Regnum

"Regnum Online" proves the existence of time travel. At least, that's the only explanation I can give for developer and publisher NGD Studios releasing an MMO better suited for the late 90s in today's market. And no, this isn't one of those timeless beauties.

This is standard MMO stuff. Players start out as a weak adult character and slowly level their way up to a point where rodents no longer inflict crippling blows. Along the way to the level cap quests are completed, points are applied to customize battle prowess, and thousands of animals are farmed for precious experience points. Like I said, standard stuff.

In our original write-up for "Regnum," the previous reviewer said the title "looks and plays similarly to the pay-to-play MMORPG 'Dark Age of Camelot.'" I can't support that claim, as I've never played "DAoC," but this comparison litters "Regnum" online discussions, so it must be true ... right?

I'm told the biggest similarity between the two titles is the realm-based warfare, where three factions composed of varying races fight against each other. It's also supposedly the biggest draw of both MMOs, according to numerous reviews, comments, and in-game discussions I've personally viewed. If that's the case, then why the heck did NGD place the shining jewel so far out of reach of the casual player?

I didn't reach the realm vs realm part of the game. I'd have to hit at least level 37 to do so, but to really enjoy it I'd need to hit 50, according to the advice of over a dozen high level players. Truthfully, between the moment I was assigned this review and when this review copy goes live, I didn't reach level 37, let alone 50. In a way, I'm relieved. I strongly disliked every second I spent in this virtual world.

"Regnum's" a visually appalling piece of work. With the graphics cranked to their highest, characters are still composed of the most basic flat-surfaced shapes with nary a hint of artistic inspiration. To no surprise, they all run, attack, walk, and bow with equivalent artistic grace. I've seen second quarter budding game designers churn out more inspired and effective content than this. "Everquest" didn't have better visuals when Sony released it in early 1999, but it's not far behind.

The sparse and basic sound design also contributes to the time travel theory of mine, as does the music. At one time, the midi instrumentation used throughout this soundtrack may have been the best electronic substitutes for real world instruments available to a consumer. They didn't sound like the real thing, but they were the closest you could get on a budget. Now, the advancements in music technology fool even the most trained audio engineers, making the old, digital-sounding crap significantly less delightful. It's really a shame for NPG, as "Regnum's" score stands out as a moderately bright beacon in the dark haze of mediocrity.

One reviewer on another site noted the combat in "Regnum" is "slower" and "more tactical" than what's offered in similar titles. This person is wrong. Combat pace doesn't necessarily dictate level of strategy, and, if anything, combat vs NPCs feels more basic here than usual, due in large part to the brain dead A.I. I frequently ran into battle and alt-tabbed out of the program to do something else while my warrior auto-attacked enemies. I imagine PvP combat requires a bit more thinking, but nothing more than what we're now used to; the combat mechanics work like nearly every other MMO.

And therein lies the biggest problem. Aside from the original story and music, everything in "Regnum's" been done before, and better, in both free-to-play and subscription titles. With better options available, why spend your leisure time in a virtual world designed by a gaming company who took Prince's famous lyrics "party like it's 1999" a little too seriously?

Review Kyle Stallock
September 16, 2009
http://mmohub.org/game/regnum-online/