playing 1-31.
I quit the game at 31 because I was just not having fun anymore. Its really to bad, the game starts off good but nothing changes for the better as you progress. I can't say this game is worth playing as a main mmorpg, however due to the heavy grind it can't really be taken as a backup mmo because you will never acomplish anything unless you pay for faster exp.
I guess people who have been playing Runescape or maybe Maple story can find this game an upgrade but most players from any generic typical korean F2P mmorpg will only find more of the same with a coat of blood and an actual fair cash shop.
I've played Requiem and got bored of it after a month. And this review is as accurate as it can be about the game. Quests are too generic and the landscape's are dull. The game lacks any sense of goal, its just a whack-and-slash-gore mmorpg. Even with the patch to balance the classes and skills, it won't bring back many players.
They really need to work on the quests and storyline. Maybe have a content patch that will add what was promised in the game: truely horrifying-grotesque monsters, and landscapes. Something horrifying enough to cause unexpected vomitting.
It's not a bad game, however the grind & price of items, etc. is extremely horrible; which is one of the reasons why I quit and the other being that to do certain quests you must team up but there are hardly any other players on. Plus, I don't really like to team up, I love to solo and it seems lately that there are not a lot of MMOs that let you exclusively solo in the game.
the game isnt as bad as you say
sure you may have to pay later into that game which really sucks
but like around lvl 40-45 when you have to join Aoe parties, it becomes fun if you solo at these lvls, you become really annoyed
the good thing is that with the new update there might be more quests and a pet system, higher lvl cap and much more
So far managed to get to L61 and 80% on a free account. I dont know if things were added after the reviewer played, but in addition to NPC quests you can buy quest scrolls very cheaply. Battle points can also be used to spend on experience scrolls (until 2 levels ago I was selling these as a great source of income). There are also two starter maps, so once you have finished quests on one, you can go and complete later quests on another. There is simply too much to do to absolutely run out of quests in your 20s or 30s.
Very important for ease of levelling is to know that experience events also apply to quest experience, so save up your quests to turn in during a Happy Hour.
Another great plus is the party system. Instead of restricting levels within party, they allow everyone of any level to party and the average level applies when killing mobs. This is particularly useful for dungeon crawls and the earlier dungeons in particular are very imaginative, with mobs that terrorise you and landscapes that has your character jumping over bottomless pits, lava etc. And outside on the map proper there are plenty of bosses dotted around the world to group up and kill, though bosses seem restricted to dungeons on later maps.
Ive also had a good experience with the community. I was in a party of 4 by level 9 (all new players) and spent my time refusing guild invites until I was around level 40 as I wanted to learn as much as I could. But when I needed help in the form of questions answered or something more practical like killing a boss, I never lacked for a helpful response.
Im guessing the point and click system is more the reviewers style as I will dispute that movement with wasd keys is awkward. Other than that, he makes some good points that I cant disagree with, but all MMOs require a bit of "the more you put in, the more you get out" mentality. Despite not having regional chat (currently restricted to subscription only) I have never had a problem finding a group to join, even when I wasnt guilded.
Lastly, what isnt mentioned in reviews generally, but has become of huge importance to all MMO players one way or another, there are no bots or "professional" gold-sellers in Requiem!
I have to admit that after reading the review, I really ought to try the game out. I've always been rather curious about Requiem Bloodymare, and now that I've read this review, I have to say that the features are quite interesting. I particularly love games with a lot of classes (at least 7 or 8) and finding out that this game has sixteen really takes the cake. I would definitely try it out after the September 24th update, though I hope that my laptop specs would be good enough for it.
This is disappointing, as games should generate micro-transaction revenue primarily because players enjoy the game and want bonuses, not feel they are necessary to get to level, compete, or - as previously mentioned - alter a character's specialization.
I am in 100% agreement with this statement. I end up quitting most F2P games simply because the grind in later levels makes it necessary to use the cash shop, and without it, the game gets very bland and boring. However, after seeing the above post, I think I would still try this game out, at least until level 35 to see what it's like.
can someone post a link to download the client??
http://www.playrequiem.com/Index.aspx
The link to the download is top right. It requires you to have an account, but youre going to need one anyway :)
@Aladylenya. Im glad youve decided to give it a try.
The game is getting a face lift from a lot of blogging I read. Besides a name change new scenery, textures, and a lot fo overhaul of systems.
The reviewer also forgot to mention that Requiems Item Mall is one of the cheapest in the F2P market atm. You get a lot of bang for your buck, and theres not a lot of fluff involved or gimmicks to make you pay anything. Maybe the reviewer shouldve mentioned that tid bit?
Nonetheless, the game will be better than ever IF the code monkeys get it all worked out before the slated release of the facelift.
Overall, the game isnt bad and serves as a decent game for those who may not have time to invest in learning a ton of fluff to play; Great time waster!
Requiem isn't getting changes to its graphics system. The inclusion of Havok Physics in an mmo has been a severe performance draw. Even top end systems occasionally stutter on Requiem. Before any level facelift happens, a recode of the engine to support multi-core processing has to happen first.
The real face lift is that combat, and skills are completely changing.
Well I played this during the beta and there were plenty of helpful peeps around then. I had a char that was in her thirtys and not much to do for xp.
The graphics of the world itself weren't spectacular and mode of travel was hard pressed. The gore was pretty cool when a mob died. I was never able to get into a battleground. So can't say how they were.
After beta they did a wipe and I came back and started again but not many peeps around and hardly ever got an answer to a question. So I gave it up. Hard to get into a group for places you needed a group for.
This is one of the things besides grind in Asian MMOs, forcing you to group.