So one of my favorite MMORPGs of all time, MapleStory, finally announced the global launch of their mobile version, called Pocket MapleStory. Nexon has been a bit slow on the mobile bandwagon, as they only have a handful of titles on mobile at the moment, but having seen the gameplay trailer for Pocket MapleStory (see below), I don’t even mind that it took this long. The gameplay looks a lot like the desktop version, which is exactly what I was hoping for. There are a lot of good mobile MMORPGs out there, but given the graphical limitations of mobile, I think a lot of 3D mobile games like Order and Chaos 2 and Marvel Future FIght actually don’t look that great. I mean the games are solid, but the visuals just don’t do it for me because they’re 3D, but they’re not great. The problem with 3D graphics is that unless they’re gorgeous, ie Black Desert Online or Tera, they aren’t that exciting. 2D on the other hand, has a huge advantage, because no matter how long a 2D game has been out, it’ll always look sharp. 2D games simply age better than 3D ones, which is why Maplestory, which is over 10 years old today, still looks great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hBaR9NCfFA
The gameplay video above sold me on Pocket MapleStory because Nexon basically made a mobile port of their game that looks and feels like the PC version. They did a pretty solid job with Legion of Heroes too, but the problem with Legion of Heroes is that it doesn’t look and feel nearly as complete as its desktop counterpart, which is Atlantica Online. There’s a big trend going on now for game developers to focus their efforts on mobile, and it’s really starting to show solid results. I don’t think any mobile MMORPG is super successful yet, but there are a handful of excellent mobile games that I play regularly. One of my favorites, and one of the most successful ones out there today is a MOBA called Vainglory. Another, also a MOBA, is Call of Champions. Despite enjoying these games, I hope the mobile landscape isn’t taken over by MOBAs, because these games are already popular enough as-is on the PC with games like League of Legends. I mean, I enjoy playing MOBAs and all, but I’m more of an MMORPG gamer, so I’m looking forward to trying out MapleStory on my S6. I’d play it right now if I could, but it’s only available in a select few countries right now during its “soft launch”, and the U.S. isn’t one of those countries. It’s expected to launch later this year though, so i’m pumped!