Recent reviews by Y ' M

zon't zoo it

Most of what you are reading is basically "MANA UPDATE AND ITEM WIPE RUINED IT". Now this consistency might sound circlejerky and immature at first examination. But it is completely true, and it is why a game I used to play for multiple hours at a time, I can now only muster 15-20 minutes of before I drop it for at least a month. It hurts that a game that I was once addicted too, that I've bought all the DLC for, now is completely unsatisfying. Please don't let the "Very Positive" label fool you, those positive reviews are outdated.

Early game:

Basically a top down fast hack slash with RPG elements that took a lot of design choices from The Binding of Isaac (I highly recommend TBOI, go play any version of that instead, it is what you are looking for if you like a game like this.) You would fight five waves and a boss in areas, and after five areas you would move on to an act boss and finally the next act. Dungeons and shops have the chance to spawn after each wave in each area. (This hasn't changed)

Each character has a skill tree and stats to apply. Among the character tree are both passive and active skills with level requirements. Active skills could always be activated whenever off cooldown, encouraging expirimentation with how they combo together and how best to use them in sequence. The skills are binded a bit akwardly, but can be gotten used to, taking up 1234 slots and not slots closer to the WASD buttons like Q, E, R, and F, or something similar.

Honestly the game took some grinding, as even though skill and stat points applied are permanent, they serve more to augment which of your characters stats or skills does end up more prominent than others. Relics found in dungeons, bought in shops, or picked up at the end of areas heavily help your character, giving certain passive or active skills, or even just certain stat boosts. The actual combat was pretty fun in a lot of ways, so the difficulty due to health/armor constraints disappeared the longer you play or the farther you get. An inventory with items [still constricted to your current run I think?] was introduced. It didn't have too much depth, but it was just starting and there were some items that made getting skills above your level requirement possible, so it was pretty nice. It doesn't pause the game for it though, so you have to be fast. It is made easy by the side by side comparison of the currrent and new item, and the simplicity of the choice of either replacing or dropping.

Definitely wasn't perfect, and didn't have the greatest balance, but it still managed to be fun, at least for me, so w/e. :) Multiplayer was in development, quite buggy, but it was exciting to think that online co-op was coming.

Changes:

I had dropped the game for a bit due to other games grabbing my attention (Dota 2, TF2, Half-Life series, etc.), nothing I mentioned before really forced me away. But the combination of all this new stuff is ....eh.

• SUDDENLY MANA. Not only does this add a constraint to gameplay that maintained a lot of its fun due to fast combos of spells for some classes or spammable spells for others, mana costs grow exponentially for all skills per points put into them. This means gameplay is nearly permanently slower forever. Fun crashes to lowest levels yet. Pre-existing characters suffer the most, as the more skill points they have, the more trouble they have now that they have nowhere near enough points into this new attribute that controls mana. Experience for levels also still grows exponentially it seems, so it isn't easy to grind the stat points needed.
  
• Items you had are wiped as the inventory is complicated. You can hold onto items now however, you can't just walk over items to pick them up (this might of been how it was in the original actually so scratch that?), the inventory controls are now clunkier and laggy to accomadate, and you still aren't paused, meaning you can still die while struggling to navigate your even more complicated interface. You can't just add more button presses to just equip an item without allowing the player more time to do so. This can be circumvented with only fiddling with your inventory at the end of areas, but it still is slow and a bit frustrating.
  
• From what I've noticed, the grinding and difficulty issues haven't been really fixed, but I can hardly play this for any comparable duration, so what do I know? I guess I only have my complete disinterest in the game as of now to control my decision making ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Kappa
  
• Multiplayer is a bit more playable, but there are still many issues.... yuck.
  
• There is now a town warp that helps with reaching end game content which might help some with grinding and has some odd stuff (A beach ball and a probable boss rush maybe?). Has some pale excuses for NPC's, and an acheivement for not ignoring this new yet bare bones looking feature. Could work if I could stand playing this for longer...?

