The upcoming crazy MMORPG Corepunk reminds us of many genres and styles. It happily mixes fantasy, cyberpunk, and post-apocalypse. However, the developers have also devised some curious peculiarities in gameplay and have used League of Legends (LoL) as a reference. MeinMMO editor Jürgen Horn spoke with Game Producer Eugene Kiver in an interview and introduces you to the special features of Corepunk.
According to the developers, Corepunk is a “Top-Down MMORPG in an open world with ‘Fog of War’.” At first glance, the game seems like a mix of the colorful graphics and punky sci-fi fantasy setting of the deceased MMORPG WildStar with the gameplay of a MOBA like League of Legends (LoL).
The game comes from the Dutch studio Artificial Core based in Amsterdam and is also being developed in the Ukrainian city of Kyiv. The versatile Unity Engine is being used.
Corepunk has been in development for over 5 years and is scheduled to be released as a Buy2Play title in 2021. Additionally, there will be cosmetic items that do not provide gameplay advantages.
How is Corepunk received? The crazy genre mix seems to have struck a chord with the target audience. The recently released 15-minute gameplay reveal video has already achieved over 125,000 views (as of June 27, 2020). There were many comments showing positive interest in the game, and the likes clearly outweighed the dislikes.
But what is in this curious game, which connects several genres and takes in just about every “punk” style? What is Corepunk supposed to be, and who is the target audience?
MeinMMO has compiled all the available information on Corepunk for you and conducted an exclusive interview with Producer Eugene Kiver to get more concrete information about the new MMORPG.
Corepunk – What is it supposed to be?
What does Corepunk offer? In Corepunk, you play as a hero in a bizarre world that is a mix of fantasy, post-apocalypse, and cyberpunk sci-fi. At first glance, the game looks like if you had crossed the crazy MMORPG WildStar with LoL. Instead of securing lanes and jungles and tactically fighting defense towers, you do quests and open-PvP.
What is the gameplay of Corepunk like? This comparison to MOBA and MMORPG gameplay is fundamentally accurate. In Corepunk, you have gameplay that resembles classic MMORPGs like WoW. You use tab-targeting for your normal attacks and some skills, not action-combat. That means you select a target and your actions hit automatically.
However, there are also “skill shots” and AoE skills known from League of Legends and others. You must aim them manually, allowing you—depending on your skill—to land particularly devastating attacks right in the enemy horde.
The gameplay appears rather relaxed and almost slow in the currently available videos. This is intentional, according to the developers, who say you will receive items and attributes later that will allow you to run and hit significantly faster if you wish.
When does the beta start? Although the Corona crisis caused problems for Artificial Core, they seem to have a handle on the situation and have recently returned to the studio. Therefore, Eugene sees the start of a closed beta at the end of 2020 as not being in jeopardy.
When I asked him whether he meant the year-end dates of “September” or rather “Christmas,” Eugene smilingly replied clearly, “Expect more Christmas.” However, if everything goes according to plan and no further disasters occur, an open beta might even be possible by the end of the year.
The release version is still planned for 2021. On the official Corepunk site, you can register for the beta.
On which platforms will Corepunk be available? Initially, Corepunk will be released solely for PC. However, Eugene had pleasant news for us here. The long-term goal after the launch also includes the start on the consoles PlayStation and Xbox, possibly even on the new versions PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Open PvP, Fog of War, Endgame and Class Diversity – These are the Features of Corepunk
What is the key unique feature of Corepunk? As a significant point, Eugene first mentioned the top-down view and the “Fog of War”. So, a “fog of war” known from strategy games that covers the game world that your character cannot see. This would provide a special thrill:
The top-down view and the “Fog of War” is the important unique feature. This is essential for our gaming experience. This way, you never know what awaits around the next corner. That is what creates the tension; you may encounter something dangerous at any time.
An example: You and your group encounter another group in the open world. They are targeting the same open-world boss as you. Anything could happen. They might help you, but they could also attack you; we have open-world PvP.
That creates the tension. If you have a teleport ability- you can obtain that via artifacts if you don’t have a skill for it- you can quickly find a hideout and conceal yourself from opponents. That’s an important feature. In a game where you see everything, that’s not so easy.
