That Old School Console Feeling

The mouse is the primary interface tool. Movement is accomplished through clicking on a point on the ground. Holding the mouse down will tell the avatar to continue walking. The perspective is a third party isometric view which may be rotated to all directions and zoomed easily. The player's avatar is always in the center of the screen as the terrain moves about him. The keyboard does come into play, but only for shortcuts (INS toggles sit down/stand, function keys may be mapped to spells or combat styles) and chat.

This interface coupled with the graphics gives the game a strong arcade-like feel. The sprite styled graphics make one feel like he is playing on a Neo-Geo circa 1993. Even with a high quality graphics card, the characters do not have a lot of detail or realism. Ragnarok Online is, after all, based on a comic book, and the cartoony look of the characters gives the game a load of charm, but the similarity of the character models and the lack of definition detract from the enjoyment of the game. For example, a piece of headgear called a pirate bandana actually has a skull on it, but it is so blocky that it appears to be a smaller version of the player's face. Different clothing options give the player some distinction, but on balance, all players look pretty much alike, even those of different job classes

Sound is not much better. The music is ubiquitous, although it can be turned off. Sometimes there is a thematic aspect to it, such as desert zones playing music with an Arabian sound, but in the next zone it may change to something that sounds like a bank commercial. Sound effects are good in many ways, but they also distract, as when killing a grasshopper-type character. The game emits a wooden thunk, making the player think something special has dropped because it is so unusual, but it's just the sound of that mob dying. Sound effects of magic spells are a bit better, but many of them are nothing more than whooshes. Gravity should really enhance the sound in RO.

Monster AI isn't all that advanced. They either aggro or not, and once engaged they just continue to attack. Sometimes groups will attack, but most mobs seem to be solo. There are boss monsters in some of the higher level areas, but outside dungeons there are no named opponents. Still, the monsters are some of the most unusual ever seen in a roleplaying game. In the desert there are fried eggs that attack with frying pans (a joke on the desert ground being hot enough to fry an egg...some of the humor makes the translation). Many of the lands are home to smiling balls of jelly that absorb any loot left on the ground. In a haunted library players will fight animated grandfather clocks and floating books with sharp teeth. There is a great level of creativity in Ragnarok Online that keeps the player smiling.

And smiling many players are, especially around holidays. Gravity goes out of its way to include special features for the community. At the time of this writing players can visit Santa's workshop in a special city zone full of Christmas trees, sleighs, and even the Jolly Old Elf himself. Special Santa hats are available for players during yuletide. Other events have been held during Easter and Mother's Day. The developers are not content to keep the world static. Recently the Amatsu patch was added that included a new city and three new zones, free to the player community.

Rising in the East and Setting in the West

The Eastern influence is heavy throughout the game. Just a reading of NPC dialogue lets the player know that this game was not created in the US. To Gravity's credit, they have done a yeoman's job in translating the Korean content to English. It is by no means pidgin English, but it still has that translated sound to it. The Eastern origin is also evident in the design and the attitude of that design toward players. In Korea, a great number of gamers play at internet cafes and other public gaming establishments, often using accounts owned by the business rather than the player. The emphasis, therefore, is less on the building and achievement aspects of the MMORPG and more on the action and the social. As mentioned earlier, the gameplay of RO tends to feel more like an arcade game than an RPG. The more involved aspects of MMORPGs, such as quests and crafting, are not very well developed compared to combat and magic. This fits the internet cafe model well, but it does not lend itself to long-term connections with a single character as does the more traditional Western persistent world.

What the model does provide is a fun game that can be played in quick bursts. Where it might take 2 hours or more per gaming session at the higher levels of games like Dark Age of Camelot, an advanced Ragnarok character will have no trouble venturing out into a higher level zone and spending 30 minutes whacking away, getting all the action he can handle. While its graphics may not be on par with EQ2 or its quests not as deep as Dark Age of Camelot's, there's no denying that for all its shortcomings, Ragnarok Online is a fun game.

Its appeal may be better suited to those on the other side of the Pacific, but Ragnarok Online certainly offers some great gameplay for Western gamers as well. As far apart as East is from West, the twain have met to some degree in Ragnarok Online. Kipling would be proud.