To be or not to be? To BE frank, I really don't know.
Actually, it is. But its also much more than that.
Maple Story isn't your run-of-the-mill fantasy RPG. Its a a quirky fantasy RPG. And that's what makes it special.
To start off, the graphics are weird. 2-D, but weird. The environments, throughout the game, are surprisingly detailed, if not slightly repetitive. The character detail though, is quite amazing. An overwhelming number of items are available in the game, so when you progress in to the middle and later stages of the game, no one character looks the same. A large quantity of these items, though, are only available by using actually money to buy them.This makes it tough for people who just want to play the game for fun, to become very powerful. On the other hand the game itself is free, so you really can't complain about this.
A few issues arise in gameplay, though. While the hack n' slash part of the game is fine, as are the magical and ranged modes, the slight problem of repetitiveness creeps in.
At the beginning of MS, addictiveness is quite common. But when you reach a certain point, the game asks you do the same things quite often. Not doing these things slow down the growth of your character, and possibly the enjoyability of the game on a whole. And doing these things becomes quite boring and occasionally irritating
Another issue is the sheer amount of content available to a new character, and this can really land one into trouble, like adventuring into places with creatures that can kill them with one hit. There really aren't any warning signs or barriers for weaker players, so that they are safe from any unnecessary danger.
Besides these, the game is quite immersive, and sometimes immensely fun.
The music is probably the quirkiest part of the game, but is quite refreshing to listen to, with a rustic and adventurous feel to it.
I downloaded this game, and found it quite enjoyable in the beginning, but its appeal wore off when I found not a lot of new things to do.
In the end, Maple Story is a good game, especially for free. But the question is, are you ready to take it along with its drawbacks?
My rating:
Gameplay 8.1
Fun 7.6
Graphics 8.4
Sound 8.2
Replay Value 7.3
Overall 7.9