"Submarine Sandwich dipped in Maple Syrup"

Maplestory is an action rpg that may be too sweet for its own good. If you've never played Pokemon you may want to take off a point or two. (I'll explain later) The Maple world plays out on-line and in 2D. Note that your PC needs to be able to handle 3D graphics because there can be a lot happening on screen at once. Hacking is less rampant these days but walking into a hacked mapped can still cause headaches. Just move along and change channels plz. The quality of the game is high and it is worth trying if you don't mind the lack of an official ending.

A good chunk of game play is fighting monsters. Based on your choice of 4 classes you battle various foes from up close or afar. The main starter jobs include bowman, mage, rogue and warrior. Through later levels the classes attack skills balance out more but you will want to try to choose one that you like early. Each class seems to be strong at certain levels but I like to think it depends more on skill. Everyone starts as a beginner on Maple Island. Beginners learn a few skills that can be helpful but not essential. A great benefit of the first class is that they lose no experience upon dying. Maplestory has a fairly easy learning curve early in the adventure. The only real downside to low levels is the lack of variety in clothing.

There are a ton of different areas to explore in Maplestory. Every region has its own atmosphere with unique maps and music. Navigation can be tricky depending on the environment. Areas with natural hazards are generally annoying but I often trek through them to see what is on the other side. As your avatar gets stronger you can survive more damage and explore more dangerous zones. Each town has a different vibe and is usually monster free. Towns let you access one of two methods of transportation. The first method, warping (through various actions) blacks out your view and you re-appear at your destination. Depending on the distance, I prefer the second option of using the keyboard to get around. While moving on flat ground can be slow, jumping from high platforms is fast and fun. As long as you are not leaping into a pit of monsters traveling south is the best. Going against gravity is harder of course but there are ropes and ladders to help. Swimming is ok but not as quick as jumping off cliffs. Nexon/ Wizet continuously updates the world and adds new maps often.

Monsters
The main way to advance in Maplestory is to kill monsters to get experience points. The Maple monsters won't just sit back and let you pummel them though. After you hit most monsters they will immediately chase after you. To help prevent cheap deaths you can only take damage from one monster at a time. I think this is very important( and a plus) as lag is common and combat takes place in real time. Some monsters have magic that can hurt you through walls or from across the screen. Enemy magic is a pain but it is your own fault for attacking in the first place. Most monsters behave as you would expect them to.(snails move slowly while penguins are fast) Pretty much anything that flies is a pest and aggravating to take down. Super strong monsters can be searched out and fought if you are looking for a challenge.

There is a wide variety of different monsters; from cute, eager to brawl mushrooms, to slow and tough Axe stumps. Maplestory has no shortage of stronger things to fight but you may get sick of fighting enemies with big grins on their faces. I would say battles in Maplestory are similar to those in Wanders from YS III on the SNES. You don't raise pet monsters to fight but Maplestory is a lot like Pokemon in terms of leveling. In most versions of Pokemon getting levels 1-60 is fairly easy while higher than 60 is hard. In Maplestory the hard part starts at roughly 35 or so. Every level up is a big deal in Maple story; especially if you are on the verge of mastering a new skill. There are various quests including party quests and finishing them is optional.

Plot ?/ 10
Maplestory does not contain one continuous overall goal. (Unless you count getting stronger) Instead the game is broken up into various mini quests. If you are really interested you can open the quest menu during and after quests to read bits about non player characters or their problems. The advantage of this approach is that it is very easy to skip the text. The down side is that these small bits of story are extremely easy to overlook.(Some times a good thing) In a game like this you should be fighting most of the time but I think some of the reading is worth looking at. The missions themselves can be good or bad. (Not a lot of in between) Usually you will be tasked with collecting a large sum of certain objects. There are exceptions and I like to think that several quests were intended to be completed by going to the Free Market. The worst quests are those that tempt new players to get in over their heads. On the one hand I think a quest that can leave a player stranded is kind of funny but some thing like that is only funny as long as its not happening to me. Another type of lousy quest are ones that target overly powerful monsters that when attempted are likely to result in death. I think the worst of the worst quests involve high numbers of items with mismatched rewards. The best way to play it is to just be wary of where you send your character.

