After more than 7 years, Jagex still gets things right.

Runescape

One of the highly-populated, highly-immersive MMORPG games to date, Runescape, still never ceases to amaze even after so many years. The game is expansive, stimulating, and addicting. It’s seriously one of the best games I have ever played.

 

Forsooth, brilliance is thine!
Runescape does what every amazing game should do: iron out bugs and glitches, smoothen the gameplay and graphics, while continually offering new content to improve the already incredible game. And to think this masterpiece is actually browser-based.

For players of Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, Runescape would feel very familiar – point-and-click gameplay, the default isometric view, numerous different locales, and dozens of hours of gameplay. Then, you’ll reconsider the thought… Runescape isn’t as similar as these games! Runescape is an entirely different gaming universe! Within the first few minutes (or hours), you’ll find that this game stands tall on it own as a fun MMO with an amazing story and unique gameplay. 

Runescape partly has the looks of a typical MMORPG. Aside from the usual MMO standards like item and party system, the story also starts out as your usual “makings-of-a-hero” fate. You set off as a lowly peasant, a new hero-in-the-works, swamped by mundane quests from the local townspeople. It isn’t until you’ve achieved higher levels and explored much of the world that you are forced into that epic medieval war of good versus evil. The lore is actually the common fantasy-medieval plot device that spans a number of historic annals, much like Tolkien’s work. But like every great MMO, Runescape displays an amazing sense of timing, slowly building you up for greater battles.

 

Swimming in Runes
Runescape’s real forte is in its character development. Your character is, for the most part of your medieval life, unique in terms of build and skill usage. You can be anything you want to be – a spellcaster, a swashbuckler, a cook… or a spellcasting swashbuckling mining blacksmith chef! Kidding aside, you gain experience for every action you do. The game gives you all the skills you need to survive, such as cooking, mining, smithing, melee attacking, and spellcasting to name a few. The harder you train for a certain skill, the higher level you will gain. Higher skill levels mean having stronger attacks, or creating the most profitable items. Best of all, the players are allowed to maximize each skill to its highest level potential. Not only will you eventually be a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of everything. These skills give you a sense of realism on surviving in the medieval world. It allows you to interact with the environment, making the world a dynamic area to explore and take advantage of. Of course, these skills are not without tutors to teach you. Every new player starts in “Tutorial Island” to teach the most basic skills. Other tutors can be found around the Runescape world.
 

And what better way to utilize these skills than in quests? Runescape has hundreds of quests to choose from. All of these quests reap the best rewards and a great deal of experience points for the skills you used. Although these quests have the same formula of killing monsters, gathering items, and talking to NPCs, they actually encourage you to think and use many of your skills, not just opt for brute force. If your thinking cap isn’t working as it should, Runescape’s site has a quest helper that will gradually give you hints and solutions. It doesn’t air out the answers in one go; it still leaves you to find the answers with their hints.

In some instances, minigames and random events also break up the monotony of gameplay. These recurring events add variety to your usual questing and grinding. The random events are... well… random. They just pop out of nowhere during your travels, give you a laughable or a daunting task, and perhaps, won’t let you go until you’re done. This feature thankfully weeds out those nasty bots and cheaters out there. For some people, complying isn’t really their cup of tea, especially since the random event feels a bit “forced.” Then perhaps, the minigames would prove diverting to you? Many of the minigames are actually entertaining, and you’ll find yourself deep into the heart of it. You might be equally divided when deciding to take a quest or a minigame next. This makes it an impressive combination that manages to accommodate both the serious and casual gamers alike.
 

Another flagon for the heroes!
The Grand Exchange showcases a surprising aspect of Runescape. It provides the world with an actually-working stable economy, under a strictly-monitored market. It’s not your typical auction house. The items you buy or sell in the Grand Exchange are justifiably priced depending on the market’s supply and demand. The Grand Exchange, and other personal marketing efforts, has limitations that prevent suspected real-money traders from exploiting goods. A good example of this is the waiting time to resell an item after it has been bought from the exchange. There have been mixed thoughts about the Grand Exchange and the ways of the trade in Runescape, but this great effort in continually shaping the market makes the game having possibly one of the most stable virtual economies.

Naturally, a good market comes from the many sellers and buyers running around it. One of the ideal ways to gather your goods is through combat. Like every MMORPGs, combat is certainly a large part of the game. You would be fighting as much as any other hack-and-slash games. Though the frequency of combat is similar, the strategy style is different. You have a variety of attacks to choose from. Melee combat has its different lunges and hacks, ranged combat shows various ways to let fly your arrows, and different spells are within immediate reach. Each type of attack gains you experience, allowing you to master your own fighting style and technique. Impatient players may get more frustrated, though. Much like the past console RPGs (and maybe like the present MMORPGs too), there’s a lot of romp and ritual during combat. Click here, click there, switch menu windows from melee to magic, and wait for the inevitable casting animation to finish – these are just a few of what to expect during grinding. Combat takes patience, since the game really plays at a slow pace.

During combat and throughout your medieval life, death is always looming over your shadow. Runescape treats dying as more than a mere inconvenience. If you die, your character drops all, but the three most expensive, items in your inventory and equip window. You can reclaim your items from the spot where you died, if you’re fast enough. Or you can have your friends grab it for you if you’re in a party. If left untouched, the dropped items despawn.

“Ye

"Ye Olde Tavern”
It’s a shame that the graphics aren’t commensurate with the rest of the game. The character models and the environments look boxy, similar to the games dating back to the first generation Playstation era. There are limits to being a browser-based game, and this is one example. For Runescape, graphics do not a game make. The music and sound effects are definitely much better. The music changes in different parts of the map, matching the mood and culture of the location you’re currently in. Sound effects and ambient noises happen in logical places, like splashing sounds created by a nearby water source or rustling leaves in a forest.

Bag of gold coins
Despite the dragging gameplay and dated graphics, Runescape is clearly an excellent game. It has a typical yet interesting story line, excellent character development and numerous quests. This is definitely one substantial MMORPG that tells us why we were gamers in the first place. And all of these are in the confines of your own web browser.

I hope the taverns are still open…