MixMaster review: Gotta mix ’em all!
Written by Mohammed Afzal (MageMoa), OnRPG Journalist
I’m sure you all watched Pokémon when you were younger, or maybe you still watch this amazing anime from time to time. Have you ever wanted to know what would happen if two different Pokémon would be able to breed? What would the baby of an Eevee and a Psyduck look like and what powers would it have? MixMaster is a MMORPG by SeedC Inc. which pretty much resembles Pokémon.
It is based on the Japanese/Korean anime series “Mixmaster”. The anime is about a boy who gets a mix machine and has to mix evil creatures to bring peace to the world. The same task is given to players in the MMORPG. You will have the opportunity to capture tons of creatures and mix them to make them more and more powerful! What are you waiting for? You gotta mix ’em all!
Gameplay
When starting the game you will notice that there are only four characters to choose from. These four characters resemble the four classes of the game: Ditt (Swordsman), Jin (Fighter), Penril (Hunter) and Phoy (Shooter). The classes are gender-locked; Ditt and Jin are boys, Penril and Phoy are girls. You can change your character’s hair color, which is pretty much all you can do before entering the game.
Lined up
When entering the game you will find yourself in the tutorial area. You will learn the basic aspects of the game before entering the real world, which is very convenient considering the difficult features of the game.
In the tutorial area you will meet your first opponents. These opponents, better known as ‘henches’, are creatures you can catch or kill. Killing them will result in some experience points and items, which isn’t very surprising or unique. Catching them, however, will give you the opportunity to mix them with other henches to create a more powerful pet. This feature is the main aspect of the game and you will find yourself mixing tons of unique creatures.
unique creatures
Being a pretty old MMORPG doesn’t have to mean that the game is outdated. MixMaster’s mixing feature is pretty unique. There are only two to four English MMOs with a similar feature and these are all newer than MixMaster. However, this doesn’t change the fact that the game has some flaws. An example is that the game does not offer WASD movement. This is one of the main reasons why the game is so incredibly underpopulated. I have to agree that it is very disappointing and annoying to walk in MixMaster, especially because of the dull scenery. But hey, what can you expect from an old isometric MMO?
The combat of the game has flaws as well. The game is somewhat grindy and very repetitive at lower levels because of the lack of skills and the fact that you haven’t encountered any awesome henches. The game starts to get better after level 20 considering the huge amount of available henches and the amount of skills and weapons. The game gets more varied and you will enjoy mixing all these little creatures.
Features
That’s enough about the gameplay for now. Let me discuss the (main) features of MixMaster. MixMaster does not offer many features at all. There is a serious lack of content, especially at higher levels. You will definitely have nothing to do after finishing all the quests in the first three main towns, which is a real bummer. There are some features to keep you busy, but that’s not enough.
Mixing
As I said before, mixing is the most important feature of MixMaster. It simply involves catching various henches and mixing them by using your ‘Core’ inventory and the mixing NPC, which you can find in all towns. There are various requirements to mix; Some of them are too complicated to describe, while others make no sense at all. The thing you should keep in mind while hunting for various henches is the fact that they all belong to different ‘groups’ e.g. Birds and Mystic. Some of these groups cannot be mixed together, while others may result in henches with amazing powers.
Mixing monsters
Guilds
Being part of a guild is very important in an under populated game like MixMaster, but I have to admit that it is pretty hard to find a decent one. It took me several days to find a nice guild with members that were willing to help me. Starting your own guild requires you to have 2.5 million GP (the ingame currency), three Guild Leaders who are at least level 20 and you have to be at least level 30. Having high requirements for a guild in an under populated game may turn off many players, but as soon as you find a good guild you will stick with it for a long time.
Siege Affair
Last, but not least: The Siege Affair. Siege Affairs are GvG (Guild versus Guild) battles, which are held weekly. The Siege Affairs are very amusing and competitive. The requirements, however, are a pain, especially the level requirements. Your guild must have at least 30 members, the average level of the guild members must be over 50 and your guild has to pay one million GP to enter the Siege Affair. Luckily there are enough high-level players who are willing to help you with your character, which means that you do not have to worry about leveling or money as soon as you have found your own ‘mentor’.
Conclusion
An appealing and unique game is the best I can say about MixMaster. The game is great for its age and its hench feature is not bad at all. The problem lies within the dull graphics, the lack of endgame content and the lack of things to do. The game would have so much potential if SeedC would only add some more features and dungeons, but it seems as if they are too busy with their other games. The game is definitely worth a try, but only if you are a fan of pet systems, since the game does not have anything else to offer.
Pros:
– Amazing pet system
– Great mixing feature
Cons:
– No WASD
– Lack of content
– Repetitive combat
– Grindy
– Underpopulated
– Lack of events and updates
– Dull scenery
