The Side-Scroller Come Back
When I was growing up the SNES reigned supreme and the side-scrolling beat ‘em up genre was in full bloom. Games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Double Dragons, and Battletoads were all the rage. We would play these games for hours on end and the fact that they could be played cooperatively only added to the entertainment. With the advent of 3D graphics, this genre quickly faded but was never forgotten.
In 2005 MapleStory brought the side-scrolling style back into the mainstream and was quickly followed by a string of imitators such as Latale, Wind Slayer, and Ghost Online. While these games were fun, they weren’t as action oriented as the classic arcade style beat ‘em ups from the SNES generation. Newer side-scrolling MMORPG releases have managed to blend RPG and action elements much more fluidly and it is two such titles that I will discuss below.
Dungeon Fighter Online was released in North America by Nexon, the same company behind the smash hit MapleStory. The game looks and plays much like a classic console or arcade action-RPG with multiple instanced dungeons to explore. A large town serves as a meeting place for players and contains dozens of NPCs with quests on offer. Solo play is possible with any of the game’s 6 base classes but Dungeon Fighter encourages cooperative play with higher experience and item rewards at the end of each stage based on party size. The game was originally developed in Korea back in 2005 but the graphic quality was intentionally made to appear much older. Fans of the old 16 bit RPG art style will enjoy DFO for its nostalgic value and its fast paced, combat-oriented gameplay. Even classes like the priest which have a supportive connotation in most MMORPGs are more than capable of holding their own in Dungeon Fighter Online.
For those who crave fast paced combat but have grown accustomed to improved visuals, a better MMORPG choice would be Dragonica Online. Released in North America by THQ ICE on October 15th, Dragonica mixes side-scrolling combat with 3D graphics. Players can move in three dimensions but must still follow pre determined paths leading left and right. The background visuals are rendered in 3D and have a bright, anime inspired look. Dragonica also makes use of instanced dungeons but main world combat is also a big part of the experience. In this sense Dragonica is much more like a traditional MMORPG persistent world than DFO which plays more like Guild Wars where all areas except the cities are instanced. Leveling up is much faster in Dragonica than DFO and combat moves at a brisker pace. The monsters players fight during the early levels are much ‘cuter’ in Dragonica and include things like wooden stumps, and sheep. This, coupled with the cartoonish graphics, does give the game a childish feel but it’s still a game enjoyable by any age group.
If these two sider-scrolling MMORPGs aren’t your cup of tea you can check out other titles like Grand Chase or wait for the release of games like Wego or Koongya Adventure which have been announced by Netmarble. These games are already available in Asia but have yet to hit American or European shores. To learn more about these games and many more still awaiting release, check out the preview section on MMOHut.
By, Erhan Altay