This also applies to exploring the game world. Since you never know what awaits you around the next bend, exploring the game world is particularly enjoyable and is one of the main motivational points in Corepunk.
Also cool: If a player finds something exciting, he can quickly inform his teammates via a ping system. Additionally, there is a dynamic day/night cycle. This enhances the atmosphere while exploring even more.
However, in two aspects, the tasks differ from the majority of other MMORPGs. Your hero does not just silently acknowledge the tasks of NPCs. He or she has a voice and speaks when you click an option in the dialogue menu. This creates a much denser atmosphere and identification with the character.
In some quests, you also have the choice of what you want to do. For example, you might be tasked with collecting spare parts in a junkyard to repair the table-dancing sex-bot in a shabby bar. However, scattered soldiers have taken up residence in the scrapyard. Their commander demands that you bring him more parts; otherwise, he will open fire. It’s up to you which path you choose.
In the gameplay video, the heroes refuse this, leading to a brutal boss fight that the two players just barely win, making the soldiers enemies in the future. So, those who enjoyed this type of quest in story MMORPGs like SWTOR or ESO will likely find here what they are looking for.
Heroes or Classes? How Much RPG Exists in Corepunk
What classes can you play? Anyone who sees the first videos of Corepunk quickly notices that the “classes” in the game seem more like predefined heroes in a MOBA. They are also called heroes and include armored orcs, paladins, swordsmen, and delicate girls with cat ears and explosives.
So, can you only play the predefined types like the orc “Ironclad” or the spirited “Bombergirl”? Fortunately, Eugene reassures:
You can customize quite a bit with a hero, such as gender. And you can customize your appearance. That is essential for an MMO, as well as for action RPG players. Each hero has three weapon specialties, so three weapons that can be used with this hero. And this mastery defines your class. Each hero can embody three classes.
In our gameplay trailer, there are two characters in a group. It is the same hero! The male hero is skilled in melee combat with swords, and the other is female and set up as an archer.
So, if you want to play as “Bomberboy” instead of “Bombergirl” and do it with entirely different weapons, it seems you can do that in Corepunk without any issues.
What class roles are there? The classes in Corepunk can be diverse in both appearance and playstyle. Each “hero” can embody three different classes, each with up to 14 skills. But what about roles? Does Corepunk rely on the “holy trinity of MMORPGs,” which consists of tank, healer, and DPS class?
Eugene confirmed this but added that there is also a “support” role. Wait, I thought: Isn’t support basically the healer?
Yes, not only that. In short, support can heal you. But support can also hold and hinder enemies. Or help players by making unreachable places accessible. The support class is actually more responsible for control.
This is how PvP works in Corepunk
What does the PvP look like? After talking about PvP multiple times, I asked Eugene about it as well. He revealed that there are PvP instances known from other MMORPGs, such as arenas and battlegrounds. But a core aspect of the game is open PvP with guild wars, which is optional. Nonetheless, the developer clearly recommends it. However, there are sanctions against arbitrary ganking, which means the targeted slaughtering of mostly defenseless low-level players:
If you gank weaker players, you will receive negative karma points. Then anyone can kill you without facing a penalty. And if you are killed, the chance that you can lose items and artifacts you are carrying increases.
This is an incentive for other players to kill you if you are a ganker. And as a ganker, you won’t gain anything from it, except perhaps the satisfaction of having killed weak opponents. If you gank low-level players, you will find it hard to continue enjoying the game.
Additionally, he told me an anecdote about how he once received special items as a founder in Albion Online. However, he never used them because he was afraid of losing them in open PvP. Therefore, righteous players in PvP in Corepunk should be able to keep their items if they are defeated.
What are the benefits of guild wars? Eugene mentioned to me that there would be wars between guilds in the open world. You could kill each other without penalty and without losing karma. But what benefit does that bring, apart from the sheer fun of beating other players?
We have a territory control mechanic in the game. If a guild controls territories, they can collect taxes from there. So if you beat and drive out the other guild, you can take over their territory.
Then there are the taxes mentioned, but you can also farm and gather resources better. For example, there is a legendary sword from a specific boss in a territory. If you own the area, it drops for you faster.
