Pagan Online has hit Early Access on Steam. MeinMMO author Benedict tested it for a few hours. Here is his first impression of the new action RPG from the makers of World of Tanks.
What is Pagan Online? Pagan Online is an action RPG in the style of Diablo. The story of Pagan Online is influenced by Slavic mythology, where you play as a fallen hero who returns to Earth for missions.
Pagan Online has been available in Early Access on Steam since April 18, 2019 and offers:
- 8 unique classes
- various game modes such as campaign, hunts, and assassinations in three difficulty levels
- crafting
- a social hub
After about six hours in the game, I was able to get my first impression of most of these features. The game is generally quite entertaining and fun, at least for a few rounds in between.
This article is a first impression of the game. Pagan Online is in Early Access and much can still change before the release. This is not a comprehensive review.
This is how the classes work
At the beginning of the game, one of three characters can be selected, each embodying a class:
- Anya, a vampire lady and wizard
- Kingewitch, a melee fighter and berserker
- Istok, a tank with a shield
All other heroes must be earned through shards that are more or less difficult to obtain. The first new hero for most players is likely to be Lukian, whose shards drop abundantly in the first assassinations.
What I have noticed about the classes so far is that they play quite differently. As Anya, I rely on spells that only reveal their true power in the right combination and order.
I learn new skills with each level of my hero, but they are developed at a station in the Pantheon. This is a lengthy process, and after six hours, I haven’t even made it a quarter of the way through. This promises further depth and longer motivation, especially for all eight classes.
This is how good the combat system is
Pagan Online offers an innovative approach to the combat system for an ARPG. The hero is controlled with WASD, abilities are mapped to mouse buttons, Shift, E, and other keys.
While this makes battles in Pagan Online feel much more intense, it’s also less intuitive than mouse control, as I know it from Diablo.
I found it somewhat tiring at times, especially when movement skills react to my current walking direction rather than my cursor position. It takes a bit of work to get used to the combat system, especially if you’re used to other hack and slays.
The fights themselves are exciting, positioning and enemy control become important early on, and even the first boss fights are quite challenging. While I could easily take down the Butcher and Leoric in Diablo III, the “Abomination of Chernobog” nearly killed me. My first assassination even failed because I died.
This is how the story is integrated
The story is the main driving force for the narrative in Pagan Online and is even mandatory for the early steps, as many features cannot be unlocked without it. The first mission gives me a preview of the endgame of my hero – and then kills him.
lntheon, into which I am welcomed, is a place for fallen heroes. As I encounter more NPCs there throughout the story, you can imagine how they ended up there over time.
The story explains that the gods have disappeared and my task is to find them or figure out what happened. An old man with a talking raven continually provides me with information.
All of this is a nice gimmick, but it also strains the enjoyment of the game a bit. I really like the story, but it is somewhat told in a tedious manner and is constantly interrupted by rather generic fights. I would prefer a bit more separation between storytelling, perhaps with cutscenes, and pure action.
What is the gameplay like?
What I have experienced so far is often monotonous. Between the coherent story being told, enemies repeatedly spawn in waves wanting to be defeated. Although the fights are fun, it becomes a bit tedious after the third battle with three waves each.
Additionally, there seem to be missing instructions. The old man tells me what I am supposed to do in the current mission. However, why I suddenly have something to do with a businessman to enter a temple, following him to defeat hordes of enemies, is not explained.
There is also a lack of a display indicating what or why I should do something. An arrow shows me where I need to go – or rather, where the next battle awaits. Enemies don’t simply appear; they spawn out of nowhere.
There are also “challenges” that I can complete, but don’t have to. Tasks appear at the edge of the screen that I can tackle to earn more points. However, these have different triggers and it is not really explained when or what I should do. These challenges (like: “Don’t use healing or ability X”) are cool to make missions more challenging, but get lost in the mix.
This is not only the case in the campaign missions but also in assassinations and other missions. A short introductory text provides historical context, but a simple: “Go there and kill 200 enemies, then the boss” would be a better instruction for me.
The thing with the graphics …
Graphically, Pagan Online is simply not a beauty. Several MeinMMO readers have referred to Pagan Online’s graphics as “mobile game” graphics, and that kind of fits.
I personally don’t mind, because Pagan Online runs super smoothly and is simply fun to play. The skills are beautifully animated (bats suck the blood from my enemies and heal me with it!) and the world looks good.
I find good gameplay and a deep story more important than the best graphics, which is why I still enjoy Pagan Online even with this look. However, how important that is, everyone has to decide for themselves.
What about the MMO aspect?
Currently, Pagan Online can only be played solo in the missions. I only encounter other players in the Pantheon, and their names appear on the leaderboards of the respective missions.
I still don’t know what to do with the other people who are also playing. It’s cool to have a social hub where I can see other heroes. But I can’t really recognize any actual benefit yet.
Conclusion: Pagan Online is fun for a quick play
In a final word, I would describe Pagan Online as a very successful game for casual play. The gameplay and story are well done, the heroes are unique, and I find the wide selection very good.
I often feel like diving in and playing for half an hour or more. After one or two or three missions, however, it also feels good to turn to other things. For me, it’s a great game to simply disconnect from time to time.
If you prefer to see for yourself, you can buy Pagan Online for currently €26.99 on Steam or for €26.99 at the Wargaming Shop as well.
Are you still waiting for “your” next hack & slay 2019?
