On July 14, the MMORPG Chimeraland was released on Steam. This especially attracted attention with its crazy character editor. Almost a week after the release, the reviews are mixed, with some praising the game for its crazy and sometimes somewhat cheap presentation.
What kind of game is this? Chimeraland is a survival MMORPG where you can create a character from crazy animal beings. Due to the crazy editor, we at MeinMMO already played Chimeraland back in January.
Apart from this editor, the game offers some typical MMORPG elements combined with survival:
- There is no class system. Armor and weapons determine your playstyle.
- You follow a story that is told through the main quest.
- There is an open world with multiple continents without loading screens, full of different animal species.
- You can tame these animals and cross them to create new monsters.
- There are collecting and crafting systems, through which you can level up actively, just like in New World.
- You can build in the open world and create your own hideout.
- In general, it’s all about exploring the world and having fun. If you want, you can also engage in PvP in certain zones.
Chimeraland is free-to-play and is available on PC, as well as on Android and iOS. The game is financed through a real-money shop with cosmetic items, XP buffs, chests with materials, and automatic completions of daily quests, as well as an additional purchasable Battle Pass.
However, you don’t need these things if you just want to cause mischief in the open world.
Praise for the animal beings, trashy and quirky content
How is the game received after the release? Reactions to Chimeraland are very mixed. The 601 reviews on Steam (as of July 20) are 59% positive. However, some players are not even sure why they are playing the MMORPG at all.
The user Lennox writes after 70 hours of gameplay:
The game has no reason to be so entertaining. It is a mobile port and pretty nonsense. And the cash shop can be a problem, especially if you want to min-max. Disadvantages also include the controls, which remind me of mobile ports, and it has the longest tutorial in the world (please skip it).
But on the pro side, there are pets. You can use them as mounts, employ them in combat, and they have a cosmetic role. The questing is also simple and rewarding. The combat is fun, the world is huge, and the base/clan-building is deep.
With so few downsides, I don’t understand why people give such mixed reviews. It is really easy to pick up and put down. It’s fun to explore openly and just make your own adventures, progress, and decisions for the day. And I hope it gets even better. I’m literally addicted.
Many other positive reviews also highlight the brief fun the game generates, especially due to its quirky elements:
- SxvenSouls: “I mean, I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m enjoying it.”
- XipherZen: “Like most, I was damn skeptical when I snagged this free product from the Steam shelf. But I have to say that this game, as bizarre as it is, and despite the many bugs it has, is great.”
- slowz2secret writes on reddit: “What makes the game so fun is the trashiness. It’s a mess of everything you can imagine. The beta was already a lot of fun to play, and I have seen the strangest creations of anything you can imagine. I will play it again for fun.”
Many reviews emphasize that Chimeraland cannot replace a full-fledged AAA MMORPG, but it can be quite entertaining for at least a few dozen hours. We also had surprisingly a lot of fun while playing, despite lags and other issues due to the Asian servers:
Players warn: Don’t play Chimeraland on Steam
What are the negative voices saying? The biggest criticism of Chimeraland is currently its performance. It is said to be generally problematic, but particularly on Steam. If you want to have a good experience with the MMORPG, you should switch to the normal client. You can download it from the official website (via Chimeraland).
Additionally, bugs, the bad UI, and the controls are criticized. The controls while flying and some issues in combat are also mentioned. In terms of technical aspects, Chimeraland has several problems.
The user vibing writes:
One of the strangest, most confusing, and broken experiences one can have in an MMORPG. Nothing really makes sense and a lot is thrown at you in the first 5 minutes of the game. The saving grace is the grotesqueries you can create in the character editor, but the gameplay is at best mediocre.
However, some negative reviews see the potential that Chimeraland could be at least entertaining for a short time without technical issues, with a better tutorial and a revision of the controls.
Developers are committed and in close communication
How was the development of the game? Chimeraland is developed by the indie studio Pixel Soft. They have left a very positive impression in their communication with their community:
- The community team is very active on Discord.
- They regularly post small clips and videos about their game.
- They regularly host events, both in-game and in the form of screenshot contests. They also activated special Twitch drops until July 31.
Currently, there is another screenshot contest focused on the characters players have created:
However, it is somewhat unclear what new features are planned for Chimeraland. There is currently no roadmap or anything similar.
What do you think about Chimeraland? Have you tried the MMORPG or are you still skeptical? Feel free to share it in the comments.
If you’re still hoping for a new MMORPG in 2022, you’re in luck. Another 11 titles are set to be released:
