Broken Ranks
Setting: Fantasy | Developer: Whitemoon | Platform: PC Release Date: January 25, 2022 | Model: Free2Play
What kind of game is this? In Broken Ranks, you play a character who has lost his family and home to the evil Utor. The story is accordingly dark. Otherwise, the theme park MMORPG focuses on content such as:
- Numerous main and side quests
- Various classes, including archer, druid, knight, and voodoo, a spiritual class
- Group instances in the form of dungeons and raids
- Crafting and trading between players
- A shop without Pay2Win content and a special premium currency that you can also exchange or give away in-game
- A complete German localization
However, you traverse a 2.5D world in the iso perspective, which resembles a painting in style.
What is special about it? Broken Ranks relies on a turn-based combat system. In the open world, you attack a monster and are then taken to a separate screen. There you fight, along with other players, against the enemies:
- You have 10 seconds to choose your skills and the type of your defense
- In total, you have 12 action points available, which you can distribute among 5 skills and 3 types of defense (melee, ranged, magic). You can invest up to five points in each skill.
- After the 10 seconds, the actions are then executed. Your character can theoretically use up to five skills in one turn, provided you have invested at least one action point in each skill.
You can watch how the first minutes in Broken Ranks play out in this video:
How has it been since the release? Although Broken Ranks does not officially share player numbers, the developers are very satisfied with the game’s launch according to their Discord. There is also already a large roadmap for 2022/23, in which future updates have been presented.
The MMORPG serves a niche but is doing very well there.
Who is it interesting for? Broken Ranks is a dark game with a unique setting. The iso perspective and turn-based combat system are very specific and may not appeal to everyone. But it’s precisely these elements that make the MMORPG interesting.
In every fight, there are strategic decisions for attack and defense. These become even more important when starting group contents. Likely, Broken Ranks will lead a niche existence due to these elements, but those looking for a more unusual game should give the MMORPG at least a chance.
You can find more information about the game in my first look report:
The brilliant combat system makes Broken Ranks a true MMORPG secret tip