Because of the prize given or logically making sense some missions are worth completing. Quests that earn rare or valuable items are usually good even if you can simply buy the item(s). There are a couple of tasks that reward you with interesting or insightful bits of text (plus your normal prize). Some of the best missions are ones that are semi-related and link to other ones. If you can spare time out of your training regime quests that involve travel are very nice. Sometimes it will be your job just to maintain enough space in your inventory to keep up with the flow of special items. The best quests to complete require few items and/or they appear easily. Jump quests are platforming challenges that sometimes give good items. They are worth trying but can be difficult if you don't feel like concentrating. The scattered story is optional but the rest of the game is more than good enough to compensate.

Sound 8/ 10
Some tunes are quite catchy but hearing the same music for hours can be annoying. Try not to train in one spot for too long. Almost every monster has their own distinct voice/scream when they die or take damage. Curse Eyes let out deep loud groans when dying but not as deep as Stone Golems. When Tick tocks get hit they let out a sort of bell chime while Robot monsters beep. You may not be able to hear everything if your speakers are lacking base. (some headphones work ok)

Play Control 10/ 10
Except for a few buttons all the controls are customizable and extremely tight. (they have to be for Jump quests) You still need real life DEX to get higher levels though. Skills and status points can be divided up however you see fit. Although most classes have recommended builds for stats and when to learn what attack skills.

Game play 10/ 10
Maplestory largely depends on how you want to play. The action is mainly about slaughtering hordes of monsters but you can choose to do other things. What Maplestory does it does very well. To reach high levels and quests you'll need to be fairly committed and check out a good guide or two. There are currently 3 class changes with plans for a fourth. On the other hand you would be fine just playing at low levels. By simple flash game standards Maplestory is exceptional.

Graphics 10/ 10
Maplestory fits in perfectly with the best of the SNES crowd in terms of looks. (Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy) Monster designs and environments are way above average, no problems there. Buying new equipment can be tedious in rpg;s but not so in Maplestory. When looking at an item a box pops up that shows more detail and a better view of the stats. It does not sound like much but it really makes a difference. Most equips are visible on your character and arguably you could play just to find stuff to show off with.

The Free Market
NX Cash opens up extra stuff and makes it easier to make mesoes. The main (Maplestory) game costs nothing to play but you will have to work harder to make money. In the free market there are shops and a lot of people. (The Maple Community!) There is a real economy here, with inflation, trading, deflation, scams, everything and everybody. The best way to modify equipment is through the use of magic scrolls. Scrolls that work 100% of the time can be bought form NPC's in the game, others must be found or bought from other players. Attack scrolls are highly valued and hard to find. The lower the success rate the greater possible improvement for the item. However items have a limit to how many scrolls can be attempted. It is not uncommon to see 10 ten percent scrolls fail. For all intents and purposes it is completely random. I think this is an interesting aspect of Maplestory as you are forced to balance risk with benefit. Market prices vary from server to server but last time I checked a 60% scroll for glove attack went for over 6 million.(when did this become a casino sim?) It is a neat balancing act as all levels of gear use the same kinds of scrolls. It would not be a terrible idea to try and get rich off of scrolls, it's possible as everyone has similar chances of finding random scrolls.

Level guide (in my opinion):
1-20: Casual fun game
21-40: Harder but still fun
41-59: Challenging and less helpful quests appear
60 and up: At this point leveling becomes more like an extreme sport. Prepare to suffer if you bungled your stats or have out dated equipment.

Maplestory is a pretty fun game stuffed with content. You can chat and team up with others from the start if you want to. Training is a good challenge and the Free market can be a nice diversion. While it is easy to write off the game play as action/ rpg, I lke how it sometimes crosses other genres. Many times Maplestory felt like a shooter, simulation and occasionally even a real time strategy game. There is a lot to see but Maplestory boils down to how far you want to take it. Go ahead and give it a try, just don't be sad if you end up with a stomach ache afterwards.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/07