Seven Souls Online: Bringing the Full Package
By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor) OnRPG Journalist
Seven Souls is a free-to-play 3D MMORPG made by the Korean publisher CR-Space. Neowiz has taken up on the job to publish the game for the western world and the game is currently in open beta for everyone. Since I heard about some great features such as special transformations and combo systems I was really curious to see what kind of Asian themed game it was. I was a bit cautious as I normally am when approaching an Asian developed MMORPG because most are all about the looks rather than the gameplay. Hopefully Seven Souls would be a different.
When creating my first character it became clear to me that this game was full of beautiful visualizations and animations to easily rival its competitors. Unfortunately I had some trouble running this game with the maximum graphics as details kept flickering in and out of focus, forcing me to lower the graphics in order to avoid a seizure. When I was creating my character I had the choice between three classes: The Imperial Guard, Exiled Avenger and the Manatech Rebel. These three characters are specialized into three weapons of personal use. I decided to go with the Manatech Rebel and katana because the katana is my favorite style of all swords.
When I got into the game I was forced to find my first quest giver without any prior background story offered. This quest giver was pretty useless too so I ended up heading to meet with the starting town’s chief to figure out what was going on. By this time I had mostly figured out the basic intuitive controls through random experimentation while running. You are able to move your character with the WASD keys or you could choose to point and click your way through the game. For the jumping freaks like me, you can hop around like crazy. Though be warned that this is limited due to many invisible walls that block you from jumping off cliffs or into other strange places you may find along your way.
After doing a couple of missions and learning a few skills, I became enamored by how smoothly the animations of each skill transition with each other. If you cast a spell or skill your character will do a lot of ninja styled moves to finish off his foe. Every class and weapon offered a unique series of animations, helping to differentiate other players visually. This is truly a major highlight of the game.
At the bottom left of your screen next to your character portrait and information you can find the Rage Gauge. This rage meter will automatically fill up if you are fighting monsters or other players. When the meter is full you are able to transform into a powerful creature which will buff up your character heavily. Your character will transform into a beast and, depending on your level, the duration of the Rage mode varies. I really love the immersion this feature gives. When you transform you really feel the rush of power that one of the great heroes of the Seven Souls story should have.
A nice side feature that keeps the game interesting is the Jackpot. After killing enough monsters or doing quests you will automatically receive jackpot points that can be gambled in an attempt to win special items. It’s a great game of chance to reward player activity.
Seven Souls also has plenty to keep players busy outside of monster slaying. Players are able to purchase various tools used to collect items scattered all over the map for special crafting recipes. In addition to gathering items on the open world, players can also pass the time fishing and mining. And if you are a big fan of PvP then you are really in luck since pvp is a major focus of the game. While some may pass the time with open world PvP, I found the battlegrounds to be the true meat of the game. In addition to standard team deathmatch, the battlegrounds also offer the real die-hard fans with tournaments to prove their skill.
Graphics
To run this beautiful Asian themed game you will need the following specifications to run this game:
Minimum Requirements
OS :Windows XP
CPU :Pentium 4 2.4GHz
RAM :1 GB (1.5 GB required for Windows Vista/ Windows 7 users)
VGA :NVIDIA Geforce 6600 with 128Mb / ATI Radeon x1300 with 128Mb
HDD :5GB available HD space DirectX :DirectX 9.0c or higher.
Recommended System
OS :Windows XP / Windows Vista / Windows 7
CPU :Pentium 4 Core 2 Duo 2.6GHz or higher
RAM :2 GB
VGA :NVIDIA Geforce 8600 with 256Mb / ATI Radeon x3600 with 256Mb
HDD :5GB available HD space or more
DirectX :DirectX 9.0c or higher
If you have no idea whatsoever what kind of computer rig you are running then I’d say everyone that anyone with a computer built in the last 6-7 years is easily able to play this game just fine without any trouble at all.
Conclusion
Seven Souls is an Asian themed game that doesn’t leave me feeling bogged down in an endless grind. This game offers just enough content and features to keep the game feeling fresh even after many hours of playtime. If awesome looking regions, smooth combat animations, and a strong developer focus on PvP are all major selling points for you, then Seven Souls won’t let you down.
