On July 9, Swords of Legends Online (SOLO) was released on Steam, Epic, and the Gameforge Launcher. Although the release went exceptionally well and the new MMORPG is receiving predominantly positive reviews, there isn’t much buzz around the game.
What’s going on? Swords of Legends is a new theme park MMORPG that was released in China in 2019 and is now being brought to the West by Gameforge. It features a traditional story between good and evil, offers various PvE and PvP content, and stands out primarily with its graphics and combat system.
The launch on July 9 went surprisingly smoothly for European players. We at MeinMMO had actually prepared for server issues and an appropriate live ticker for the release, which turned out to be unnecessary because there were lags due to the high number of players throughout the day, but never a server crash. In NA, there were a few issues, but these were resolved with a fix.
This was also praised in the first Steam reviews. The user Sera writes, for example, (via Steam): “After more than 20 years of MMORPG experience, I must say that this has been the best launch of a game I have ever experienced.”
How is SOLO doing right now? Although the release was just a few days ago, there is surprisingly little buzz surrounding the new MMORPG. However, it is performing rather well.
- SOLO peaked at 18,701 players on Steam on July 12 (via SteamCharts). It ranks on Valve’s platform above games like SWTOR, Albion Online, or RuneScape. Additionally, there are players using the Gameforge client and those on Epic, meaning the total player count is higher.
- Currently, SOLO has 1,238 reviews on Steam, of which 76% are positive. This means the game almost made it onto the list of MMORPGs with the best ratings on Steam (starting from 79%).
We at MeinMMO summarize the first reactions from players for you. You can also read a detailed first impressions report on SOLO here:
Combat system, graphics, and shop are top-notch, quests and translations are a flop
What do the first reviews say about SOLO? Many users on Steam praise the game for its traditional approach as a theme park MMORPG that comes without sandbox and pay-to-win aspects:
- Jagerdelights writes (via Steam): “I like the game so far. I am currently level 23, but everything feels like a traditional MMO. Complete quests in a specific area and move on to the next. From what I see, the game focuses mainly on dungeons and raids in the endgame. People also praise it for not being pay-to-win. So far, I only see cosmetics in the shop.”
- Hex Girl would recommend the game to all MMORPG fans even now (via Steam): “Amazing Game. I still need to experience the endgame content, but everything I’ve played so far has been great. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone looking for a new MMORPG to spend their time on, whether casual or hardcore.”
- Assblaster69 has only the performance as a criticism after 46 hours of gameplay (via Steam): “Probably the best MMO I’ve ever played. Not a single pay-to-win aspect or advantage for real money. PvP is fun, and PvE is as well. The only downside is poor performance in some populated areas, but it’s not game-breaking, at least not for me…”
The user AkiLLez doesn’t label the new MMORPG as perfect in his detailed review but exactly describes it as the fresh wind he needed (via Steam):
Is it perfect? No. But it is a fresh breeze for someone like me who loves MMORPGs. I have exclusively played WoW for a long time, and like many others, I’ve recently felt burnt out and in search of something new.
I will start with the positives: There seems to be no pay-to-win content. The graphics and scenery of the world are fantastic. The combat system is fluid and flexible, and there are tons of quests […]. The only negative I notice is that in large areas and big cities, it can be a bit laggy […].
I really enjoy this game and am glad I bought it. It’s nice to know I have something aside from WoW to play and enjoy.
For an insight into the MMORPG and a first impression, check out the video by YouTuber KiraTV:
What are critical voices saying? The negative reviews are primarily concerned about missing translations, weak introductions, and sometimes the general setting of the game:
- CLdumbAS sees the game as mostly neutral but gives a negative review in the end due to three things (via Steam): “1. The translation/localization is poor […]. 2. the abilities are somewhat interesting, but the descriptions are nearly useless […]. 3. The story is generic, unfocused, and hard to follow…”
- The user Boom SwagZ struggles primarily with the introduction (via Steam): “Currently, I am level 22 and the game is giving me headaches. My current experience is: It’s poorly optimized, some translations in the menus make no sense, and it has an extremely poor questing system that sometimes shows quest objectives and sometimes does not […]. I will continue playing since I’ve already sunk so many hours into it and I can’t return it now. I’ll see if this ‘endgame’ is really worth it.”
- The user Astorolus writes (via Steam): “The combat system has potential, but the story, the poor character customization (everyone looks like they are just 18?) and the very linear story turn me off. The maps are very linearly designed to go from point A to point B. It requires no imagination; it’s a no-brainer game, a massive single-player action game.”
Some negative reviews also point out that there are no western servers in America, that the game is cheaper on other platforms than Steam, and that the support currently responds very slowly.
Little hype due to the Asia setting?
Why is there no hype despite good reviews? There is no clear answer to this, but several aspects come into play:
- Swords of Legends looks like a classic Asian MMORPG at first glance, from which people have often been disappointed in recent years. However, it does not include an unfair gear system and pay-to-win.
- There have been some uncertainties surrounding the open-world PvP, which we have clarified for you.
- Gameforge did not run a massive marketing campaign and did not utilize events like E3 for this purpose.
- SOLO was released at a time when COVID restrictions were being relaxed, the European Championship was taking place, and the weather was improving.
If you are wondering what is all included in SOLO and whether the MMORPG might be for you, we have compiled an overview of the key contents:
Swords of Legends: 9 things you need to know about the new MMORPG
