Gamescom 2012: Project Theralon
By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Journalist
Project: Theralon is the working title for an upcoming action based combat, sandbox MMO that is described as a hero game in a fantasy setting. It is being made by Infernum, the people who brought us Brick-Force, and New York Times best selling author Dave Wolverton. It has only been in development for six months but it already looks amazing. And we even got to see a working version of the game which ran as an app in Facebook. Does that mean it will be a Facebook game? I’m not sure. I’m not even sure if they’re sure yet. That’s the nature of games that are so early in the development process. It is browser based, but don’t let that discourage you. This game has amazing graphics! And is amazingly complex without being a grindfest. But this title feels so detached from what browser games in the past have managed that you should watch the following gameplay demo we recorded to better understand what we’re talking about:
There is a large emphasis on customization and being able to play the character you want to play in the world of your making. Buildings are designed to be easily put together. With a variety of options that go together you end up with the ability to make thousands of different buildings using combinations of parts. These custom buildings form part of what becomes a player customized city. Obviously one player can’t create an entire city. But with a group of friends they can create the city they want to have.
It isn’t just the buildings that have a ton of customization; the player characters do as well. There is no traditional levelling system and no traditional classes. You pick which skills you want to use to make the character you want to play. And you aren’t even limited to carrying only one weapon.
Dragons play an important role in this game. Every character has one which can be called to you with little more than a whistle. Once on the dragon you can fly anywhere and even fight in mid air. Your dragon even helps in the fight by breathing fire. Dismounting your dragon is an exciting prospect. Sure, you could land and get off. But that’s boring! Instead you jump. From mid air. Don’t worry, you might lose your lunch but you won’t lose your life. There doesn’t seem to be any damage from falling.
As this game is still very early on in the production there isn’t a release date. But with how amazing it looks after just six months I have high hopes for this game. Best of all it will be free to play. And yes, there will be a cash shop but it will most definitely not be pay to win. The website is a bit lacking at the moment, but you can’t really blame them since Infernum has been busy making the game instead. The website does have a few images and a place to put in your email address to get updates on the game. As we learn more about the game we will be sure to post it here, so be on the lookout.
