Nostale Review: Being Cute is The Next Best Thing
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist
Nostale is a cute 3D MMORPG that is jam-packed with features aside from questing and grinding. The game puts you in the shoes of an adventurer trying his/her luck in the world of Eastmile.
The World
Nostale is a world that’s fun, cute and full of things to discover. The game’s vibrant background will make anyone want to play unless they prefer more serious themed games. The world of Nostale reminds me of kids games which I think is a deliberate act from its developers. The game gives off an innocent and carefree atmosphere that is normal in this genre of MMOs.
The game has a wonderfully created gaming atmosphere. The bubbly atmosphere’s a dime a dozen in a lot of MMORPGs out now. If you look at the game’s graphics alone there’s nothing that separates the game from others like it. The good thing about the game is that that’s not the only thing it has.
Game Features
As I’ve mentioned a lot of times, Nostale has a lot of features that sets this mmorpg apart from other games that have the same theme and gameplay. The game has a lot of features that you can spend time on aside from the usual questing and grinding.
Pet System
The first obvious and most recognizable feature in Nostale is the pet system. The pet system of Nostale is very user friendly and very much integrated into the game system. You can actually capture the monsters you get to face in the game. What I like about the Nostale pet system is that you get to capture the pets from the get go.
You get to actually experience the pet system from the start. The integration of the pet system in the newbie’s quest is a good way to emphasize the importance of pets in your Nostale gaming. The fact that you can capture, keep and nurture the pets you have is another good point of the game’s pet system.
Lands
Nostale also allows you to acquire your own land and home. You get to actually buy materials for your land. The virtual land you get is like a place for you to lounge and have those fun breaks with your party and friends if you get tired from grinding.
The lands also allow players to play mini-games which will reward with items corresponding to their level. Think of the lands as your little home away from home. Acquiring lands also mean you can harvest materials that can boost your character.
Time Stones
Time Stones are big crystals that you will find all over Eastmile. Time Stones transport you to an instanced dungeon where the only way to get out is finish it through or die in the process. Time Stones can be done solo or by a party.
Time Stones are the alternative to the game’s questing and grinding. Aside from earning experience points, Time Stones also record the time it took for you to finish the instance. The times you have in Time Stones will be recorded and will be compared to other players who have gone through with the same stone. The record serves as your bragging rights and players all over who will go through the Stone will get to see your time.
Time Stones also reward you with special bonuses depending on how fast you finished the instance. These stones are the other “competitive” feature in Nostale that can really rile you up if you’re very much a competitive player.
Nosmate
Aside from the pet system, Nostale also allows you to have another companion in the form of Nosmates. Nosmates are NPCs which you can equip weapons and armors with that serve as your support in your Nostale Adventure. They are similar to your pets in terms of use but majority of the Nosmates you can acquire aren’t animals.
Raid
You can also raid instanced dungeons in Nostale. The maximum of 15 players can join in raids and you need to have a special seal before you can enter the raid dungeons. Finishing raids requires you to clear all the dungeon’s objectives and eventually finish of the dungeon boss. Raids reward you with chests that provide you with a random reward.
Raids in Nostale can be associated to with the raids you have in big named games such as World of Warcraft. The difference in Nostale is that the difficulties of raids are not really on the level as those of other games that it won’t take most of your time.
Characters
There is a limited set of customizable features enabled at the start of your Nostale experience. Majority of the customization in Nostale is based on the premium costumes and items that you acquire in the Nostale premium store. Also, the job classes you can have in Nostale are limited to three. Once you branch off from the adventurer class you have the choice of becoming a warrior, archer or sorcerer. From there you can branch off to “specialist” classes. The specialist classes are the more powerful evolutions of your basic three classes. Your character also evolves into a cooler version of itself as you continue to level up.
Nostale is also skill centered. You don’t need to allocate stat points to make your character stronger. Your character’s strength is based on the skills your character has. Furthermore, PvP in Nostale is determined not by your character stat build but more on the character skills, equipments, weapons, pets and Nosmates.
Conclusion
All in all I like Nostale as a cute MMORPG. It is chock full with game systems that will definitely get you hooked. Among the myriad of games out there I think that Nostale’s combination of cutesy graphics and kick-ass game features and sprites makes this game better than those already out there.
Of course the game is still dependent on your tolerance on cute graphics. If you are looking for something bubbly, vibrant and has a kid-like atmosphere in your MMORPGs, then Nostale is the game for you. However, if you are more of the serious gamer and would prefer to go for games that have a more mature nature then you had better go elsewhere.
Pros:
– The game’s pretty lively
– The game’s graphics is cute and zany
– There game is full of game features to increase interest.
Cons:
– The game’s graphics may be too cute for hardcore players1
– The beginning job class may be too few for those who are used to more choices2
– The game’s atmosphere is childlike.
