Albion Online: New Sandbox MMO from Berlin

Fresh wind from the capital: The free-to-play MMO Albion Online presents itself. And no, it is not an “old-school” MMO – or maybe it is?

The MMO is developed by Sandbox Interactive GmbH based in Berlin. Looking closely at the game features, they evoke nostalgic memories of the past “Ultima Online” and “Dark Age of Camelot” days. In massive battles, you can fight for territories with your guild that house valuable resources. These are needed for an extensive crafting system. Additionally, there is a trading system that is solely controlled by the players themselves.

Brick by brick to your own home or town

In Albion Online, housing is given special attention. You could say it is the trademark. You can build your own home and decorate it with love, but also construct entire cities and villages together with other players. Currently, there are 50 buildings, including blacksmiths, stables, and trading posts that serve the public interest.

If you want to gear up for battle, you first need to craft swords and shields in the blacksmith. Your home is quickly built. However, you need the help of other players for certain buildings, such as the weapon smith. Now here’s the catch: if you haven’t managed to build such a weapon factory, you’ll have to go through the warzone with your fists.

Playable on tablet, smartphone, and more

You control your hero from an isometric perspective in a graphical style that is somewhat 90s. The simple and straightforward comic look has a practical reason: Albion Online is a cross-platform MMO. Using a master server, players from Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android can log in and play together or against each other. This is to create technical accessibility.

People make clothes and vice versa

According to the motto “clothes make the man,” there are no predefined classes in the world of Albion. You can go into battle in fully armored plate armor and a magic wand or with wizard-like cloth rags and a two-handed sword. But without equipment, there’s no competition. You have to craft your gear for war yourself.

What is special are the different abilities that come with changing weapons.

You can assign different active and/or passive spells for each equipped item. When you then equip the weapon, your skills also change. But be careful: if you fall in battle, you can be looted down to your shirt by enemy players thanks to the full-loot system. Therefore, you should not only charge into battle thoughtfully, but also store a second outfit in your own four walls (or choose a different server type).

Currently, Albion Online is in the winter alpha. You can purchase access to this alpha with a founder’s package and support the developers with their sandbox MMO. For the contribution of $29.95, you get direct access, participation in the closed beta, 2000 gold, and 30 days premium status.

But the developers themselves can tell you more about Albion Online:

Conclusion: First of all, I find it remarkable that “the Germans” are daring to tackle an MMO. I always thought they could only do Gothic – you can easily be mistaken. The features that Albion Online contains already sound promising. However, to picture a more accurate mood, one would need initial feedback from the winter alpha.

That I am a total fan of cross-platform titles and second-screen applications is already a plus for the MMO. In the 21st century, there should no longer be a systemism between Windows, Android, and others. If we could later dive into the world of Albion via tablet or smartphone, it would certainly be an ideal game for on the go. It’s free-to-play, after all. However, how this accessibility affects gameplay and controls remains to be seen.

Interested in further information? Then check out the official Albion Online site. The blog, which regularly reports on development and future features, is also recommended. We will keep you updated if you are interested in the title.