I'm going to describe to you a game. While this description does fit Remnant Knights, it can apply to many different games that you have played in the past. These are the games that sit on your shelves, not worth a dime for trade-in credit and you still come back to play them even though you feel like you are the only one who does. You pick it up having no idea what its' about but for a small description that tells you nothing of any importance. As soon as you start playing things look bleak. You see nothing of interest, everything seems stale and just a few minutes in you're already bored. But for whatever reason, you keep playing, and as you keep playing, something happens. The environment becomes interesting, the design feels fresh and even more surprising... you are having fun. Before you know it hours have passed, you have a smile on your face and putting the game down seems like an odd thing to do. Then the time comes to spread the word, tell the world about the fun you just had and for whatever reason, you can't. As much fun as you had with the tiel you just can't recommend it, or even say why you enjoyed yourself for that matter. That was my experience with Remnant Knights. I had fun, I enjoyed my time with it way more than I ever thought I would and yet I still can't honestly tell you that you will too. Objectively, it is just not a good game. But that doesn’t mean it’s not fun.
Set in a school that trains “Knights”, those with the special powers and ability to see and battle Salakri, inter-dimensional beings that take the form of anything nearby. While they are usually more of an annoyance than a threat they have been known to cause havoc in the world. Kids are trained from a young age to become Knights as children have a much easier time fighting the Salakri. Most adults become unable to see them. The reason for this is unknown, but those who retain the ability are the ones who become the most powerful Knights. There are two schools to choose from, the Dragon and the Owl. Dragons focuses on physical combat and relies on fighting to solve their problems while the Owls are intelligent magic uses interested in discussion and examination. Each school has three classes to choose from but choosing your school doesn't really change anything else about the game.
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Throughout RK you advance in grade, gaining perks at each level. Grade two gets you a dorm that you can decorate as you wish. Grade three allows you to be a mentor to new players. Your grade advances every ten levels though nothing really changes but for the small perks. Questing is as you expect, talk to the quest giver, do the task, get the reward. Combat is designed around fighting groups though, you will very rarely find yourself attacking an alone enemy. It’s a small touch, but it does set the game play slightly apart making combat more interesting.
Aesthetics: 4
A school setting is very unique for an MMO, and unfortunately Remnant Knights does not take full advantage of what this would afford them. You start in the courtyard of a school, but it doesn't feel like anything more than a simple town that you would find in any MMO. You can go inside the school itself, but there is nothing in there but for rooms full of non-hostile creatures. As you go farther out the various zones have even less to do with schools. Forests, fields and volcanic mountains are fine, but they do nothing to set themselves apart from any other area in any other game. Placement of objects and event triggers can feel very random. Why is there a chocolate fountain surrounded by dancing ginger bread men down the road from a recycling factory that's right next to a haunted house? There is no explanation except for “because it is” or “the Salakri did it” and it leads to a very uneven experience. Random things scattered throughout the world can be fine, but the world isn't very big at all. You can start to feel claustrophobic from the clutter very quickly. On the plus side getting to your destination is always quick as there is never patches of “nothing” to run through. The graphics themselves are very bland and lack detail. Monster designs range from cute and interesting to pointless and random. That is more of a preference thing, just don't expect any consistency.
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Gameplay: 7
Remnant Knights is about as basic as modern MMOs can get. Quest design, as well as the content of the quests, is simple and very straight forward. Most quests involve killing X number of enemies and returning to the quest giver. Crafting is even simpler with no professions at all. All materials are random drops from monsters you kill which you take to various NPCs. The items NPCs make for you usually have randomized stats. The lack of freedom and fun in the crafting is a huge hit to the game experience. Combat on the other hand is fluid and fun. Skills flow together well, animations are flashy and drop power-ups and instant heals keep you grinding at a nice pace without having to slow down. In fact, with luck you can be rewarded for not slowing down. The game itself isn't built around the combat, but having fun with it is pretty easy to do. If all you want is a game to grind on, Remnant Knights may be the game for you. Expect anything deeper though, and you will be very disappointed.
Innovation: 4
Outside of the setting, Remnant Knights does nothing to set itself apart. Even the setting isn't fully capitalized on. As fun as the grinding is, it is still just the basic MMO formula. You grind to level and you level to grind in different areas. The dorms are like player houses but don't really do much to effect the game itself. Crafting is almost non-existent, and what is there is boring and the formula never changes. The game is bland with nothing to stand out.
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Polish: 8
The game runs well, bugs and errors are virtually non-existent and clipping isn't an issue either. RK is really easy on the system and through all my playing I didn't experience a single crash. Remnant Knights is smooth and well put together, as well as being possibly the most stable MMO I've played. It’s definitely one of the upsides of an otherwise uninspired game.
Longevity: 3
In its current state Remnant Knights has nothing to keep players interested. There has been talk of major patches in the “near future” but they have yet to be seen. The more you level the worse it gets as quests become more tedious, requiring larger amounts of enemies to be killed before the quest is completed while the difficulty stays the exact same. Most people will get bored very fast, and those who stick around won’t find much to do outside of some random open world PvP and GM-run events.
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Social: 8
Another one of the things that promoted my opening paragraph, this game has a great community. Everyone is friendly and chatter in general chat is entertaining and constant, rarely getting annoying. The GM's are amazingly helpful, always communicating and letting their presence be known. They also take time to host GM events and give out in game prizes. The people make this game fun, which is a great thing for an MMO.
Value: 5
Fun combat and friendly people may keep you playing, but the content itself will not. The game is free and the items offered in the cash shop don't change the game much at all. You will never feel like you have to pay to get the most from RK, though what is offered in the cash shop is helpful. XP bonuses and potions are worth money for some, but hardly break the game if you don’t want to spend a dime. The main things people would buy from the cash shop are furniture and the like to put in their dorms.
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To reiterate the opening paragraph, Remnant Knights is a game that I enjoyed my time with, but cannot give a recommendation to. A lack of content, bland atmosphere and missed opportunities drag down what is above average combat and a great community. You may get the same experience as me, but don't go in expecting anything that will blow your mind. It will be a game that I wish was more, but without a very large overhaul it never will be.
