Ashen Empires

"Dransik, Great MMORPG in the making"

Let me start off by saying that Dransik is a very fun and addicting MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Roleplaying Game). It is still in beta, but has been for a few years, and just keeps on getting better.

Graphics 9
The graphics are very detailed ''2-D Isometric''. Lets just say they are pretty much 3D, except you cant rotate your view. The artists are some that worked on the Ultima games.

Gameplay 10
The gameplay of Dransik is VERY fun. You start off on the island of Silvest (commonly referred to as ''newbie island''). There are alot of skills to level up and use to make items and collect gold. You have your basic combat skills, Large Blades, Small Blades, Polearms, Long Bows, Crossbows, Large Crossbows, Axes. There are many trade-skills too, Lumberjacking, Mining, Smelting, Digging, Milling, Woodworking, Farming, Planting, Harvesting. There are just so many to master and the great thing is you can do ALL of them. For every skill your exp will go up in only the skill you are using, but it also raises your overall EXP which increases your level. Increasing your level gives you an HP boost, and a few orbs (stat points) to put into Strength, Dexterity, Intelligiance, and Constitution (How fast your health goes up and by how much). The magic system is not the normal Mana system. In this system you collect runes to put on staffs or wands. The better your wand or staff the more runes it can hold. Different rune combinations create different spells. There are atleast 4 different main magic skills , nature, mind, body, soul. There are many different monsters to kill and that drop various amounts of gold and items depending on difficulty. The land is very big, with many towns to trade, buy various runes, and just explore. You can also expect more improvements in the future including Construction (building your own house, shops, and even castles. Also being able to build a town with others. The PK and Loot system is good too. You can kill as many as you want, at the expense of losing aligment, causing prices in shops to rise slightly. Looting will give you 1 criminal point, after 10 you will be sent to jail if you go to a town without Dark Guards.

Sound 7
This is still in beta, the sound is good, and has been getting better. Expect this to raise, but the sound so FAR is still pretty good for the atmosphere.

Replay Value 10
The replay value on this game is VERY good. Lets just say you could play for years and not get bored, and there are always updates being implemented.

Overall 9
Overall, Dransik is a very fun and addicting game, and getting better. There are 4 beta servers, and on average there are 400+ people on the main beta server. THIS GAME IS WORTH THE DOWNLOAD!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/10/02, Updated 11/10/02