For the past few hours, I have been giving a shot at the Closed beta phase for GranAge (CN). Published in China by Shanda Games, I never really though I would come out of the short experience as a happy gamer, since there are not many action side-scrollers which I really like. For me, GranAge is like MapleStory on steriods, with the action of Dungeon Fighter Online.
As introduced in my previous postings (link), there are 4 basic classes in the game, with the boring foursome of Knight, Assassin, Magician and Archer. There are class advancements of course, which you can see here (link). As you can see from the tutorial videos above, basic combos are performed simply by pressing the direction button and the attack key. Skills can be added to the combo mix, but as a newbie player they are just a waste of mana at times.
Starting off using the Assassin class, I was attracted to his attack speed, even though his damage and health have the worst ratings. This class is awesome fun,and do note that dealing lowing damage will actually help boost combo points in such games.
The card system (above) is perhaps the highlight of the game, beginner wise. Players get to swap and choose combos using monster cards, each with different effects. These cards, for now, are bought using in-game gold from an NPC. I am guessing rarer cards will drop from bosses in the future as well. The final video below showcases the change in effects and attacks after getting some of these cards.
There are a couple different types of dungeons, for example storyline (no rating given at the end), the normal rated dungeon and a few casual ones with jumping quests, anti-gravity challenges and more. For now, the GranAge is really a lot of fun for the weary gamer in me. Only time will tell if this novelty will wear off fast like most others. I was told an English server is bound later this year, so watch out for it.
