Fallen Sword Review: Check and Mate
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist
You rarely find a story that ends a bad way. When it does end negatively you expect it to be a very tightly done story. However, there have always been exceptions and for Fallen Sword I must say that their attempt on creating drama in the back-story has failed.
A Way Out
It is the story that should carry the bulk of the reason why your character is alive and in Fallen Sword there are a lot of holes, although it does provide a solid game, as far as browser games are concerned. Fallen Sword is your typical RPG where you start out in nowhere and then you start picking off monsters randomly till you find yourself in a town.
How it looks and feels
Fallen Swords interface uses the bird’s eye view perspective, where you are a dot in the map and to move around you need to click on the different arrows found in the main interface.
To those who are not familiar with this type of browser game, Fallen Sword is a decent example for RPGs of this type. To new players this is a good way for them to experience playing RPGs in this way while providing enough variation so that browser game veterans can still enjoy the game.
Fallen Sword does however fail in providing a beautiful visual experience. At the very least the game has decent graphics if you compare it to other similarly themed browser games.
Gameplay and updates
There’s nothing new or significant added to the overall gameplay of Fallen Sword. However, Fallen Sword uses stamina points in the actions you do and this makes you cautious of which actions you use and this adds to the interest.
Even with the overused gameplay of Fallen Sword the game is still addicting. One of the reasons for this is that the level cap reaches up to the 700s. Thus providing you a lot of breathing room to move and play.
The other reason is that the game updates and adds more dungeons and campaigns on a regular basis. The regular updates provide the variations and the steady buildup of support from its players. This keeps you both happy and encouraged to keep playing the game because you look forward to something new being introduced.
Character Build-up
Fallen Sword follows the usual RPG character build-up, as you kill monsters you earn experience points and you level up. Every level up gives you stat points that you can allocate on stats for your character. All characters have the same starting stats regardless of the race you choose, as the races only determine your home base. The allocation of stat points basically dictates how you go along your quests and also serve as your customization of your character.
Aside from the stat point allocation the only other thing you can do to “build” your character is done through role playing, primarily on the game forums. The game also allows you to allocate skill points, craft materials and do trade, but all of this is already a tie-in to the RPG aspect of Fallen Sword.
Bestiary
With the game’s level cap reaching up to the 700s, it should be expected that the games bestiary should also follow suit. Fallen Sword does not disappoint in this as the game has one of the biggest bestiaries I have ever seen in a browser game. The game’s monster clusters are separated by 10, so you won’t have to face the same monsters all over again as your level increases.
The variation of monsters you get to fight adds flavor to your Fallen Sword experience, and as you play you get a feeling of anticipation of what’s next. However, this variety of monsters can be quite irritating especially if you are farming or hunting a specific monster.
Dungeons Galore
Not only is the games Bestiary one of the biggest, it also has tons of dungeons and campaigns for you to explore. You can either go on quests so that you have a purpose for visiting the dungeons or just enter and explore it out of curiosity.
This is one of the good things about Fallen Sword. A lot of browser games tend to stop adding more dungeons in the later stages of operation. The game’s regular addition of dungeons and campaigns makes it all the more interesting to play.
Conclusion
While Fallen Sword may not be the best example of an RPG browser game, the game is stable and decent enough that I can recommend playing it. If the large bestiary doesn’t get you to at least try the game, the regular updates should at pique your interest.
Fallen Sword is a game that’s alive and thriving. The community is the best measure for this. Even if the system seems dated and the gameplay overused the game has enough merits to keep its players interested.
It is rare to find a game that allows itself to change and evolve and even listen to what the players want. This is one of the reasons why Fallen Sword is a good game to play. The mods and admins maintain a presence in the forums which means that the people behind the game pay attention and put player satisfaction first above anything else
For those who still don’t have that RPG browser game they can spend their time on I can suggest Fallen Sword for you.
Pros:
– The game has a huge bestiary
– The level cap is high
– The game community is alive and thriving
Cons:
– The game feels like you are controlling a chess piece
– There has been issues with lag recently
– The game may feel daunting for new players specially with the level cap and the community a tight knit group.
