Tarisland (PC, Mobile) is a new MMORPG from the gaming giant Tencent. Although it strongly resembles WoW, the developers believe in its huge success, as they told us at gamescom 2023. This is mainly due to the mobile version without autoplay and pay-to-win and with a strong focus on instances. It is almost unique.
What kind of game is it? Tarisland is a theme park MMORPG in a comic style reminiscent of WoW. You create a character and follow a story while completing quests.
- For classes, you can choose from warrior, paladin, mage, hunter, priest, bard, and a type of demon hunter with two glaives.
- The combat system uses tab-targeting, but you only have 8 abilities that can be modified according to your wishes. Each class gets trees with 40 to 81 talents.
- In the mid and endgame, there are dungeons and raids for 10 players.
- The PvP is supposed to take place in arenas and battlegrounds and be “balanced”. There is no open-world PvP.
- All of this is financed through a shop, which is supposed to completely avoid pay-to-win.
According to the developers, the goal is to appeal primarily to fans of theme park MMORPGs. However, their unique selling point is supposed to be the strong mobile version that allows Tarisland to be played on the go, unlike WoW or Final Fantasy XIV.
MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch was able to play a dungeon in the midgame during gamescom.
Strong battles, strong dungeons
What makes Tarisland so interesting? The new MMORPG is said to be of very high quality and felt that way during the approximately 20 minutes of gameplay. The combat system was very fluid, and all abilities could be used while moving. I tried the warrior both as a damage dealer and as a tank.
The three bosses played in the dungeon had quite interesting mechanics, including a phase where all players were turned into sheep and had to flee from wolves for 30 seconds. If only one player succeeds, the phase is successfully completed. If everyone gets caught, there will be a wipe.
The first instances can be completed optionally with other players or a group of NPCs. However, players will definitely be required for the later raids.
By the way, the game offers a DMG meter for the group right from the start. According to the developers, this is important for learning from mistakes and getting better.
In terms of equipment, the MMORPG relies either on special drops that you can farm in the instances or crafting. Character development is also influenced by level, talents, and later inscriptions.
With inscriptions, you can modify skills. This allows you to adjust damage and effects, enabling each player to develop their own playstyle.
The highest quality MMORPG for Android and iOS?
Is that enough for a good MMORPG? The graphics, gameplay, and the first boss mechanics looked very solid. I wasn’t completely thrilled, but I also wasn’t disappointed at any point. It feels like a good MMORPG behind the big titles like WoW, GW2, or ESO.
Where the game has its strength is in the mobile version. Tarisland would not only be the best MMORPG for Android and iOS graphically, but it also completely avoids autoplay and pay-to-win in the shop. There, there are mainly cosmetics.
Additionally, there is crossplay between PC and mobile. You can play with your familiar characters on the go.
The developers stated in an interview that they see a huge market gap because there is simply no fair and simultaneously good mobile MMORPG in third-person view with a focus on instances. They want to impress right here.
This statement has a kernel of truth, as even in our list of the best mobile MMORPGs, mainly games in isometric perspective – like Albion or RuneScape – or titles with autoplay, such as Black Desert Mobile or Perfect World Mobile, are listed.
Is there a downside? I personally find the gender lock a bit bothersome. Each class only offers one gender – as a warrior, you are always male. This is unlikely to change anytime soon. According to the developers, it is very time-consuming to offer both genders for each class, as they would otherwise have to adjust all skins in the game.
However, additional classes are expected to come in the future that serve a similar role but in the other gender. This is also similar to Black Desert.
What do you think about Tarisland? Will you give it a try? And if so, will you play on PC or will you also test the mobile version?
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