it is an EXTREMELY hard sell if not outright impossible for me to explain why this game is one of my favorites of all time and is quite possibly the game i've put the most amount of time into ever. it's bizarre because i've never really considered myself an MMO person, but this game is really just something i always feel like revisiting.
i think the best way i can explain why i love this game is that i discovered it in middle school and was nothing short of obsessed. there's just something very engaging about the premise and the systems in place. character growth feels immediate and very observable, so you constantly have a positive feedback loop encouraging you to get stronger. the music is fantastic, and the dynamic composition of the area themes helps them seamlessly shift from ambiance to frenetic energy when necessary.
beyond that, there's something very simple and enjoyable about this game. there's a reason why there's still a dedicated fanbase for this game that hosts private servers 20 years later. again, i can't really in good conscience recommend this game to anyone because it's such an aged game, and, in general, i find it'd be really difficult to sell "play an MMO offline" as an experience. but, keep in mind, that i am not exaggerating when i say i have yearly urges to play this game for months at a time. this game has done to me what cigarettes do to most people, and that counts for something.
i think the best way i can explain why i love this game is that i discovered it in middle school and was nothing short of obsessed. there's just something very engaging about the premise and the systems in place. character growth feels immediate and very observable, so you constantly have a positive feedback loop encouraging you to get stronger. the music is fantastic, and the dynamic composition of the area themes helps them seamlessly shift from ambiance to frenetic energy when necessary.
beyond that, there's something very simple and enjoyable about this game. there's a reason why there's still a dedicated fanbase for this game that hosts private servers 20 years later. again, i can't really in good conscience recommend this game to anyone because it's such an aged game, and, in general, i find it'd be really difficult to sell "play an MMO offline" as an experience. but, keep in mind, that i am not exaggerating when i say i have yearly urges to play this game for months at a time. this game has done to me what cigarettes do to most people, and that counts for something.