Atlus knows RPGs, that's for sure, and when they decided it was time to find an MMO to make their own, they were quite the picky bunch. They wanted a game that was unique, a game that would appeal to many types of online gamers, and a game that would be able to instill in the player a sense of pure joy. Finally, after massive amounts of research, the Atlus team settled on Neo Steam, a Chinese MMO with a steam punk flair. I got the chance to preview the game in a hands on tour last week (in the shot above I'm the tiny one stuck behind the panda), and have to say, I had a lot of fun despite myself.
The PvP system was the focus of our hands-on time with Neo Steam this go around, and I admit, I had fun despite myself. I'm not traditionally the PvP lover; I actually tend to avoid it like the plague. But seiging the enemy faction's city gave me a good opportunity to see the mammoth scale of the game, and it made me appreciate the variety of zones and areas that encompass the world of Neo Steam.
Visually Neo Steam has a surprising amount of detail for a Free to Play MMO. The items and armor available to characters are quite lovely, and I was pretty impressed by the unique style of the architecture in each of the zones we saw. While this isn't the most visually powerful MMO out there, the simple geometry is paired with cleverly designed textures that add a depth to the art style I did not expect.
Where the geometry of the buildings is simple, the spell effects in combat are the exact opposite. Everyone was flashing and exploding in balls of light all around me, and when anyone took damage, a comic-like damage meter flashed above their screens. After so much spell effects overload, I was almost happy to go back to the largely vacant towns to recharge my retinas.
I did not get the chance to experience the quest system in Neo Steam, but we are told that players will be able to level all the way through the max level of 110 purely through quests, which makes me happy. I will never be happy in a game where all you do is grind the day away. I do know that every player gets a pet, and that pet starts of teaching you how to play the game. Eventually the pet grows up as you level, until it is powerful enough to aid you in battle.
Neo Steam looks like it's shaping up to be a strong contender in the free-to-play MMO space. I was pleasantly surprised with the personality of the characters, and look forward to playing it when it leaves beta. If you are interested in getting into the Neo Steam beta, hop on over to their website and sign up.
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