Graal Online Review

Graal Online has taken up twelve hours out of the past week of my life. It originated from Zelda (remember the SNES version?) and the makers of Graal Online have taken it online. For those of you who remember old Graal Online, you’ll like to hear that although the sound is weak, the visuals have improved greatly since its earliest construction. Regardless, these aren’t the selling points of the MMORPG; let’s get down to gameplay. If you’re looking for a game with lots of craftables, this is what you’ll want to get into. All of your equipment must be made from scratch, unless you can manage to strike up a deal with another player — NPC vendors don’t sell equipment. This means you’ll need to go mining for ore so you can make a sword, cut down trees to craft a bow and set of arrows, and finally skin some animals to make boots so you can kick ass with style.

Control style is straightforward. There aren’t a lot of buttons to remember, and the interface doesn’t take long to get used to. With just a couple clicks you can ready any weapon, skill, or spell. It’s really that simple. The game world, although not as visually stunning as Morrowind or Star Wars Galaxies, offers various terrains and multiple continents. You’ll travel through forests, plains, tundra, dungeons, and subterranean areas scattered throughout the lands. You’ll be able to purchase a pass to travel across the seas, as well, but if you want to save yourself a few platinum pieces, you can always make your own ship. Another feature that is almost exclusive to Graal Online is the possibility of multiple houses and mounts. These options are available due to the small population relative to other MMORPGs. You’ll have to build your own houses and tame your own mounts, but it’s well worth the effort. After carrying lots of equipment around (which decreases your movement speed), it’s nice to plop your stuff down at home. And the first time you ride a horse. It’s almost as exhilarating as riding your first -real- horse. A simple pleasure.

Finally, there are many playerworlds around. Veteran Graal players and level-makers alike have been drawn to check out what they can pull off in the world of Graal Online. The playerworld creators are being supported, as well, and are receiving better editing tools as time goes on. All in all, it’s worth checking out, especially if you can’t afford a brand new game. If you want to see what goes on in the world, you can just download the client and walk around as a ghost. Unlike other MMORPGs, Graal Online doesn’t require a monthly fee — they only need a one-time payment of $29 (American), and your account will be good forever! Folks, this game was addicting enough to pull me out of my Warcraft 3 phase entirely. It’s definitely worth checking out, and the price is right — it’s like Zelda met Ultima Online.