By Kei Beneza (Dividelife), OnRPG Journalist
Requiem: Bloodymare is one of the few MMOs to ever get a mature rating. It immmerses people into a world influenced by failed experiments and wretched science, Requiem is without a doubt one of the goriest MMOs to ever hit the gaming world. Characters may find themselves soaked with the blood of their enemies (as well as their own) as they scurry along the putrid lands. Blood is pretty much the most detailed and eye catching part of the game. I guess its because they’re trying to show us that the game is truly for mature audiences only.
Unlike other MMOs, the monsters in the game aren’t cute at all. If I must compare, I would say that these creatures look a lot like gremlins, only more evil still. Sometimes when you kill them, they don’t stop moving for a few seconds as they slowly die.
Requiem’s storyline isn’t very deep. Of course, who needs a good storyline when the only thing you’ll remember in the end is brainless murder? But there is some story to the game. It basically starts out with the Turans and Bartuks rebelling against their unified kin known as the Xenoan Empire, who was on the verge of rediscovering lost technology. With the aid of the Kruxena race, the Turan/Bartuk alliance were successful in overthrowing their oppressors, forcing them to activate the Thanatos Project. This reckless gamble caused a massive explosion that tore all three races apart, scattering them into different locations.
Now modernized, the three races find themselves in the midst of darkness; with terrible creatures lurking from every corner, ready to obliterate them from the shadows.
This is a story of science being more of an addiction rather than ambition, where the races of Ethargica unravel their untimely demise as the power of science continues to overcome them. Its more like a rather detailed version of ‘curiosity killed the cat’, creating a world of unspeakable darkness through their humble expectations.
If you think that Requiem: Bloodymare is just another MMO that’s just a bit bloodier than the other, then you’ve got another thing coming. Requiem: Bloodymare also has a lot of interesting features that make the game a must-play among MMO enthusiasts. –Are you ready for your bloodbath?
Classes
Requiem’s classes differ through racial specialty. This means that not all of the races are complete and would the help of other races to progress further in the game, especially on instances or dungeons. For example: A pure Kruxenan group may have hard time handling mobs without the help of a Bartuk tank. You’ll start out by picking your race and, of course, your base class. Your base class will determine which path you’re going to take (which is pretty much self explanatory) and will lead you to your ideal second job. Though each race has different names for their base classes, know that they are still classified as either caster or melee (geez, that makes it easier to understand).
You say tomato, I say tomahtow!
Although you might think that classes are that much different from each other, most of them are pretty much the same thing regardless of what they are called. Healers will always be healers and tanks will always be tanks. Each race may generally have the same type of classes at a majority level, but know that each of them always lacks a certain thing that other races are known for. It’s probably a good way for players to expand their character’s role in the game. Fact to ponder on: it is much cooler when you tell people that you’re a Bartuk Warlord than saying “warrior tank looking for group”… because that’s just dull, man.
Changing Your DNA
One of the game’s noticeable features is the DNA system. This allows you to further customize your character’s skills by enhancing their effects as well as your character’s adaptability towards that certain build. This feature is rather helpful and may be quite useful in removing your character’s weak points. A damage-per-second (DPS) type caster will only be useful if he/she provides enough damage to suffice the party. Messing with your DNA system can help improve your mana regeneration as well as your overall damage while other DNAs focus more on enhancing a certain skill, making them deadlier and more lethal that ever before. So DNA can really become a spec.
Your DNA’s cost increases as you fill more slots. This is probably the one thing that makes you want to study your character before filling it in. You wouldn’t want to spend that much Lant (in-game currency) only to find out that you were supposed to enhance something else (headdesk for making that mistake).
Mom, meet my inner demon
The beast possession system is Requiem’s best feature. It lets players transform into a savage killing machine. You can obtain your first possession beast when you reach level 23 by completing a special quest. Aside from your first beast, other possessions can only be collected from monsters or in the auction house if you’re in a hurry to get one. Possession beasts can be used by clicking or pressing their corresponding shortcut keys just like any other skill, provided that your hardcore gauge is around 90% or more. You can fill your hardcore gauge by killing monsters throughout the game. It may seem a bit boring to do so, but if you’re going to kill monsters throughout the game. Possession beasts can also be combined with other beasts, letting you create better and more competent possessions as you continue to level yourself to perfection. If there is one thing that Requiem should be known for it’s definitely the Possession Beast.
What?! It’s getting dark! This must mean…. DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN!
No sir, your video card is not broken! Requiem monsters spawn at their own designated time. When the in-game clock strikes 23:00 – 2:00 (note: not synchronized with real world time), stronger and more formidable monsters roam the land. Nightmare monsters, as they are called are much stronger that regular ones regardless of level. Don’t think you should avoid them though, these monsters give a decent set of drops compared to their weaker kin. Possession beasts can also be looted from this beasts so make sure you get a good spot when they go around. Overall, the graphic detail is amazing, making it hard to believe that you can run this on a 128mb video card. The visuals look creepy and apocalyptic enough to satisfy your hunger for horror. If you’re looking for something that looks nice on a low-end PC, then this game wont disappoint you one bit.
Tententennnnn tennnnenenennnn… “Where’d it go?” BASH BASH!
The music is sort of irritating… you’ll end up getting the same set of BGMs that usually vanish before you even know that you were listening to one. The ambiance is poor and is easily dismissed by the sound of swords and spells giving you nothing more than WASSHHHHes and WOOOSHHes. This by the way doesn’t really affect the game since the sound effects pretty much gives you a satisfying CRUNCH whenever you start hacking and slashing.
The Verdict
All in all, Requiem: Bloodymare is one of the best MMOs I’ve ever played. The graphics are good and can be run on old computers, which is a big plus on my part. The characters are designed pretty well and are quite attractive, although they could use a wider variety of clothing. Its unique in-game system is superb and would definitely appeal to any MMO lover. Subscription whoring is probably the only thing that I don’t like about this game since subscribers usually gains an UNFAIR advantages over those who are playing it for free. The enhanced experience points and low death penalties are okay, but getting to loot better items faster and more efficiently than the others makes it kinda slick. Then again, the price is quite steep so I guess it’s quality over quantity.
The Good:
– Excellent visuals
– Unique system
– Old pc-friendly
– Instances
– Good balance.
The Bad:
– Sucky in-game music
– Low number of quests
– Most of the armors look the same.
