After a longer open beta, the free action MMO Kritika Online has been released on the Steam platform. We took a look at the anime MMO for a test play.
I only knew Kritika Online as an app on my phone. While I never played it too intensely, the fast-paced battles were indeed fun. Now that Kritika Online is available for PC, I was curious whether the fast gameplay would work on the computer.
What kind of game is Kritika Online anyway?
Kritika Online is an action MMO featuring fast and straightforward combat. While in other online role-playing games you usually start leisurely in boring starting areas with trash mobs, here you dive right into the action. You instantly jump into short mission episodes and beat up some trolls and orcs.
Kritika Online does not feature an open game world, instead, you travel from dungeon to dungeon and from action fireworks to action fireworks.If I were to compare Kritika Online to another game, Continent of the Ninth comes to mind. Here, you also traverse instances and beat up foes with an active and action-packed combat system.
The character selection in Kritika Online – these classes are available
The character selection is remarkable and offers more than just boring menus! While you choose one of the 4 heroes, epic music plays in the background and you see some cutscenes rolling. Own voice actors dramatically narrate the short stories of the different characters. Unfortunately, the infamous gender lock in Asian games appears here again: The gender is tied to the classes.
- Rogue: If you’re after brutal action and want to storm in quickly out of nowhere, the female rogue is a good fit. This class operates in melee combat and stabs enemies with a dagger.
- Gunmage: Ranged fighters should take a closer look at the male gunmage. Armed with pistols, this class handles enemy scum swiftly but plays a bit more complex than the other heroes.
- Warrior: This ever-male muscle brute fights with a broadsword. He gives as good as he gets.
- Reaper: The reaper is a sexy warrior who wields a powerful scythe, mowing down opponents by the dozen and tying them up with chains and magic.
I chose the warrior because I wanted uncomplicated brawler action without frills.
Once you reach level 15, you can choose another subclass to further customize your hero. After choosing your class, you also select a suitable hairstyle and the colors of your clothes. Oh, you can also choose a predefined face, but that’s it. The editor is therefore rather standard and comparatively limited.
My first minutes as a freshly styled warrior
After a short story video, I found myself in the middle of the field while a gigantic tin can stomped around in the background. Then I encountered the first monsters: a few trolls that were looking for trouble. So I took my sword and gave these beasts a taste of their own medicine. After the little fight, a boss challenged me.
What annoyed me here and generally during the fights: The enemies take too much punishment! Sometimes it felt like I was swinging a stuffed animal instead of my sword, as I received so little feedback for my hits. After finally defeating the giant monster, I moved to the capital where you can find various traders and take on one or another quest. Once you get accustomed to the city, you continue to the next dungeon – there is no open world as you know it from other MMOs. You travel via portal from the central hub to one instance after another.
A game without nightlife
Well, I’ll just talk to a few players in the meantime, if I can find any. Somehow the servers are quite empty. It was the middle of the night, but a few players should still be online at that late hour, right? At the portal, I can unlock the next instances and set different difficulties. The faster you master a dungeon, the more loot you receive at the end.
Action-packed combat system
The combat system in Kritika Online plays out pleasantly action-oriented and fast. It relies on active control. You have to target the enemy and dodge attacks at the right moment. There is no clunky tab-targeting or automatic attacks.
Using the “WASD” keys, you move your character and with the mouse, you look around. The mouse buttons carry out standard attacks, while the abilities can be found on the number keys. You can dodge with “Shift” and the “space bar” lets you make a small leap into the air. The further you progress in the game, the more abilities you acquire. These are especially important in PvP mode. Here, you can execute powerful combos to keep your enemy on the ground and incapacitate them.
What does the community say?
On Steam, user reviews are rather mixed. Many praise the action-packed combat system and the straightforward entry. Others see Kritika Online more as a game for a quick break. Nice for a few rounds during lunch break, but not a title that keeps you hooked for long. It is criticized that it mostly revolves around the same thing. You simply beat up enemies for hours! According to some users, there is a lot of grind present in the game. I still have to see what the endgame looks like. I am currently leveling my warrior.
Is Kritika Online fair?
Kritika Online is a free-to-play title and available on Steam. You can start the game and have fun without spending a cent. However, the developers need to finance themselves somehow, so there are some things you can buy with real money.
What I found positive is: There are 8 character slots available without spending a single cent. While you can definitely increase this with a bit of cash, 8 are more than acceptable. Other MMOs – such as AION and TERA – only have 2 measly slots at the beginning. If you want convenience and some bonuses, you should take a closer look at the elite status. This gives you several bonuses, such as more experience when defeating enemies.
With the currency “Kred”, which is available for real money, you can buy costumes or companions in the in-game shop.
What worries me a bit: I already mentioned that many players complain about the grind. According to some players, this problem can be solved with a bit of cash for paid progression. Here, Kritika Online has to be careful not to slip into a pay-to-win scheme.
Kritika Online: Is it worth it?
Those who played Kritika on the smartphone before and enjoyed it will also be happy with this version for PC. The focus of the game is on fast action, without long wandering around or being overwhelmed by quests.
For a quick round in between, this is definitely fun, even if the depth loses some significance due to the repetitive gameplay.
After several hours, the battles became really monotonous for me. It’s somehow always the same. You go on a mission, beat up a few monsters, and then it repeats over and over again. A grind, as you would find in any Asian MMO! It may be fun at the start, but it can’t keep me engaged for the long term.
However, the entry is fairly simple compared to other genre representatives, and you jump right into the action. So it’s ideal for players who have little time anyway.
Download and registration of Kritika Online
Here is the download link for Kritika Online on Steam.
If you simply want to destroy some monsters without complications, you should take a closer look at this action MMO. With its nearly 10 gigabytes of download size, it’s downloaded fairly quickly and it’s free!
