Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is an MMORPG that fully focuses on PvE and group play. Due to the orientation and the well-known developer Brad McQuaid, many players have had high hopes since 2014. However, the latest gameplay disappoints.
What is the game about? Brad McQuaid, who was significantly involved in EverQuest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, announced his new MMORPG in 2014. It was supposed to hark back to old school games and place a significant focus on the social component:
- There will be 14 different classes available at launch.
- The leveling phase is supposed to be long and non-skippable.
- Quests will not be marked by glowing exclamation points; instead, you need to talk to the NPCs. Many quests will also not be completable alone, requiring a group.
- Exploration of the world and hidden secrets are intended to play a role.
- At release, there should be 15 dungeons that all require at least two hours of playtime if you want to complete them.
Many players immediately identified with the ideas and placed great hopes in the game. However, the development was sluggish, and the death of Brad McQuaid in 2019 also set the project back. Only in January 2023 were the first pre-alpha tests conducted for players who had previously supported it through crowdfunding. However, the content could not be shown.
What’s new now? The YouTuber PantheonPlus has now received permission to show gameplay. In just under two hours, he presents some battles with a group of players, content from the open world, and the climbing feature. However, the displayed gameplay has received criticism.
You can watch the livestream here:
“It looks like a game for the PlayStation 2”
What is being criticized? The first major criticism mentioned by many is the graphics. These appear very outdated in the current pre-alpha stage. In the MMORPG subreddit, players compare these to titles from the early 2000s like Old School RuneScape or games on the PlayStation 2.
However, the gameplay is also not well received. For example, a user describes that it takes 6 players and nearly 90 seconds of combat time for a skeleton in the open world, calling it “the most boring game feel ever.”
In its current state, Pantheon somewhat resembles Embers Adrift, an indie PvE MMORPG that was released last year. It also focuses on group play, has rather weak graphics, and very slow battles.
However, the most significant irritation arises from the fact that this gameplay is the result of nearly 8.5 years of development time. The MMORPG also has far less content to offer than many players had hoped for.
Is there also praise? Yes. Under the YouTube video itself, many positive comments can be found, likely because it primarily attracts fans of the game.
For instance, group play is mentioned positively several times. Here, it is important to position them correctly and coordinate when to use which skills. The overall group dynamics are one of Pantheon’s great strengths.
Some have defended the graphics, bugs, and missing content by saying that the game has already developed enormously and is still in pre-alpha. Thus, there is still enough time to provide the necessary polish.
It is repeatedly celebrated as the upcoming successor to EverQuest.
What do you think about Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen? Does the gameplay appeal to you, and do you still have high hopes? Or is the MMORPG going in the wrong direction? Feel free to write it in the comments.
For more about new MMORPGs, click here: All 58 MMORPGs currently in development for PC.
