Just last month, Ntreev USA started the Open Beta of another 'unique' MMOG straight from Korea called Grand Chase. While Grand Chase isn't an RPG game, it is one of those interesting 2D side-scroller/fighter-type games that will bring nostalgia to even the most veteran players of the 16bit era. This cel-shaded game can keep players interested for an endless amount of hours, for either the competitive Player Versus Player junkie or the adventurous storyline crawlers out there. The controls are rather straight-foward and the platform has a mediocre learning curve for even the less-experienced players out there.

Since Ntreev USA's release of this game, they have continued to 'up the ante' when it comes to content, patches, and support. At the time of this review, there are currently 12 different dungeons for players to explore and conquer the bosses that protect (or more so, destroy) them. Ntreev USA even has some of their Quality Assurance team scouting their Bug Report forums to make sure that they can try to fix as many of the bugs faced in this Beta as soon as possible. Some players have become discouraged in regards to making threads about common bugs or issues, as some of the more 'popular' errors are very hard to re-create for the QA team (making it harder to fix). So far, I must admit that I admire Ntreev USA's focus on trying to get this game out 'in the wild' as soon as they can.

Gameplay

Grand Chase has a very generic side-scroller feel to it, to put it plainly. This is the actual appeal to the game, though. With all of the complications of the third dimension, some gamers just find comfort in returning to their roots in the second dimension of vision. With many games like this, the community is what will ultimately be the beginning or the end of the entire structure of the game. At the time, the community seems only slightly disorted due to some of the various events going on that causes strain on the community from 'outside' competitions. Other than that, with each day the community seems to flourish that much more; making Grand Chase that much more entertaining to jump into.

Holy Shining Sword of Destruction, Batman!

Many players will find that the gameplay for the dungeons is a little...too easy. Every single dungeon is easy enough to go through by yourself, as long as you're within what is considered a reasonable level for that dungeon. Even with this in mind, many veterans find that the occasional group is always a desirable thing to experience. One perk of getting more party members to join you on your quest to smite down the evilness that's spread through your selected dungeon is the bonus experience and GP (Gold Points, in-game currency). The entire game is focused around some type of teamwork, even if it's the teamwork of the 'main characters' of the storyline known as "Grand Chase" (thus, the title).

The battle system of Grand Chase isn't too unique, but it does allow players that aren't too accustomed to this particular genre of games to get used to it very quickly. Certain characters have specialized tactics and skills to combat one another; allowing the game excellent balance between characters. Any character has the same potential as the other, allowing players to get the feel for each one in different ways. This all means that every player can get used to each character accessible to them and become 'skilled' in each one. Since the learning curve is adjusted for people to get into the game quicker, competition can be rather fierce in the Player Versus Player aspect. Jumping into this game could mean you have some fun working out your aggression in PvP; but remember to be sincere to your fellow players as we're all MMO'ers here!

Window Shopping anyone? It's all I can do, I'm dirt poor.

At this time, shopping for new equipment is pretty much a walk in the park. Everything is laid out with ease and even the rookies can get their goods whenever they get enough gold points to purchase their desired outfit. It's all part of the learning curve, making the game that much easier and 'newbie friendly'. Currently, the game is a bit hindered in regards to how customizable you can be in-game. This is only due to the Open Beta status on Grand Chase; which I believe causes Ntreev USA to be slightly hesitant to 'release' the "Cash Shop" items. This is fine, as not everyone is going to be willing (or able) to shell out the money for these items - but, it will eventually come to the point where it is released, allowing more customization overall.

Graphics and Sound

As I've already mentioned above, this game is cel-shaded. It creates a stronger 'anime' feel to the game, even though there are some sprites that end up being too pixelated to be considered 'cel-shaded'. I place most of the blame on how old the overall game and graphics both are; but are more impressive than some earlier cel-shaded games for consoles and PC alike. Those who have played earlier classics like "Brave Fencer Musashi" will probably feel a bit out of their element, as Grand Chase uses a 2D engine altogether. It's fine though, as it still allows vetarans to embrace their nostalgia with open arms. Newer faces to the MMOG scene may feel a bit intimidated by the graphics, as many have had a run-in with the 'newer' and 'best' graphical engines currently available to those in the MMOG atmosphere. It's quite acceptable, since the game operates on a second dimensional aspect altogether; unlike some games attempting to mix cel-shaded animation sprites to a third dimensional environment.

The soundtrack to Grand Chase is a bit 'routine' for my taste. Many 'anime' based games have the same type of music always playing. There are some dungeons that have tracks that actually make your adrenaline rush to fight off the evil; while the others will leave you too mellow to even press your arrow keys to continue. I'm not impressed by the sounds of Grand Chase by any means. The voice-overs for the characters seem rather out-of-place and generally tacky. I'm personally finding myself switching on WinAmp to my favourite internet radio stations to give me the serenity or testosterone that I need to get me ready for anything in Grand Chase. I'm rather certain that the majority of serious players have practically given up on all sounds in Grand Chase; except for some of the effects (which allows players to avoid the high-damaging meteor strike, that Arme has at her disposal).

"METEOR!!! Wait, how does everyone know I'm about to spam this skill?!"

Overall View

Grand Chase is a rather addicting game if you give it a chance. For those who are more interested in the 3D games that have been coming out in the past four to six years, you may have a chance to submerge yourself into an 'older' environment while keeping a certain element of sanity because of it's mixed diversity in the MMO scene. Although, if you're expecting to pull out some old-school Street Fighter directional pad techniques in order to mop the floor with your opponents' head you'll be horribly disappointed. I will say that the controls are friendly enough for most controllers out there; except you shouldn't be ready to pull off any fancy techniques to actually do anything.

The graphics are nostalgic, and the gameplay can draw you in. Grand Chase has the potential to become something just as 'revolutionary' as Trickster Online for Ntreev USA. I would have to say that Ntreev USA may have, in fact, made a very good judgement call on this one. As an avid player myself, I can only say "I hope that Ntreev keeps up the good work!" If they start slipping, the community may becoming distant from the directors, gamemasters, and other staff members who only work for the players' best interest.

Some players are forced to suffer through the latency problems as of late, due to how the servers are operated. It will be obvious when you've found yourself in a game with a bunch of players who are lagging by far, because you will be unable to kill them until their computer 'catches up' with what you've done. Though, sometimes this means nothing as they could've avoided your attacks prior to you even making them. It can get frustrating for people who haven't the patience to handle it, and can cause others to pull their hair out for losing a match against someone who barely did anything. With this in mind, one should be careful before getting too annoyed with the 'lag-infested' gameplay that can catch up to you if you have a shoddy connection as well.

So give it a try, even if it's just a few minutes playing around in PvP or the first dungeon. I don't expect anyone to get 'hooked' unless it's their stronger of genres. For those who are getting tired of the grind of other MMOGs out there, you're welcomed to give Grand Chase a run for it's money - at least, that way, you're forcing yourself to have a break from the casual MMO while experiencing a new one altogether.

Happy Gaming, MMOG'ers!