Faldon Review: Mostly for Hardcore Role-Players
By Rick Charbs (Jammart), OnRPG Journalist
My journeys in the world of Faldon Online showed me how small development teams really shine. This particular MMORPG was developed by Illusory Studios, a tiny group of only a handful of developers. It is inspired by old-school MMORPG games like Ultima Online, and this is easily determined once you step inside the game world. Unfortunately, unlike its more popular counterpart, it has a very small community and updates once in a blue moon. It seems like the owner/main developer for the game does not show himself so often in the game or on the Faldon boards. This does not seem to stop the veterans of this MMO of playing this game. Some of the players in Faldon have been casually playing the game for 5 years or more-that has got to say something about the game!
S..s…simple?
A minimalistic game could never be so complex! The download for this MMO is a mere 103 MB and is playable on just about any machine imaginable. This sets the game up for an easily targeted prejudice, but I have experienced it myself and it was far from “simple”. In fact, I did not particularly enjoy this game because it was so cluttered; it felt bland and slightly confusing. The upside to this is that there is just so much to do!
Faldon Online offers a little more than 20 odd skills to train and level up. You do have a choice of a few classes to pick from early on in the game, which will limit your spell arsenal, but this does not limit you too much as you can still train the tons of skills every character has access to: scribery, goldsmithing, snooping, thaumaturgy, telekinesis… to name a few. Unfortunately all skills have a certain level cap until you pay for a premium service (upgrade from peasant to citizen status). This has its perks although for the amount of players I saw online I do not really see the importance of paying for this game.
Miners Beware of Gremlins and Bats in Faldon
Among the game’s interesting skills, many unique features are available such as owning a zoo to store tamed animals, stealing goods and being placed on wanted lists, immersive PvP (but not large scaled), and tons more.
Like Role-playing?
If your answer is yes, this is definitely a game for you to look into. Faldon Online may have a miniature community of 20 (players online simultaneously), but what they all share in common is that they all role-play in the game. This MMO is rich in storyline and in campaigning, which is but pure bait for those who enjoy role-play. With a huge array of areas to visit, things to steal, towns to conquer, monsters to slay, and taverns to party in, you will most likely never get bored of this game so long as you stay in character.
Play Out the Deals at the Bank
Your actions in Faldon have a great affect on the outcome of your character. You can even be placed in jail for wrongdoings, and townsfolk may engage you in combat if you are regarded as an enemy.
Graphics and Sound
Contrary to popular belief, there is actually a lot of quality to this game’s graphics. They are both very old and very suitable for this game’s play style. The colors do need a boost, though. The towns look wonderful as does the terrain. Even the spell animations are decent. The sound, however, I was not fond of and just muted it most of the way through. I can see that it was still made with great attention back in the day, though. If the developers were more interested, an upgrade in these fields would give this game a whole new outlook; possibly even a whole new audience. I do think this game lacks uniqueness in the graphics field. It just resembles too many older MMOS to really stand out on today’s MMO market.
Vicious Wolf in Faldon
Personal Recommendation
Faldon Online was a mediocre game in my opinion. I am a fan of classic gaming inspired MMORPGS but this one did not do it for me. The textures were a little too bland, even if they are dated and of great quality. I need my MMORPGS to have vibrant colors and a lot of variety in the design. Faldon fails to accomplish this, no doubt. I was also not very fond of the game’s basic gameplay systems. The menus, chat box, and NPC interaction was too closely bunched up on my screen, and I was unable to find means to fix this problem. It was tolerable, but it surely did not keep me interested in the game.
All negatives aside, I can see how I would have enjoyed this MMO, and I understand why there have been players playing it for over five years. This game is easily accessible to anyone, and runs without lag. It is very basic, but it is deeply enhanced by it role play qualities.
Especially considering the age of this MMORPG, and not considering it as an excuse, Illusory Studios really did a wonderful job at developing and publishing this MMO. If people still play it today and continue their adventures, or just simply play casually to kill time and PVP, one must come to the conclusion that this game is actually pretty decent. As a final note, I do suggest this game if you loved Ultima Online and like to role play frequently. Otherwise, I would stay far away; this game does not have the community for a typical non-role playing gamer. You would probably get bored out of your mind! Happy gaming!
Pros:
– Lagless, runs on any computer
– Tiny download (103MB)
– Pretty decent customization
– Classic gameplay style
– Tons of skills to train and level up.
Cons:
– Bland and somewhat confusing
– Graphics and sound need revamping
– Absence of developers (lack of updating as well)
– Very small community.
