Legend of Mir 3 Retro Review: Theres Still Something Here
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist
There are several types of games that will hook you because of its awesome graphics. After playing for a while, however, it becomes apparent that the game is just like the airhead you might have met at the bar two weeks ago: all pretty, beautifully made up and packaged, but has no substance.
Gamers today often mistake “graphic quality” for “quality games”. Fortunately, WeMade Entertainment’s Legend of Mir 3 doesn’t fall in the airhead category. Let’s get this out of the way early on: if you play this game, do not expect flashy or jaw-dropping graphics. In fact, this game’s graphics is so dated that it can run on your technically challenged mom’s personal computer that she only uses to process Word documents.
Legend of Mir 3 is not exactly a new or original game. It has been released as a sequel to uber-popular Legend of Mir 2, though the game is more likely considered as its remake. The series is not a big hit in the Western countries, but the game thrived well in Asia (particularly in South Korea and China) enough to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest numbers of subscribers playing online simultaneously. Legend of Mir 3 was released around a few years short of a decade ago, and it was only globally released in 2009. And in 2009, you have to admit that gamers will kind of want to play a game that will challenge and conquer their epic set up. Legend of Mir 3 is not that kind of game, but if you look past the graphics problem, then you’ll see why this game has amassed a huge and loyal following in past few years.
A Few Class Lessons
Legend of Mir 3 is an Oriental-themed game, with the Mir universe done in 2D isometric graphics. The first time I saw it, I was immediately reminded of good ol’ dungeon crawlers. Suffice to say, it doesn’t disappoint in that aspect because it feels and plays like one. Let’s start from the character creation screen where you can choose from four classes the Warrior, Wizard, Taoist or the Assassin; after naming and picking your character’s gender, you’re all set. You can’t customize your characters at all. Your starting town depends on your class. Either way, the game is brimming with assorted quests such as the generally easy errand quests, others are hack-and-slash types, and then there are the quests that will unravel the stories in the Mir universe. For the early levels, the game would technically feel the same for all class types since your character will be barely equipped. And I’m talking about your level 1 character in his or her birthday suit. The game is actually generous enough to provide you with your basic outfit, class weapon, a potion and a, hmm, a candle. This is something of notable importance which we will discuss later on.
It doesn’t matter what class you choose at the beginning because you won’t have any class-specific skills as of yet. The Warrior is your usual melee type character; your regular damage dealer with high hit points, but has low resistance against ranged attacks. The Wizard deals offensive ranged attacks and area of effect spells, relying mostly on mana points; it has low hit points, but it has a high magic resistance. The Taoist is most balanced class among the four and uses soul charm to deal either holy or unholy spells. It is a support type character that will be always welcome to your group for the much needed heals and buffs. A pretty advanced class, the Taoists usually has a hard time gaining levels quickly because it neither has high attack power (like Warriors) nor high ranged damages (like Wizards). Questing alone means you only have yourself to heal or support, which is kind of sad for Taoists. The Assassin is a new class addition to the Mir series. Their specialty is dealing quick and fatal damages because, unlike the Warriors who usually acts as tanks, the assassins are still pretty susceptible to damage since their armours are not as tough as that of the Warriors’.
The best you can do at the beginning is to equip your given outfit and take on hack-and-slash your way until you level enough to obtain a Mu-Gong (or martial art) skill book. The skill trees of each character is wide and varied, like seeing twice or thrice the number of skills you can acquire in Diablo 2 (which is the first game I thought of upon seeing the interface). It is more advisable to stick to a particular tree to unlock the highest skill in that tree.
Let There Be Light
As mentioned above, the candles are quite important in the game. This is because the game operates a day and night feature, wherein at night you will have to light up something (a candle or a torch) to let you see through the environment. Unlike newer games that also have the same feature, seeing in Legend of Mir 3 is a tad bit difficult because of the graphical limitations. It will be harder to see if a beast or monster is just around the corner… unless your eyes are sharp enough to detect the slight difference in depth of the background and the monsters. While there are helpful name tags in the monsters, it still proves to be a little annoying because the all too simple font makes it hard for me to read or identify which is which, especially when a barrage of enemies appear on my monitor. Lighting a torch or candle adds a touch of realism to the whole feel of the game, though.
It’s A Limited Edition
Legend of Mir 3 is a game that doesn’t lack substance, but it has some limitations that made it feel too old when compared to this year’s array of MMORPGs. The character classes seem to be a tad limited, but even though there are hundred thousand others who are Warriors or Assassins just like you, your build can still be unique with its expansive skill sets. The interface, in my opinion, takes quite a huge space at the bottom. The user interface windows are too simplistic and uninspired. Generally a PvP-oriented game, this game may prove to be a challenge for those used to PvEs. Having a guild in this game will pretty much make your gameplay more exciting with its siege wars. This game is unlike the other games of today that may be aesthetically pleasing but lacking substantial or serious gameplay. Legend of Mir 3 is the kind of game I would play only for sheer nostalgia, of going back to basics so I don’t think I’m closing my doors on this one. Are you?
Good
– Old school PvP goodness
– Several options for your character build
Bad
– Old school graphics can be a burden
– Texts are not aligned and font type makes it harder to read sometimes
