My MMO author Andreas Bertits is looking forward to the early access phase of the MMORPG Legends of Aria, as he entered the world of MMORPGs with Ultima Online.
Nostalgia or a timeless gameplay experience? Legends of Aria may show whether Ultima Online can still work today.
A new Ultima Online
What is Legends of Aria: The MMORPG aims to bring Ultima Online back to life in a modern way. You find yourself in a vast sandbox world where you can do whatever you want. You are not limited to following a story like in a theme park MMORPG.
Whether you want to explore the world and experience adventures or just open a tavern or a blacksmith. Legends of Aria gives you a lot of freedom, just like Ultima Online did.
That’s why I’m interested in the MMORPG: My first encounters with MMORPGs were with Ultima Online. I have always been a big Ultima fan and looked forward to every new installment in the series from Richard “Lord British” Garriott. Even today, the walls in my office are decorated with the cloth maps of the old Ultima games.
Accordingly, I had to try Ultima Online as soon as it was released in the fall of 1997. My first experiences were very formative in two ways:
- From then on, I tried more and more MMORPGs and have remained loyal to the genre to this day
- One of my first gaming experiences was related to PvP. I was tricked by other players into becoming a wanted criminal in the game world. It took forever to get rid of that reputation. Since then, I am not a fan of PvP in MMOs
Can nostalgia still convince today?
What excites me about Legends of Aria: Apart from the PvP disaster, I associate many beautiful memories with Ultima Online. I loved the freedom to do what I wanted. Exploring the world at my own pace, discovering secrets, and slowly getting better was simply a lot of fun for me.
I experienced so many exciting adventures with other players that I still fondly remember today. Therefore, I hope for a similar gaming experience from Legends of Aria. I want to enjoy that freedom again and feel that sensation that Ultima Online evoked in me.
- Explore a dungeon with friends
- Then sell the treasures to finally afford a better sword from the blacksmith
- After that, go fishing to get food
- Later, go on a treasure hunt with buddies
- In the evening, celebrate with friends in the tavern
- Finally, bring everything to your own house, which you keep expanding and decorating
- The next day, new adventures await
What I’m very curious about: We are no longer in the year 1997. Computer games have changed over the past 20 years. My gaming habits today are different than they were back then. So I wonder if the gameplay principle of an Ultima Online can still appeal to me today as it did back then.
That’s why I haven’t played yet: I am currently waiting for the early access launch on Steam, which will take place on January 9, 2019. Of course, I could have bought a founder’s package and played earlier. But just because I have such high hopes for the title, I don’t want to be disappointed by versions that do not really represent the game yet.
I am sure that the early access version has its problems, but with this version, I have a bit more confidence because the developers are daring to reach out to the large crowd of Steam players.
What about you? Are you already playing Legends of Aria or do you plan to test the early access version?
