A 23-year-old MMORPG classic gets a 3rd part. This awakens many old memories in the first real gameplay trailer.
Which game is this about? This is about the new MMORPG Ragnarok Online 3 (short RO3). The game is being developed by the Korean studio Gravity. They have now released a new gameplay trailer that clearly targets fans of the original.
You can watch this trailer here:
What does the trailer show? The trailer begins with someone logging into Ragnarok Online. After a brief look back at the original, it cuts to RO3. It is particularly noticeable that the new game retains the basic aesthetic of the original: The MMORPG continues to be played from a top-down perspective, and the character models strongly resemble those from the first part.
At the same time, the developers have significantly enhanced the graphics: While meadows in the original were just a ground texture, we now see blades of grass and flowers sprouting. Environments are more detailed and therefore do not appear as flat as in the original, which is now over 23 years old.
Fans indulge in nostalgia, but are also concerned
What are the reactions to the trailer? The trailer managed to engage lots of fans in an instant. The anticipation for the game is high, as shown by the comments on YouTube.
- “I’m a family man now, please Gravity don’t do this to me,” writes Sentientolive. ElChad agrees, saying: “I was thinking the exact same thing. My new child is gonna lose her dad to his 20 year old nostalgia.”
- SohmaMiso feels transported back to when he played Ragnarok Online for the first time: “I was 12 years old and it was my first time playing Ragnarok Online during the CBT Beta 1. I really miss those days – going to the internet café with my friends after school. Those were precious memories I’ll never forget.”
- FlawlessFido just begs the developers: “Please don’t mess it up, please don’t mess it up, PLEASE DON’T MESS IT UP!”
However, there is also concern that the developers might mess it up somehow. Especially regarding the monetization in RO3, fans fear the worst.
- “Please don’t mess up the game with pay-to-win. Just keep monetization limited to cosmetic items and let players grind like the good old days,” writes waruna92 on YouTube.
On Reddit, fans remain skeptical as well, just like Reddit-user Lanoris. He asks: “Now, will this be nostalgia bait riddled with p2w and uber grindy systems under the guise of being faithful to old RO, or will this actually have improvements over the base game and stand alone as a competent successor? I have money on the former, but I’d be really happy if the latter happened.”
Did you still have Ragnarok Online on your radar and are you looking forward to part 3? Feel free to let us know in the comments. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus can still rave about this MMORPG today, which he also does in the following article: A 23-year-old MMORPG has the best class system ever and since then none have come close to it
