Our MMO Launch Spotlight is kickin’ this week, and depending on how you look at it, quite literally, kicking, because we have a game on our list called Kick Me! Despite some general weirdness, we have some great MMOs for you to jump into this week, so let’s get into it!
Skull & Bones
Ubisoft has launched their open world pirate themed MOG. In this shared open world you’re going to be faced with plenty of challenges which includes naval warfare, where you’ll get to ally yourself with up to 5 other shipmates to take on several other crews of players in PvP. While the numbers suggest it’s certainly more MOG than MMO, this shared world action game will certainly satisfy your need for plank walking and shivering your timbers with friends.
We’ve covered Skull & Bones extensively, so if you want more information about what’s in store, including how you can get in and play the free trial, you should definitely check out our previous coverage. Skull & Bones has launched on PC, Xbox X|S and PS5 February 16th.
Slipstream: Rogue Space
If you love roguelikes like I do, then Subpixel’s Slipstream: Rogue Space might interest you as an MMO to try this week. In Slipstream you can become a cute animal captain of a starship where you’ll travel the galaxy and battle aliens throughout a roguelike world.
The unique part about Slipstream is that this game is built to play alongside an audience, where you can stream gameplay, and have the audience participate as part of your crew or jump into the game in a co-op mode through PC or Mobile.
In Slipstream your audience can be the difference between success or failure. It’s important to note that in order to become a captain you’ll need 100 followers on Twitch, and the maximum number of crewmates you can have at a single time is 120. Since the game is free, you can join a Slipstream playthrough anytime. Slipstream released on Steam February 12th, 2024, and is available on iOS and Android devices as well.
Islands of Insight
When I saw Islands of Insight’s trailer during the PC Gaming Show last year, I was quite excited for the prospect of completing multiplayer puzzles. Now, fast forward to February 13th, 2024, and Islands of Insight has launched for the box price of 29.99.
As a quick recap, in IoI you take on the role of a Seeker, and you’ll travel through an open world of floating islands where unique puzzles will need to be completed in order to unearth the mysteries of this new land. Luckily, you don’t have to take on these challenges alone, as you’ll team up with others in the shared open world and talk strategies to complete the puzzles.
Lunarch games also lets you customize your character in ever changing ways to take on the next set of puzzling challenges. With 5 biomes and puzzles that refresh over time, this is certainly an MMO worth trying, especially due to its Very Positive review ratings on Steam.
Kick Me!
At one point or another we all deserve to be kicked, and in Kick Me! you get to do just that. In this very weird, gory PvP game, you hop atop some buildings and fight other players for a battle-royale like experience.
According to developer Shibo Games, it’s not just about kicking (though kicking is a big part of it), but the game has a lot to do with strategy and survival. During your battles, you’ll be given power ups and you’ll need to master several abilities to ensure your victory is a lock. Kick Me! is free to play, and released on Steam on February 14th. With so few reviews, it’s hard to tell at this point if this PvP arena MMO is worth your time, or whether you should kick this one to the curb, but if you’re looking for a gory kick fest, I guess add this to your list.
Hash Oasis
Hash Oasis is an MMO social space that doesn’t support English. The social space seems to be, at least in part, sexually focused, with avatars not only adorned in skimpy clothing, but players are warned that when changing costumes the avatars are “slightly naked.”
The game features a movie theater, a beach party setting, a dance club and a tower defense game. Developer Hash Tynmo has built the social game for both PC and VR, so if for some reason this excites you, or you’re just in the mood to dress like a bunny girl, you can download the demo on Steam which released February 14th, 2024.
Graal Online Era
Graal Online Era welcomes the Graal world to Steam, where you’ll get all the Graal you could Graal for. In layman’s terms this is an updated version of Graal Online which has roots dating back to 2002. If you’re familiar with Graal Kingdoms, the game eventually spawned Graal Classic, and both are both still running to this day in some capacity. Similar to Graal Online Classic, Graal Online Era is available on both mobile and PC.
Sitting at a fairly positive review score on Steam and boasting over 2500 concurrent players online (via the Graal Online website) it seems the game has found its following. If you’re interested in becoming part of that following, Graal Online Era is free to play, and released on Steam on February 16th, 2024.
Devouring World 2: Reborn
Last on the list is Devouring World 2: Reborn. Released on February 16th, 2024, Devouring the World 2 does not support English, and has an overwhelmingly negative player review score.
I’ll admit, I didn’t get too deep into the history on this one. The official site for developer Chinese Gamer’s updated version of Devouring World 2 details the story, which includes a battle among the three kingdoms, and your ability to recruit new generals while you plod along on your journey. If I had to go out on a limb, I’d say you can probably pass on this one.
