I surprisingly excellent game with solid graphics, a good storyline and entertaining gameplay.
First off, I did the usual YouTube tailer and gameplay check. While there wasn't much actual footage of the game, the trailer at least made me want to try it.
After logging into your account, you will be asked to choose a faction (Wow! What a surprise!): The Alliance Of Light or the Union Of Fury *cough* Alliance or Horde *cough*. I found that the Union Of Fury has a slight stat bonus when you begin playing, but other than that the only factor setting these unholy gore mongers apart from the Alliance Of Light is their dark skin, dark ways, and dark monsters. Personally, I chose the Alliance Of Light for the beautiful landscapes, Union of Furry can kiss my pretty little Alliance behind.
Character creation was simple, not going far past a few facial and hair features. Both factions give you the same types of classes for choosing, but they've been cleverly re-labeled (I.E. A Fighter in the Alliance is known as a Warrior in the Union, but both are basically the same).
So, instead of spending my time doubling over the names of classes I'm going to repeat over again under different signatures, I'll break them down in their stereotypes:
Assassins
Archers
Tankers
Fighters
Mages
Healers
All classes have major advantages and even severe disadvantages, so the game balances itself nicely. Teamwork is almost always essential for progression.
At this point I want to mention a unique feature that Shaiya introduces to the gaming world. Something to may be familiar with in single-player off the shelf games: Modes. As with single player games, you can actually choose a mode for your gameplay! There are four all together: Easy, Normal, Hard and Ultimate. Both Easy and Normal mode are available for a new player, but you have to "unlock" Hard and Ultimate modes. So what exactly sets the modes apart from one another and how the hell does Shaiya make this work? Take a look:
~~In Easy Mode, your character gains 2x the normal amount of exp, but the level cap is 30. This is awesome for learning how gameplay works and finding the perfect character for you!
~~In Normal Mode, you get the standard exp amount and once you reach level 50 (not the level cap for this mode), you can play in Hard Mode.
~~In Hard Mode, you need to kill more monsters to level and your skill requirements are raised, but you get extra Stat Points and Skill Points (making you more powerful). You also unlock some special, Hard Mode only skills. When you reach level 50 in Hard Mode, you unlock Ultimate Mode.
~~ Ultimate Mode is the ULTIMATE MODE. You will have a very hard time leveling, but you will also get much, much more Stat Points and Skill Points. You also unlock your most powerful skill in this mode. Be careful though! If you die in Ultimate Mode and are not resurrected by a Priest or cash item, your character will be deleted forever. OUCH, a hefty price to pay for power!
My beginning character class in Shaiya was a Mage. Controls were a bit daunting at first, but basically the same as any other MMORPG. I first took notice to the exceptional graphics, even at low quality the view was enjoyable and pleasent. It was certainly an eye candy, and a short relief from the wiles of most other games.
Music gets a 10/10 rating in my book. It's peaceful, relaxing and invigorating all at once. If you are a little skeptical about trying Shaiya, at least check out the soundtrack.
Something that surprised me about Shaiya was it's innate ability to seemingly read my mind. I wouldn't doubt it if the developers interviewed players to find out what they liked most. I found my first mission with great ease, and was even told exactly where to find the objectives (even monsters). No more trivial searching for the creatures, the quest info tells you all you need to know without any confusion.
I leveled up to level 2 in four kills, but had trouble setting my stats. You are given the choices of STR, REC, INT, WIS, DEX and LUC. So many stat choices creates confusion at first, but you'll soon learn that this makes each character in Shaiya a unique build, and no two are better or worst than the next.
Introduced exclusively to Shaiya is the Blessing system. This appears as a bar on the right lower side of your screen, displaying the face of your chosen faction's goddess. Battles are constantly fought between the two factions, and when your faction destroys a structure belonging to the opposing faction (on the battlefield of course), your blessing bar will increase slightly. When the bar is full, a Blessing will be given to each player in your in-world country for one hour. This will give you extreme bonuses in ALL of your stats, increase stone/weapon synchronization, decrease exp loss in case of death, and give you the distinct advantage over your opponents on the battlefield. If you get a Blessing while in the game, it's grinding time!
Items and armor in Shaiya are spectacular as well. Weapons are extremely cool looking, and armor get better each time you get a new set. Most of the time the quests will supply armor for you, so you hardly have to buy a thing, even if you do have 500K by level 15 (true story)!
I tried out various classes and to my surprise, they are nearly all perfectly balanced. For example, Tankers and Fighters are two separate classes, so you have to decide on a life of high EXP and low damage, or high damage and low HP. However, no player is at a disadvantage. A Priest (healer) is just as effective in the fighting zone as any other character, with the ability to turn allies into strong animals, and enemies into weak ones (not to mention the AOE attacks at about level 10).
The learning curve in Shaiya is around 30 minutes tops. It's a fun game, and lets face it... all we really want is to have fun! You'll find yourself playing hours on end and having a great time. 8/10 overall rating.