The developers of Albion Online, the upcoming single-server cross-platform MMO, have just released a new trailer detailing the game’s features, which, to be honest, sound almost too good to be true. The game’s been on our radar for some time, but now we have more information and a better idea of the game’s scope. According to the trailer below and the website, Albion Online will let you live the medieval life of your dreams; you can fight, farm, trade, craft, build a house, join guilds, and much more. Now, I know that you can find these features in other MMOs, but what makes Albion Online stand out are the nuances of the various features and systems. Apparently, the game has a player-driven, complex economy affected by local events like conflicts. Everything in the game world is player-made or player-collected, which will probably make the world feel more interactive.
The character classes appear much more fluid than in other MMOs, with a “destiny board" acting as a skill tree that helps you specialize your character. Guilds are also important in the game as they can take over land and expand (at the expense of others, of course). The game will be cross-platform and universal and will play on a single server, which is great news for players whose friends are strewn across the world. If you want to find out more about Albion Online, you can go here to learn more about the various features. The game has had an Alpha before, but it’s getting ready to re-open it on June 29th. Now, the Alpha is a paid one and not for iOS, but the Founder’s Packs also offer various in-game bonus items in addition to Alpha and Beta access. If you are the kind of player who enjoys those kinds of perks, you might want to check those Packs out.
Albion Online sounds fascinating, especially when you consider that this game will play on my iPhone and iPad. Having the ability to traverse such a complex world while sitting on my…couch sounds amazing. And that’s exactly why I’m slightly apprehensive about Sandbox Interactive’s ability to deliver the kind of features that would even make a PC MMO stand out, let alone a cross-platform one. The video that shows the game playing on multiple platforms is promising as the iPad version looks good and seems to play fine (although you can see how it takes much longer to load). The idea of a cross-platform PVP mode worries me, though; I don’t believe I can compete against a mouse-and-keyboard player without getting smashed instantly, but, perhaps, the developers have a plan to help remedy such issues. I hope the developers can deliver on their promises because such a game would be an iOS gem. I’m very cautiously optimistic, and I’ll be keeping a very close eye on the development of Albion Online, all the while hoping that I can finally have a little farm in a corner of Albion that I can cultivate while waiting for my coffee or having a beer. People in our forums are very excited about this game, so it appears I’m not alone. As the game is just entering Alpha, I don’t expect it to release any time soon, and I suspect it’s going the F2P route, but we shall see. Are you excited about this one, or do you fear that it won’t turn out as good as we are hoping?
