If you’re ready for a new MMO to tinker with, our list this week has several MMOs that should hold you over until you find your next obsession. This week we see some modern warfare and some testing of a game that’s already had a history of several relaunches. With 5 games on the list, let’s get into it.
World of Solaria
2D MMORPG fans have a couple of games worth checking out this week, the first of which is World of Solaria by developer MMORPG 2D. The game is a riff on a nostalgic pixel MMO, and the game was originally released on mobile in June of 2023. While World of Solaria could be played directly on the official website for a while (though I recommend not playing it there), it has just launched on Steam April 29th, 2024.
The game is cross play, so you’ll likely have plenty of players to play with, as there have been about 50K downloads on the Google Play Store, with a 4.6 review score. You’ll be able to jump into a dungeon mode with players you meet, earn or purchase mounts, and choose one of four different ranged and melee classes.
Gray Zone Warfare
Gray Zone Warfare by Madfinger released into Early Access on April 30th, 2024, and has seen quite a big launch from what the developers have said. With more than 400k in sales, the game has been doing quite well for itself, and this open world military MMO employs a tactical FPS gameplay style that should appeal to the Call of Duty and Battlefield fans out there that have been looking for a more open-world free-roaming battle experience.
In Gray Zone Warfare you’ll traverse the Democratic Republic of Lamang where you’ll experience a mission-based story, encounter a large area to explore, and take part in an extensive weapon customization system. The development team doesn’t have a release window yet, but they have released a roadmap that states they want to flesh out the AI, add seasonal events, provide player housing, and create an exciting endgame.
Village Hero
Village Hero is our second 2D Pixel MMORPG on our list this week. The game has not released as of yet, but you can find the Demo now available on Steam. Developed by CUNX and planned for a Q3 2024 launch, Village Hero offers dungeons, world bosses, pets, a player-driven economy, and an endless ascension mode.
This indie title is being developed by a single developer, and the updates have been rolling along consistently since December of 2023, marking a steadfast intent to get the game in ship-shape for an Early Access launch this year. The Demo is free to try so if you want to give a single-developer some love, head over to Steam and give it a try.
Legends of Aria Classic
Legends of Aria has had quite a tumultuous history. After Citadel Studio’s failed their Kickstarter for Shards Online, rebranded the game to Legends of Aria, having the game removed from Steam in 2022, and integrating blockchain (and then changing the name of the game altogether), it’s certainly an interesting time to see the game rerelease on Steam.
While the game intends to officially launch on Steam on the 9th, the current offering is the pre-launch beta, so you can get a quick taste of what’s to come. The game states that the Classic version reintroduces the 2019 ruleset for the title, enabling the iconic karma system alongside a brand-new server specifically for Steam players. If you’re a fan of the original game, you can jump in for the cost of the ongoing subscription.
Wild Alone
Thai developer Wild Alone 21 has released their survival MOG Wild Alone into Early Access on Steam April 28th, 2024. If you’re familiar with Ark: Survival Evolved then you’ll probably feel right at home here, as Wild Alone employs the same Dinosaur-driven world, just with a much less polished, indie feel.
The game probably won’t hold anyone’s attention for long, as everything feels like a placeholder. There’s some crafting, combat, exploration in two environments, and the developers have stated that they don’t know how many players can be on a single server, as they’ve only accumulated about six players to a single server at this stage. (The game is listed as an MMO on Steam currently). For about 9 dollars US, you probably should pass on this one until it firms up, which the developers believe will take about a year.
