Bless – Graphic Blender or Genre Jewel?
What is Bless? Bless or Bless Online is a South Korean MMORPG that was developed with the Unreal Engine 3 and with great effort. It boasts great graphics and a Hollywood-quality soundtrack. Bless focuses on the battle between two factions as XXL PvP and on a world reminiscent of European medieval times – for Asians, it is as exotic as the entire Kung Fu era is for us in Asia. The exotic race “Hawk” is clearly modeled after Germans.
Bless might be one of the last AAA MMORPGs to receive significant funding – even in South Korea, many studios are increasingly focusing on other genres.
No one was blown away in Korea
Best Case: The best case would be that Bless becomes a genre jewel, able to impress with its great graphics and provide classic MMORPG fans with the content they desperately seek.
Worst Case: In the worst case, Bless is a graphic blender that, while looking great, simply fails to entertain because the combat system is outdated and the gameplay lacks momentum.
How has the development gone so far? Bless has already been released in Korea – it hasn’t blown anyone away there. While the visuals are impressive, there are issues with gameplay. It simply did not provide enough entertainment for South Koreans to succeed – but it is being further developed and revamped by Neowiz.
For a Western port, they will likely want to rework the “Classic Tab-Targeting System” into an action system. The amazing visuals should in any case help keep interest in the title high.
Will it be a genre jewel?
Will it be released in the West in 2017? Yes, that can be expected. Bless is already on the market in Korea. A publisher for the West has been found – although Aeria Games states that it will take some effort to localize this massive undertaking and adjust the combat system.
Mein MMO says: Bless is the last of 5 games that we discussed back in early 2015 in the article “The most promising MMORPGs of 2015 and 2016″. Three of those have since launched in the West, one has been discontinued, and Bless is still pending. Expectations and enthusiasm for the title have significantly decreased since the days of its impressive trailers. The disappointing Korean launch is to blame.
Today, it would likely be a success if the game ends up somewhere with “Fans of the genre should definitely check it out”.
Update June 2017: It is now clear that Neowiz will be bringing Bless to Europe, not Aeria Games. Allegedly, Neowiz wanted more time for adjustments to gameplay, which Aeria Games was unwilling to allow. A release of Bless in the West is likely to be expected only in 2018.
For more information about Bless, we recommend the beta report from one of our readers who tested the game in Korea:
Bless Preview: So plays the new MMORPG early in 2016
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