On February 24, Old School Runescape launched on Steam. We’re looking at how the classic is received by players.
What is Old School Runescape? The MMORPG Runescape, which started in 2001, has changed significantly over the years. However, not everyone in the community was pleased with these modernizations, for example to the graphics. Therefore, the development studio Jagex decided in 2013 to release an Old School version based on the classic gameplay.
Old School Runescape offers the same graphics as its release 20 years ago and the gameplay mechanics from back then. However, the developers do not go all the way back to the very beginning. The MMORPG is based on the second version from 2007.
There are frequent updates with improvements; these are developed closely in consultation with fans to maintain the classic gameplay feel.
A classic makes a successful return
When did it launch on Steam? Since February 22, it has been possible to play Old School Runescape for free on Steam. However, the Free2Play version offers only limited content.
– 8 additional skills, including Farming, Thieving, and Berserking
– Access to the entire game world map
– Over 120 additional quests
– Access to powerful, exclusive items
– Dozens of exclusive mini-games
– Additional navigation options
On October 14, Jagex released the current modern version of Runescape on Steam. However, at that time there were calls from the community who also wanted to play the Old School version on the platform. The studio fulfilled this request.
How is the MMORPG received? According to SteamDB, as of February 25 at 9:45 AM, Old School Runescape has 3,595 concurrent players. The peak even reached 5,799 users.
The 2,307 ratings from players so far have a 95% approval rate.
We summarize a few voices from the community for you:
- fare says on Steam: ‘This is the Holy Grail of MMORPGs!’
- RICKO shares (via Steam): ‘Having played it for almost 20 years and accumulated around 17,000 hours, I can say it’s a good game. No other game has constantly brought me back.’
- •Eidolon• writes about Steam: ‘After playing it for 15 years, I can finally enjoy it on Steam, my favorite gaming platform.’
- Rufus Drachenherz is somewhat frustrated with the Free2Play model (via Steam): ‘It’s a little demo version instead of F2P. Only a few minimal skills and quests are unlocked. Already in the tutorial, there are several indications that the game content is severely restricted and becomes fully playable only with a monthly subscription. No, thanks.’
Anyone wanting to play Old School Runescape must be aware that it is a very old MMORPG. This is already apparent from the graphics alone. Nevertheless, it is still well received by players.
Have you had experiences with Runescape? Are you playing the Old School version on Steam?
We explain to you why the MMORPG RuneScape still fascinates so many players.
