Canaan Online Review: Too Cute to Be True
By Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist
Canaan Online is a flash based MMORPG that is just too cute to be true. The game reeks of cuteness from the get-go. I think it’s safe to assume a lot of hardcore online gamers would be immediately turned off with the cuteness level. However, Canaan Online is a prime example of a game that is good in its core gameplay even with all the fluff, sugar coat and cutesy graphics.
First Impressions
True enough; upon first logging into the game, I was welcomed by a lot of cute and zany choices in character creation. You have the standard set of job classes to choose from and you get to choose from 11 different hair and face designs.
Creation.jpg
I wasn’t really impressed with my first foray into the world of Canaan Online. The game had a lot of standard features you will often see in other MMORPGs such as, quests systems, tutorials and what not. The funny thing about it is that I never expected to get something like this in a flash based MMO. I mean yeah sure you have all of these features as mainstays in client-based MMOs but I never expected them to be present in this game. I can even go as far as that Canaan Online feels more like a client-based MMO. This is one of the reasons why the game really impressed me after I realized what I was playing.
Cute– Never underestimate it
I must say however that the first thing that jumped at me at my first login is the cuteness of the game. Though I think this is already a dead giveaway seeing the site and the sprites it still surprised me that the game is this cute.
The thing is, the game is not just cute, it’s relaxing as well. In fact this goes well with the claim that the game is more of a relaxing MMORPG rather than just the usual fast-paced MMORPG we often play. The game’s BGM also helps in setting the relaxing mood. To top it off, Caanan does not force you to keep on leveling unlike other MMOs where they indirectly tell you to level up faster. The game let’s you cruise along your own leveling pace, which is refreshing for an MMO.
PVE-ing
The other thing I liked in Canaan Online is the automation of the battle system. All you need to do is click on the monster and set the default attacks for both you and your pet and you’re all set. I also liked that even if there are lag spikes, the battle automation will still attack your enemies.
Players who don’t want the automation system may opt to turn it off. The game allows you to switch between manual and automatic targeting so that you can be pretty flexible in the way you fight your battles.
Gameplay
While Canaan Online introduces a semi-automated battle system, everything else is reminiscent of typical MMORPGs. The game uses a stat point system in character growth, you can actually see the clothes your characters equip on them and the game emphasizes the use of pets as companions and partners in battle.
Pets
Canaan Online’s Pet system is a pretty cool feature. Pets work as your battle partner and you can set them to attack, defend, rest and possess. While the three attack modes are self-explanatory, pet possession mode is the one thing unique to Canaan’s pet system. Pets in possession mode will “boost” their partner’s stats in battle. However, the “boost” is correlated to the harmony between you and your pet. The happier the pet is with you the greater the boost your pets have on your stats.
The possession mode for pets keeps things interesting in the game. There will be moments where low-level characters may be able to compete with the higher levels as long as they have a strong pet with a high happiness rating with their users. I also liked that you can capture most of the monsters in the game and make them your pets. This adds another interesting element in the game because you have another feature to set your eyes on. You can even fuse the pets you have to get a stronger pet. Canaan’s Pet system in fact reminds me of Shin Megami Tensei Imagine’s pet system. In both games, the pets have big parts to play in your adventure which makes the game more interesting and adds more reason for you to keep on playing.
Training
There will come a time when real life starts to meddle with your gaming. Like any normal player you’d worry about the lost time you have spent in real life where you can just sit down and level your avatar. Canaan Online presents a solution for that. The game will “train” your character for a fee. Depending on the amount of hours you’ve set the training session your character may jump more than just one level. You can even leave your character for a whole day training just as long as you can afford it.
Conclusion
I like the fact that even if the game presents itself as cute and fluffy, Canaan Online still delivers more than I expected from a flash-based MMO. The developers didn’t just rely on the MMORPG-ish elements of the game to keep player interest but the additions to the already strong pet system made the game more addicting.
If I had any complaints with the game though, I would say that is was that there are times where the game freezes for a second or two whenever I’m traveling the world using the keyboard buttons. This may be a pretty minor flaw but it’s quite obvious especially if you’re traveling to one map after another. Overall, I like how Canaan Online plays and anyone who’s looking for a relaxing MMORPG that doesn’t sacrifice its core game play should play this one.
Pros:
– Tons of features for a flash based game
– Pet system keeps you interested for a long time
– The game is pretty relaxing for an MMORPG.
Cons:
– The game freezes at times for a second or two while traveling with the use of the keyboard controls
– The game is too cute for hardcore gamers
– The party system can be irritating at times.
