Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is an MMORPG that has been in development for over 6 years. The game aims to appeal to old-school fans and has now presented new gameplay. While it may not be particularly pretty, the content of the game is well-received by many viewers.
What does the gameplay show? The approximately 38-minute-long video from the developers showcases the new client, character creation, and the first steps in Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. This footage is from the pre-alpha.
Accordingly, the graphics of the game currently look like this. The shown material is an interim solution where gameplay is being developed first. The UI and animations are also very simple. The final graphics are expected to look very different, similar to what is shown in this gameplay video.
What convinces fans about the video? Pantheon is supposed to be an old-school MMORPG with slower combat and progression systems. In the comments, these aspects are seen positively.
At the beginning, the developer can do nothing else in the fight against the wolf than perform an auto-attack and heal. New skills are only gradually unlocked. Also, the climbing, which will be possible in the MMORPG and was shown in the video, is perceived positively by many.
The developers also emphasize in the livestream that players will be able to fail in Pantheon and that there is a learning curve. Many new MMORPGs are considered too easy. This will likely not be the case with Pantheon.
For many fans of the game, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has also made huge strides compared to older videos, especially in terms of animation. They see it as a good sign and hope that the MMORPG will soon transition into an alpha.
Some others, however, criticize the engine (Unity) in which the game is being developed. They fear that it will be already “outdated” before it even releases.
Pantheon focuses on PvE and old-school feeling
What kind of game is it actually? Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen aims to be a classic MMORPG, tying back to the time just before WoW, when the developers were not yet looking to engage single-player fans.
Pantheon places its focus on group play and PvE. Here we can expect plenty of quests and fights against monsters. The MMORPG employs a similar system to Guild Wars 1: You have access to only a certain number of skills and spells at the same time. Therefore, the right strategy for the appropriate dungeon is also important.
Another interesting idea is lifelike NPCs. They are supposed to change their behavior towards you whenever you do something in the game.
When will Pantheon be released? In its current state, the MMORPG is in pre-alpha, 6 years after the Kickstarter campaign, which by the way failed in 2014. A release in 2021 seems unlikely at the moment.
Things look a bit better for Ashes of Creation, another MMORPG in development. There, the alpha is supposed to start in the fall, and recently, the combat system was presented in detail. And it looks really good already. However, the release is still unknown here.
