Story

No story in MapleStory… Surprise! Surprise! Are you? Well, it is very hard, at first, to understand why there is no storyline that you will find in the game considering its name. There just isn’t. Whatever reason Wizet has in choosing this name, we don’t know. Let’s all leave it at that. The only hint of a story I find in the game is that once you reach a certain level, you get to choose a class: warrior, bowman, magician or a thief. Then, probably, you can create a story of your own. So, play on!

Gameplay

The game itself is your usual adventure type of game where players embark on a journey and encounter different creatures along the way. To earn points, in MapleStory’s case, experience, your character has to kill these creatures or monsters. And in earning your experience points, you get to reach higher levels, otherwise known as leveling up. At first, you feel excited and challenged since you still don’t know what lies ahead and you feel content with walking around, jumping on platforms and whacking those monsters for points and other items. But as you continue playing for some time, boredom may set it. Fortunately, the designers of the game included tasks that players need to perform for extra bonuses or rewards. These quests add some spice to the game. Personally, I get a kick out of performing the quests as it enhances my interest in the game.

Joining a party quest or a guild with other players is also pretty neat. You get to be part of a team with a common goal. It gives the players a sense of camaraderie and cooperation.

Graphics

Most of the players agree on one thing: the game has great graphics. The characters are cartoon-ish in appearance and not a few liked its anime-like features. The monsters are so cute that sometimes you feel sad in having to kill them, especially when you see them grimace while being hit or attacked. The graphics very much appeal to the artistic inclination of people who go for beautiful sceneries and backgrounds as is very much evident in the way the maps are drawn and the way the houses, shops and surroundings were designed. It gives one a feeling of being at-home with the environment of the game. Getting hooked in the game by its graphics alone is not far-fetched.

Sounds

The players are divided with their views on the game’s sounds and music. A lot find it good while others feel that the repetitive nature of a lot of the background music is annoying. I belong to the first group. I find the music soothing and relaxing despite the fact that what my character does most of the time in the game is to kill monsters. Most of the tunes are so catchy that I find myself humming the melody of the songs even if I am already doing something else. I also agree with some players who find the application of each music to a particular town, scene or background, appropriate. The sound effects are also nice. It is so cute to hear the shrieks and moans of the monsters when being hit and attacked. In addition, the sound of the characters’ movements make for a fun and exciting game play.

Controls

The controls of this game are very easy to learn, use and master. It is very simple and straight-forward. It won’t give the players any difficulty in using them especially for the newbies. A big plus is that a player can “customize” his own controls according to his own style and system of playing. It also does away with the frequent use of the mouse to click and move, which a lot of players feel they can do without. Controlling your character’s movements is very easy in using the arrow keys. I, for one, find it easier to use these as opposed to toggling with the letter keys. The location of the arrow keys on the keyboard is better.

Overall

Overall, I say the game is very fun and exciting to play. I would even go to the extent of giving it a very high recommendation to those looking for a new game to get addicted to. With a new patch coming out every now and then, MapleStory will surely be more interesting in the coming months. It is no wonder that it has become so popular that several versions of the game were developed and released.

To read more reviews about the game, you can visit the links listed below.

http://www.neoseeker.com/Games/Products/PC/maple_story/

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/review/924697.html

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/maplestory/players.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/Maple_Story_PC/4505-9696_7-31612925.html

http://www.gameogre.com/reviewdirectory/reviews/Maple_Story.php

http://www.games.net/pc/112285/index.shtml