The new sandbox MMO Project X mixes elements of Minecraft and Animal Crossing into a cute hustle with a focus on social interactions. The game utilizes mechanics from mobile games and is set to be released for iOS, Android, and PC. If you want to take a closer look at the cute world, you can now sign up for the beta.
What kind of game is Project X? The developer studio “Dazzle Rocks” from Finland is developing the sandbox MMO with a focus on the mobile edition. The game is mainly about exploring, building, and having adventures with friends or other players.
You arrive on the Lost Islands and receive your own island, which you are supposed to design excitingly. In the game, there is a kind of social network with which you present your creations to other players, who can then visit and play on your island. It’s about creating adventures and sharing them with others.
The progress mechanics are quite similar to those of many other mobile-first titles. You have a currency that you earn through quests and can gradually unlock more and more items. But you also collect resources and craft other useful items, furniture, house blocks – whatever you need at the moment.
For a first look at the game, we’re embedding a gameplay video from the beta from July:
What is the current status of the game? In the email for the beta registration, the developers state that the current beta is still a very early state of the game. However, a larger release could take place this year. However, this is not very concrete. It might just be an extension of the beta.
The developers emphasize on their homepage that Project X is to be continuously developed for years, bringing long-term motivation through new gameplay opportunities and fresh landscapes (via dazzle.rocks).
When does the beta start? The beta of Project X has already been running for a few weeks. The developers are continually adding new players, and thus the MMO continues to grow.
What do Minecraft and Animal Crossing have in common? Similar to Minecraft, you are constantly on the lookout for new resources during your “building phases” and shape the world according to your ideas. However, this doesn’t go as far as in Minecraft. While you can partially dismantle your surroundings, there are no deep pits down to the bedrock in Project X. There will, however, be a PvE component, you can breed animals, and Project X is also set to be released for PC (via mmorpg.org.pl).
Like in Minecraft, you should have the freedom to choose what you want to do next.
You can then share your created world with other players just like in Animal Crossing. In fact, the social aspects are supposed to play a significant role in the game. You take photos of your house / fortress / maze, post it in the game’s internal social network, and hope for plenty of visitors.
With them, you can explore your island, and if the visitors liked it, they can leave a tip.
That a focus on building one’s own world and social interaction can work well in MMOs has been impressively proven by Animal Crossing. MeinMMO author Eilyn Rapp has also spent a lot of time in Animal Crossing and even found real friends to play with.
Project X further develops the idea and gives players even more freedom over their creations. Does that sound like something you want to try as well? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.
