Character advancement in the game borrows a little from the Talent Trees and AA Lines of various other MMORPGs. The problem with specialization in 2Moons however is that there just doesn't seem a great number of skills on offer. For example if you roll an Azure Knight you may specialize in a certain weapon and all subsequent skills learnt are naturally locked to this weapon. While this seems okay at first glance it quickly becomes apparent that you will only learn new skills every twenty or so levels, this leads to an extremely narrow selection of hot bar techniques and leans combat toward extremely dull and inactive. Aside from skill progression every level, your character can spend five points in Strength, Dexterity, Heal and Spirit. For a new comer to the game this isn't really explained to any degree and sooner or later you will find yourself resetting your choices and trying again.
Like almost every game in the genre out of Korea, 2Moons not only excels in grind but celebrates it with furious ecstasy. 2Moons will see you harking back to the days of EverQuest and Anarchy Online as you spend the majority of in-game time slashing away at one beast or another. While at the core of any MMORPG, grind is the metaphorical center of proceedings but since such games as World of Warcraft and others, questing has taken a far greater role in affairs.
The ability to mask grind and award you for meeting a certain criteria has revolutionized the genre. Unfortunately the developers of 2Moons emerged from a coma spanning this event and as such only caught the tail end of the movement. Questing opportunities are few and far between and those that are on offer only amount to kill X of Y style affairs. With only a handful of quests available for a number of levels, mindless, directionless grind takes precedent. Before long you will be tearing at your hair with frustration as the game throws up few distractions from the incessant slaughter of creatures. 2Moons feels more like murderous genocide than it really should.
In The Pursuit Of Fun
If grind is not your thing 2Moons unfortunately offers little else. The game seems to be consumed by the obsessive need to gain experience. Like bubble wrap, metaphorically popping away level after level is at first satisfying but after a time wears off and is replaced by a sense of empty boredom. To counter-act this, the developers have added the almost spine contorting excitement of Angling. The ability to fish is gained after a short quest at level seven. While it serves a tiny distraction it simply fails to impress. Why not add a craft system? This is obviously too outlandish. A notable feature worthy of praise however is 2Moons' handling of auctioning items in the form of player shops. While it can be a little tedious shopping around for exact items it does add a layer of immersion and player drive that is greatly needed.
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Player Versus Player Versus Player Versus Player
For angry gamers (I kid, I kid), PVP is an essential to the MMORPG genre. Games such as Warhammer Online refined the experience and Eve Online defined the experience. 2Moons simply begs, steals and borrows a couple of elements already established and throws them into the game. Duel invitations will be thrust upon you during combat and higher leveled characters will become a notable nuisance as you progress out of the safety of the beginner zones. Player Killers or PKers, are the scourge of 2Moons, adventuring beyond hub limits is an excursion not to be taken lightly. Bind points are essential and player contact is best avoided. Of course for the most murderous of PKers, penalties are in place and prison sentences are handed out but most of these murderous vagabonds simply operate outside of the law.
As the later levels beckon you, guilds become essential for running the dungeons of the game and also the Dead Front- a 24-man PVP style raid. This aspect of the game is fun and to its credit, original, the problem is that it requires regimental planning and organization, a dependable guild to run it with and laundry list of requirements to enter.
Everything Else
I couldn't escape feeling lonely whilst playing 2Moons; my early experiences were of barren hunting grounds and unsociable duelers. At one point I even stopped a party of five demanding they let me in and join the adventure, they refused, finally I resorted to telling people I was writing this review and I would make them immortal in my prose (Johnny60 was a brave and noble sir coincidentally). While this will not be everyone's experience I found the community to be a little elitist and entrenched in the game. Simple asks for help fell upon ignorant ears and the only chat I found was that of the in-game gold sellers pimping their wares.
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Fortunately during my time spent with 2Moons I didn't encounter too many performance issues and generally the game responded as I wished it to. One notable issue that I found however was when battling multiple enemies. My combatants would simply glitch about the screen until my attention was focused solely upon them. Another issue is that of the combat system itself, working on a series of knock backs it works this is fine until the tide is turned and you find yourself repeatedly pushed back with no chance to retaliate, this therefore makes the stockpiling of health potions essential.
In Conclusion
With 2Moons I am of two minds, on the one hand we have lackluster game design and some very uninspired choices, on the other it is free. The game simply isn't good enough to really hijack your interests away from whichever MMORPG is charging you a monthly fee for at the moment but it is a slightly enjoyable distraction. Its bubble-wrap game play offers limited enjoyment and for the grand price of nothing there is nothing really to loose, just don't expect greatness, or anything other than grind.
