Marvel Heroes 2015, Lineage Eternal, and Lost Ark – these are the action RPGs of the future. But they are no longer the hack’n slashes of a few years ago. Many features come from the MMO sector. They seem to be found in every genre today. With so much MMO in the DNA: How much hack’n’slash of the old Diablo school is still in the new games?
Action RPG meets MMO?
Hack’n’slashes or action RPGs have their own charm: The isometric camera perspective provides a unique gaming experience and farming until the long-awaited legendary drops keeps players engaged for a long time. The action-packed battles, where hordes of monsters are smashed in seconds, captivate and excite. Blizzard has proven that this old recipe still works today.
However, newer titles in the industry are taking a new path and aim to distinguish themselves from classic titles like Diablo 3: Away from single-player existence, towards a more social action RPG. Interaction with fellow players is at the forefront. The interaction possibilities clearly go beyond a small and optional multiplayer mode.
The Decade of Superheroes
If you can’t get enough of Ironman, Hulk, or Captain America despite all the movies, Marvel Heroes 2015 is a good choice.
Initially branded a flop, Marvel Heroes was rebranded last year and has since undergone numerous changes – and these seem to be good and sensible measures. The game has since been showered with positive ratings in America. The creators themselves describe it as a combination of action RPG and MMO.
The developers claim to have integrated the first raid within an action RPG. An interesting effect: suddenly there are world-first discussions in the forum. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Marvel Heroes 2015 was the first ever online action/RPG to feature raids, and it continues such challenging events for high-level players with AXIS, now available.
Similar to Diablo 3’s Paragon system, Marvel Heroes 2015 uses Omega points: through this alternative leveling system, characters can become even more powerful. This moves Marvel Heroes 2015 away from pure item farming as the sole “progress” driver.
Of course, Omega points are just another way to kill monsters even faster to obtain the required items. However, such a system provides additional motivation, apart from the conventional item spiral.
The most important difference is the inclination towards the social gaming experience: In Marvel, there are several types of group quests. You meet players everywhere – whether in so-called social hubs or in the zones of the iconic Marvel universe.
Graphical Fireworks: Lost Ark
Another action RPG with a variety of MMO elements is Lost Ark. The Asian game primarily impresses with its lavish graphics and promises an open world with breathtaking boss battles at release. 18 classes are available – there’s plenty to do.
The MMO elements in Lost Ark are primarily intended to strengthen cooperation. Jumping through dynamically created levels alone is not exciting. Current action RPGs require little tactical understanding from bosses as well. Lost Ark promises variety: partially open regions, large player cities, and tactically compelling boss battles.
Lost Ark has several unique selling points: Those interested in PvP can look for enemies in opponent-occupied zones. Open-world PvP has not been seen in this way in an action RPG before.
Additionally, there is a crafting system with jobs, where players must gather plants and mine ores.
Collaboration should be at the center, as there is a desire to move away from the “I chop everything alone” image of hack’n’slashes. Therefore, developers often talk in interviews about a “MMORPG”, where players are supposed to be dependent on each other. This idea goes so far that Lost Ark will feature minigames like card games in taverns. How about a Hearthstone-lite in Diablo 3?
Lineage Eternal: Up to 500 players in one area
Last but not least, the NextGen-action MMO Lineage Eternal is on the starting blocks when it comes to implementing MMO features in action RPGs. Up to 500 players are expected to be able to coexist in a land. Open world is also the focus here, which is supposed to be packed with dynamic events similar to Guild Wars 2. Up to 20 players can also fit into a raid.
PvP fans will find a good home in the Korean hit: In instanced arenas, players will face off against each other, but open PvP is also on the table. Rumor has it that the action MMORPG will bring about the siege of enemy buildings or territories – this would fit perfectly with the PvP character of the Lineage series.
For NCSoft, Lineage is something like a “new beginning” after the “Wildstar debacle“. Lineage Eternal is expected to enter its first beta in 2015 after a long development phase.
MMO Elements Everywhere
In hack’n’slashes, long-term motivation has so far worked quite well through a simple item spiral. But action RPGs are increasingly adopting elements from classic MMOs: open world, raids, or group quests – the list is long, and the solutions are obvious. After all, long-term motivation is the motto of the hour, and developers are willing to take unusual paths to increase long-term motivation and keep players engaged with their games. It is logical that they draw inspiration from MMOs.
That such a takeover of features can work well is shown by the online shooters Destiny and Warframe, which have found and occupied an attractive niche with their MMO elements. Both games excite many players and do not let them go. Social interactions and a better multiplayer experience are the things that Lineage, Marvel Heroes, and Lost Ark focus on.
[intense_blockquote color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#fa2f2f” width=”40%” rightalign=”1″]The beginning of this list was made by Marvel Heroes. You can already play it if you register at marvelheroes.com.[/intense_blockquote]
Let’s see how well the three action RPGs presented here manage to implement the social elements and whether their plans will be crowned with success. One thing is already certain: In the future, you will not have to slaughter hordes of monsters alone anymore.
What do you think, is the classic hack’n’slash slowly dying out?
