It is free but it is lots of fun
Let me tell you this thing upfront - If you are looking for a good change, this game is the thing you need to check out.
I downloaded this game just after watching some youtube videos (please check them out) and i was very impressed by the gameplay and game physics, and after starting the game I was hooked to it right away. After playing it for good deal of time, I am still not bored and will surely play it for long time ahead.
Good -
1) It puts you straight in action. It is a kind of tutorial but is more situational and you feel connected to it.
2) Very less or no grind - I have been playing this game for some time and so far there wasnt even a single time when i felt that i am trying to grind up levels or skills. Since I was trying to get all kinds of achievements, now I felt that i have been playing this game slowly than I could. But well it is all fun. I know there is so much more content in this game that i have touched and this is a fresh feeling.
3) This game is very easy to pick up and get hooked to. Gameplay is easy but after initial rookie missions (first boat place) you will find that it is not as easy as it seemed. I really liked it because around teh time when you have some kind of feeling that this game is for kids, this game will become harder as in the boss battles will become little harder and more challenging.
Also this game is for everyone. For example if you are new to action games, you will find it easy to play in parties and have fun. And if you are like me (loves Demon's Souls) who wants to get all hard achievements and try to kill stuff solo, will also find it decently challanging.
4) Graphics and sounds are great. Infact graphics are very real like and so far I didnt find any major glitch or issues with game. Though I have a good PC, I think this game will run decently well on lower configs also. Another thing to note is that though this is just launched, I see a lot of people playing this game so getting into parties will not be an issue specially on evenings and weekends. There were very few instances when I felt lag, but that can be due to the host (party leader). But 98% of times it was flawless. Faster loadings and smooth action.
5) And ofcourse it is free to play and with all that content you cant complain much.
Bad -
1) Character customization is close to none. You cant even choose your gender.
2) few classes - Right now there are only 3 classes that we can choose from. They are going to add another 2. but actually these classes will become kinda hybrid classes at higher levels by learning transformations and skills (Lann which is a warrior class can transform into a paladin etc)
3) No places to discover and travel means there is nothign to explore. there is one town which acts as a hub to get quests and get other stuff done like crafting. and outside town there is a dock which is gateway for launching instances or dungeons for completing quests.
This is what makes this game diff as it has constant action. Some peopel will say it is good that you dont want to travel to diff places just to get missions. But I personally liek to travel and explore new areas and stuff so for me this was a little turn off.
Summary -
This game has good potential. If they fix current issues with game and keep on supplying new content and bring variety in the game I am very sure that this game can easily be a successful game.
Still at this point of time this looks like a great game and is a lot of fun to play. I am pretty sure if you will pick this up, you will not be very much disappointed. Keeping into consideration that this game is fairly new, it is all fun.