Lore is the driving force of many an MMO, from Aion and Guild Wars to LotRO and WoW. You might know everything there is to know about the Dragonflights of Azeroth or the Empyrean Lords of Atreia but what do you know about the mythologies that have inspired fantasy MMOs? Probably not a lot but the real world has plenty of ancient cultures to draw upon, and this is where Mytheon - the new freemium MMO published by Petroglyph - comes in.
Rather than set their game on an alien planet or a in a realm filled with faeries and sprites, Mytheon is grounded in ancient Earth and the rich lore found in ancient religions. But there's a twist, as in this version of Earth, the gods are not just abstract deities watching from on high, oh no. in the world of Mytheon, the gods are very active and meddling happily in the lives of puny mortals. And they meddle a lot. Fortunately there is a power in the universe to which even the gods must bow, and that's the three sisters known as the Fates.
The Fates have decided the time of the gods is ending and it's now the turn of mortals to take the spotlight. As a result, you take the role of a hero who is armed with conventional weapons and magic but also something more mystical. Each of the classes - of which three have been revealed - have been given magical Power Stones by the Fates which allow them to unleash spells, heal their friends or summon the denizens of myth. These stones were created from a mystical ore which also serves as the game's title, and there are many to collect.
The three classes in the game - the Warcasters, the Elementalists and the Eidolon - are very different. The first are humanity's champions (and an obvious Warrior archetype) in the end-game against the gods, while Mytheon's incarnation of the Mage class are able to create devastating spells but their magical ability is soon spent. Finally there are the Paladin-like Eidolon who once lived in harmony with their deities, Isis and Horus, who now side with Humanity in the war.
Unlike most MMOs, where you play in first- or third-person, Mytheon takes a different stance. Namely looking down from on high - the god's eye view as it where. While this does divorce you from your avatar, it makes the game a little more interesting and gives an original perspective on the in-game world, which at the moment focuses on Ancient Greece.
The world of Mytheon is rich but also based on ancient cultures and their monsters. As a result, the game world mixes all those fascinating cultures we learned about at school with the monsters Hollywood just loves to create - 2010 is all ready turning out to be the Year of Greek Mythology, what with Clash of the Titans and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Harpies and Minotaurs roam the land, and even Poseidon himself has been known to rise from the ocean to smite the unwary hero.
When the game launches, Greece is very much the focus but later expansions will go beyond the Classical World and the rich lands of Egypt, heading towards Eastern lands. For now, Mytheon promises the chance to fight Centaurs and gids, spy Naiads and demi-gods, and also the terrifying Echidna. The magical Mytheon Stones allow for diversity in characters while also appealing to our innate desire to collect things. The Stones allow for spells - some of which are class specific - and magical skills. You can summon allies, and if you wanted your own Pegasus, well get the right stone and now you can have one.
For a freemium title, Mytheon looks gorgeous and has a very different slant from most MMOs. The use of ancient lands rich in myth and monsters feels a lot more familiar than some alien planet. Indeed, there's aspects of the game's lore which will be familiar to everyone and this is accentuated by the Diablo II-esque perspective, which lets you be a part of the action but also allows you to see enraged monsters as they charge up to you. We're eagerly awaiting its release later this year, because after all, how often do you get to take on gods and monsters in the same game?
by Prime
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