Many of you will have an inkling what MMORP is all about. The acronym stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game and is the umbrella term for a game category which – riding on the coat tails of World of Warcraft – has garnered a mass following in the last few years.
There are two important factors to note in regards to this genre: 1. the role playing element mentioned in the name, and 2. the fact that several thousands of gamers play with and against each other and explore the game world together.
So the key thing to remember is that these games are built on the principle of (virtual) human (or alter-ego) interaction. While you may of course enjoy MMORPGs without being in too much contact with others you can only do so to a certain degree, becaus you will eventually encounter other players. Be it because you have to slay an enemy or because you are after the same item—there's no escaping having to interact with others at one point or another.
As for Ninja Action RPG: Ninja Royale, the game seems to have both vital elements that are required of any self-respecting MMORPG. This means that as a future player you have to sign up before you can enter the game world, populated by a large number of other gamers.
The storyline is that a little Ninja is on a journey and needs weapons along the way, as well as more energy which is won by advancing within the level system.
There are quite a few things I like a lot about this app, starting with different options for signing up. You can do so via Facebook or email. Once you've signed up you enter the game world immediately.
If you've played MMORPGs before you'll be familiar with their almost magnetic appeal. Jumping up levels quite quickly at the beginning proves to be very motivating, as does collecting items and other loot objects along the way. The rewards spur players on and before you know it several hours have gone by.
Okay, confession time: I made it through the first 20 levels within a few hours, my fingers tightly gripped to my One X.
The gameplay itself is simple. There are missions and combats for items. Missions are based on three/four basic elements: the player must get through several checkpoints, collecting equipment and items along the way, as well as respond to other players' challenges. A challenge can mean battling it out against another player using different weapons, including a good old fashioned sword. After the fight is over, the player who's done the most damage receives a special bonus on top of the winner's bonus.
The combat system – just like the mission system – remains the same throughout the game. It is important to note that the number of rounds in a battle is limited and can be "regenerated" through a waiting period or, if you don't want to wait, by using the special items. This would be my first critique of the game: at the beginning these waiting times aren't too bad thanks to the quick level ups, but later on I was continuously forced to resort to using my special items. Once the special items are gone you can choose to purchase more using real money via in-app purchases, meaning users who pay have an advantage over users who don't. We appreciate that app developers depend on some form of incoming and MMORPGs have to be lucrative, but this should not be strictly contingent on in-game related sales, IMO.
A fun detail: items – be it weapons, armour or rocks – can be found regularly along the way. These items, especially the stones, give players more power. Weapons can not be directly bought via in-app purchase, instead you buy tokens which can then be exchanged for weapons, which I find to be an interesting alternative.
Ninja Action RPG: Ninja Royale makes for several hours' worth of fun gaming during which you continuously come up against other players and have to fight them for items or raids. You may also receive friend request by players looking for companions with whom to peruse the game world together with. There is an integrated messaging service which makes it easy to set up meeting times between so-called clans.
My one main critique and the only thing standing in the way of a big five star rating in this category is the following: in the long run I find that this game does not provide enough customisation options for combat experiences. When you've been playing for a while you may find that combat scenes become somewhat monotonous. Another point is that I don't get the way in which level advancement works. Some spawning opponents my be twenty levels below one's own alter ego, and the next ten levels above. This means that the final boss is much easier to defeat, which is confusing because he's meant to represent a much more challenging form of combat.
Bottom line:
Ninja Action RPG: Ninja Royale has a lot to offer and does a lot of things right. Just don't think you are dealing with a World of Warcraft clone—I see Ninja Action RPG: Ninja Royale as being more of a hybrid between a browser game and MMORPG.
This game can be really fun, especially when friends are playing at the same time.
Despite all the praise there's also still room for improvement. For instance, the combat scenes should be more diversified (magic spells or action items spring to mind).
On the whole we can recommend this game because it really is a lot of fun to play.
Where is the "my apps" button!!!???!!??