Battle of Destiny: Asian Version of Golden Axe Anyone?
By Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist
For those who grew up playing old school side-scrolling adventure games, Battle of Destiny is a prime example of such a theme being put in a MMO situation and the way I see it, Battle of Destiny has in fact infused the two masterfully.
Characters
Battle of Destiny uses the default character system in most MMOs. However, instead of using job classes, the characters are separated by their weapon of choice. The job class serves as the starting stat allocation for your character and serves no other purpose because you have the capability to allocate your skill points in every job skill available.
The game system reminds me of Grand Chase however the difference is that unlike Grand Chase where you get individual characters with their own exclusive skill path, in Battle of Destiny you have one character with multiple skill paths open.
Skill Based Gameplay
Battle of Destiny is basically a skill-based MMO. While the weapon class determines your stat growth you have complete control over the skills you character can have. You have five general skill types to choose from, which includes every weapon available plus general skills.
The skill tree in Battle of Destiny makes the game an interesting game to play in terms of being able to customize your character’s skills. You can have various builds where you can go down the path of a pure sword character or you can mix it up with other skills coming from the mage or the ranged class.
City of Dusk Map
Weapon Locked
What I liked about the game’s skill system however is that the skills are weapon locked. Yes, at first this seems to be a con for the game but you can use this to trick other players. One may think that a person’s main weapon is the bow when suddenly he switches to melee.
What I liked about this system is that it keeps you on your toes especially in PvPPvP and this makes the game all the more interesting especially if your at a higher level as you would then try to branch off into different weapon types.
Of course the other side of this kind of system is that you have to keep track of the skills you allocate your points on, but this is for the advanced players. If you’re just starting off the game advises you to be a purist first before trying to mix it up.
Leveling
Speaking of which, Battle of Destiny is strictly linear in terms of leveling. In normal MMO fashion the way for you to level up is to do quests and beat the sense out of monsters you find in instanced dungeons.
The game does become repetitive once you’ve been playing it for a few hours, and unlike in old-school side-scrolling games, there’s no concrete story therefore making it all the more laborious once you get to higher levels.
Higher Levels
One of the ways for people not to get bored with the game especially when they reach the point where it seems too laborious to level is to branch off to other weapon types. Though this serves no practical purpose in the overall gameplay some players do try to level up other weapon types just for the heck of it.
The game system shows the weapon experience points you earn for each weapon type available in the game. Though personally I don’t think this serves any purpose save for making yourself look good, nothing really beats having the satisfaction of seeing lots of numbers on your character.
PVP
Battle of Destiny has a lot of MMO systems included however the most interesting and of course sought after system for this kind of game is the PvP system.
The game’s PvP is basically the same as how you traverse the world. The only difference between the two is that in the PvP you get to fight other people instead of just the AI. As I mentioned the game system provides an interesting mix for battles because you can’t just assume the person would only be using the weapon you see them wielding.
As an added plus factor, the game pushes you to be more creative in your builds hence immersing you more in the world of Battle of Destiny just by having the best PvP character.
Battle of Destiny Combat
Balance
Speaking of which, there is no such thing as the perfect character here in Battle of Destiny. Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses. Plus there’s an added player skill element in the game which makes PvPs more exciting and challenging. Plus, it eliminates the whole idea that your character is only strong due to your items and not because of your skill.
Newbie Friendly
Battle of Destiny is a game that’s fun and easy to master and play. There are also little game systems that make it such an enjoyable gaming experience for newbies. One example is the auto pilot system that makes traveling less laborious and helps you concentrate on the task at hand rather than searching for the NPC that gives you the next set of quests.
Another added feature in the game is Battle of Destiny’s pet system. Your pets serve as your support in the game as they provide bonuses and even help you defeating those monsters by attacking them as well.
Conclusion
The game’s roots stem off from the nostalgic feel of old-school adventures and it seems to have worked well with the MMO gaming system. The game has kept things down to bare necessities making it such an enjoyable game to play regardless of the size of the game and even the platform it supports.
However, the problem with the game is that once the nostalgic feel is gone there’s a high chance that you would drop the game and move on to another MMO. As most old school side scrolling games cannot keep a captivated audience much, which is evident with the amount of people I came across while playing the game.
Personally I liked how Battle of Destiny plays out and any sane player out there would also feel the same way as me, the question really right now is how long will you stay in the game?
Pros:
– The game is an authentic side-scroller MMO
– Controls are simple and easy to grasp
– Doesn’t need a powerful computer to run.
Cons:
– The game can’t keep you interested for a long time
– Feels too much like an old-school side-scroller
– Populations not that big to make you enjoy the game.