Okay, I'm definitely being repetitive with how it isn't as enjoyable, but it is a main part of why I liked this so much. The balancing is awkward, the controls are a bit weird, and the grinding has always been a bit of tedium. But there was also the satisfying times of sequencing or spamming spells, and finding more and more relics to majorly augment my run kept me hooked despite it not being a "great game". This was a guilty pleasure of mine. But I now I feel with these changes I've been pushed back into the grinding, and it will be even harder for me to find enjoyment in it to the same extent due to the limitations of the new game. I mean, I haven't even had personal experience with the apparently horrible staff. (All I know is that from the time I followed the creator's twitter he was often quite bratty) Play something else. Save yourself the time.

Unless you buy this whenever it goes on a super low sale again to farm cards, don't bother shilling out any money for this. You play on variously colored stages with weapons constricted to the level, either going down hallways with enemies lined up or hopping between all too copious amounts of platforms. Often there are unexplained objects that will attack or kill you, or things that are there for no good reason at all. A combination of glitches, unexplained insta-deaths, oddly behaving controls, and the fact that after you die you have to skip through an annoying cutscene slowly reload the whole level and start from the beginning makes nearly every level a nuisance. The number of things that could be constituted as good in this game are so minute in detail and number that they wouldn't take up all the fingers on one hand. The level design is lazy. The graphics are so lazy that there are elements copy-pasted within a stage and between stages. There is nothing in the gameplay (except for frustration) that you can't find nearly anywhere else better. Timed stages (stage? I haven't played through all of this, only a little more than 2/3) do not work as they should. Pausing simply doesn't work at all. I've wasted too much time with this horrible thing, even for the ten cents I bought it for. If there is anything even remotely worth buying this game for, it could be the sound design and track, but it eally is more cliched than anything, and you can buy it separately. Don't buy this game. It isn't worth it (unless it is a few cents profit).

Realm of the Mad God, in short is a unique and addictive experience in co-op bullet hell shooting that you need to try. If only on private fan-made servers. Note; I mostly played it in a browser.

Story: There isn't much story at all, at least within the game. Since the same types of enemies spawn within each RNG realm, and the action-packed gameplay is the main show, the lack of it or even lore fits well. All that is ever hinted at within the game is each quest boss's dialogue. (This dialogue is exempt from a few, I think.) 8?/10

Visuals: A charming controversy to say the least. The base for the original game was made during a competition where they were ALL challenged to use this one sprite set. Since the games from this competition have surfaced, the comment sections below any other game made in it will surely be discussing it. The sprite set wasn't bad either. The game utilizes a 2.5 top-down view with pop-out walls. Confused? Well, trust me it works very well for the style. It add's depth to a view that is otherwise flat, allowing for the distinction of space very well. This pixelated style is the same for everything but the menus and text, which is an interesting contrast. Leveling up, Heals, Mana Heals, Damage Taken, Class Quests and Character Unlocks quickly display over your character quickly and small enough to not be too intrusive, and come with a cool visual to catch your eye. ( ;) You'll see it.) 9/10

Music: There is only one music track, which despite being catchy, doesn't really either capture a mood or depict an atmosphere; it is just catchy and upbeat. There could've been more work within the music before Kabam had come along, but it was never done. After a while of playing this, you'll have your own playlist. However the sound effects are most important. Weapon sounds aren't memorable or intrusive, but you only hear your own. The enemy sounds are nice, since your focus is hurting the enemies, each enemy has a sound for when it is hit, along with you. Don't mute any sounds effects. Often through packed dungeons or the mysterious fame trains, you need some kind of confirmaton that you've hit something, there's an item drop, or you are hit yourself. Since you only hear sounds relevant to you, listening to the game's sounds will alert you to important events throughout the chaos happening on your screen, allowing you to pay attention to the visually subtle. 8/10