Critical Question: Endgame – Big Addons Like World of Warcraft in Planning
How quickly do you reach the endgame? In almost every MMORPG, the question of the endgame is essential. After all, the coolest content usually comes after you have leveled up your hero and Corepunk aims to impress strongly with these endgame contents. However, the air is often thin at the endgame in many MMORPGs, and there is little to do. Here, Corepunk aims to do things differently:
Our players, especially experienced ones, will quickly reach the endgame level cap. However, you will still be able to experience the story at your own pace; you just get into the endgame quickly, and most of the game is positioned at this level. We’ve split it 40/60. So, 60 percent of the world is high-end content.
This is what the future looks like: So Corepunk wants to quickly get you into the endgame and then really kick off. But how do the developers envision the future of the game? After all, many ambitious MMORPGs have already failed precisely due to content supply. How does Corepunk plan to prevent such a fate?
Yes, we have a lot planned that we won’t get to include fully in the beta. We will bring addons, new continents in the world, more heroes, and more stories. Basically, something like the new addon Shadowlands for World of Warcraft. A completely new story, new areas, and everything.
We already have a pretty deep world with our current content. But we know how MMO players are. We are like that; we always want new content from time to time. We are aware of that.
We really want to build a long-term, sustainable MMO that players can still play for years. I often think about that. So I don’t think that content supply will be a problem. We will do what we can to make that happen.
At least Eugene seems to be a hardcore MMORPG fan who knows very well what it takes for long-term development. Let’s hope he and his team can meet the challenge.
In our interview with Producer Eugene Kiver, questions also arose regarding the bizarre graphic style of the game. He shared a history of the punk genres:
“Our style has been this way from the beginning. We all like these styles. We like fantasy, or ‘Manapunk.’ Then we like the style of Mad Max, which brought in the post-apocalyptic style, so ‘Dieselpunk.’ And we love steampunk! When we started the game, there were hardly any steampunk games. This is why we wanted it as well. And cyberpunk! Who does not like cyberpunk? Therefore we included all of this.”
I then asked if that was the reason for the name of the game, so to speak, Corepunk as the core (Core) of all “punkiness”? Eugene laughed and immediately replied:
“Yes, you could say that. And ‘Core’ is also the name of the company, Artificial Core. And the concept of a core is also deeply rooted in the lore. The core of the world in the game is a kind of ‘cradle of life.’ This exploded after certain events in the past. And then portals appeared everywhere that brought artifacts and things back to the core.”
Is it worth waiting for Corepunk?
Who should play Corepunk? When asked about the target audience, Eugene mentioned three types of players who might want to look at the beta at the end of 2020:
Our target audience consists of fans of MMORPGs, such as World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, Lineage 2, and Final Fantasy XIV. So full-fledged MMORPGs. And then action RPG players will probably also feel comfortable with us, especially at higher levels.
We then have 14 abilities and an increased pace in combat. However, it is also quite tactical; it isn’t an action RPG where you slaughter large hordes of enemies, but it is still an intense experience.
And then MOBA players should have fun here too, especially those who enjoy delving deeper into their character and like to explore the world.
If you are looking for a new, unusual MMORPG with a quirky style and a lot of class diversity, as well as open PvP, you should mark the time around Christmas 2020 in your calendar.
Possibly the hidden gem of 2021
I must admit that until the assignment to write a special on Corepunk, I had no great knowledge of the game. However, the more I researched and especially after the very pleasant conversation with Eugene Kiver, I was fired up for the game.
Because Corepunk offers a lot of what I liked immediately:
- Diverse classes with multitudes of customization options
- PvP is optional and especially fair; ganking is heavily punished
- The play style is quirky and colorful and seems to place great value on humor
- Exploring the game world should become even more exciting with the fog of war
That I can overlook the fact that the combat system still partly utilizes the tab-targeting I detest, and that the game pace comes across as rather slow. At least in the endgame, this should be changeable.
Now I just hope that Eugene fulfills his promise and really delivers as much content for the future of the endgame as he assured me in the interview. If everything goes as planned, Corepunk could be a real hidden gem for fans of rather unusual MMORPGs.
Jürgen Horn
Editor at Mein-MMO