Overall Gameplay:
i. Design: For a bullet hell shooter, not being able to see your hitbox sucks. It pretty much is your whole character, which makes things a little harder and frustating. But aside from that, hhis is easily one of the most addicting, well-made-easy-to-access MMO's out there. Most of the time you aren't alone, and except for select dungeons, you can always teleport to someone else and fight monsters with them. This is the basis of "fame trains". However, be warned. The difficulty spikes in the ascent from level 10 to 20. You often ventured off on your own in a new environment with less than adequate armor amidst swarming enemies just for what previously seemed to be an innocent quest. This is the toughest part (except for select dungeons again) of the game to try to pass when not teleporting or joining fame trains to quickly boost up one's stats. You will lose characters a lot this way so be cautious and make sure to pay attention to what monsters are worth staying around to fight and which one's you should just run from. The unfiltered pixelated violence is very refreshing throughout, and it never seems too complicated, but it throws enough curveballs when regarding certain tiers of equipment one should use. The classes are... somewhat balanced, but Wizards, Knights, Priests, and perhaps Warriors and Paladins are the top priorities and are the most useful, especially lategame, which should be expected. These classes provide the typical Nuke, Stun, and Heal skills which are often most important in other RPG's and MOBA's. There is an absolutely amazing and thriving trade system, it feels completely like a real underground market, with its currency in "stat pots" (hehe... pot). ROTMG somehow keeps one painfully coming back for more though, which is surprising for all the RQ'ing that it has caused over the years. 4/5

ii. Controls: The downsides in design are compensated by the majorly well-made controls. Advanced players can enjoy camera rotation for easy dodging and toggling of the center of the camera. Each inventory spot has a mapped hotkey. and the defaults simplicity work very well. Most importantly, they are crisp. It may be harder to keep up with even your movement due to the speed, but it is necessary. 5/5

iii. Content: Great variety in classes and enemies, and the dungeons spawn from enemy death, so they are currently well placed. There were a lot of popular fan-made dungeons though that were great ideas and were never implemented. This broke our hearts many times while checking updates. It all isn't hard to memorize, and doesn't have much flair again during levels 10-20. 4/5

iv. Enjoyabilitynessity: To sum it up, I go back to it periodically even when I'm not in a craze about it. It leaves an imprint, unforgettable like a small tattoo of a heart that you look at every once in a while and remember fond memories. 4/5

Overall Score: 84/100

BUT WAIT!

We haven't addressed the elephant in the room! Kabam. Screw Kabam. I've been reviewing pre-Kabam ROTMG. With Kabam's meddling added to the mix...

Kabam Overall Score: 72/100

A whole letter grade. I'll now explain why.

Story: The dialogue within new content isn't anything too good, plus on their way through remaking ROTMG they got rid of the main source of fanlore. Otherwise same. 7/10

Visuals: Nothing. No real improvements, but the style of the art was pretty steadfast since the beginning. 9/10

Music: Same. 8/10

Overall Gameplay:

i. Design: Endgame is accessible by paying and the market was debilitated. New people with money but no practice buy the loot, rush into endgame content, die, lose gear, blame perma-death and occasionally Kabam, then leave forever. GG. Pet system is OP, distracting and P2W. 1/5

ii. Controls: The only new thing is that the pets follow you like Half-Life NPC's. Sadly not enough of an issue to lose a point. 5/5

iii. Content: Only thing they improved. Content has been pumping out compared to before. New class, many new dungeons (lvls 10-20 are still in horrible shape) the pet system, backpack, more skins and "boosts". 5/5

iv. Enjoyabilitynessity: No more integrity within being able to reach the endgame, the "bundles" from them are constantly shoved in your face, and anyone who played the old game just feels dirty playing the new one. You can play with hacks on the official server just by visiting another webpage. It leaves a bad aftertaste, without its usual addictiveness. 1/5

So... yuck. I only recommend the private servers, and they have spotty service, which is saddening.

p.s. now owned by DECA, improvements and regular updates made, go play this game

IT IS FUN. I suggest you at least give it a try, this genre is very enjoyable