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Clan Lord: Classic 2D MMORPG
This charming and unique 2D MMO is quite a hidden gem having been a mac only game for almost 10 years it is vertually unknown to PC users. I'm just trying to spread the word of it because I'd been looking for a game like this for a very long time and it took years to find.
It's not going to please everyone so feel free to to read my MMORPG.com blog here for the review and + bump if you like what you see, otherwise you can just read it below. Cheers!
Clan Lord is definitely no new kid on the block having been released back in late 1997. It was the very first MMORPG ever made for the Mac, which then went on to be voted one of the top ten Mac games of the year in 2001 by Games Magazine, with a version becoming available for Windows in 2005.
This truly innovative and unique 2D MMORPG offers players the opportunity to remain completely immersed in character and actually work together rather than against each other like most other traditional MMORPG's. While it is possible for players to engage in a consensual duel through equipping specific duelling gear, there is no PvP as such; and nothing to gain from duelling. Players are much more focused on the enormous and continually expanding world around them from newly discovered highly deadly areas, to planar rifts sending skeletal and undead abominations pouring straight into town.
The simple to use point-and-click interface may not be so simple to use in the beginning but will become second nature in no time. "Bumping" things is the term used to activate an NPC, or to kill a creature, which is basically you just running into something. Further down the track you can browse through the many player created macros which may make certain functions easier to execute; such as pulling or moving another player.
Clan Lord is heavily focused towards group activity and you can choose to be either one of the following professions; a Fighter, a Healer or a Mystic. All three work towards different goals, in different ways, but join together to overcome the challenges the world presents to them. It may be challenging to adjust to in the beginning, but it is very easy to form a group in town to go hunting as other players are always more than happy to help; probably having the most friendly and mature community I have ever come across.
A brief run down on the local lore would be that you have been thrown out of the Empire for crimes against the Ascendancy. You're now an exile in a strange world which finds you beginning your new adventures in the town of Puddleby; an outpost town in the Lok'groton island chain. With that said you may not be an exile at all, as this is a fantasy role playing game left completely up to your imagination. Do not be discouraged if you do not wish to role play, whether role playing is a new concept to you or not, though it is encouraged, not everyone does it. It is however considered impolite to burst into OOC discussions while others are role playing.
Clan Lord is not your typical MMORPG as you may of gathered by now, not only is it 2D, but there are several other features that set it apart from the rest. There are no levels so to speak... no numbers to crunch, no mention of exact experience points gained. This isn't a game you can master in a matter of months, or even years... Some players have played for over 10 years and still have something to strive for, while others are more interested in developing their character through role playing or exploring.
Gaining a rank (levelling up) is done in such a way that focuses more so on realism then a big bright notification, "You're now level 12!". Different messages received determine how much experience you may have gained during combat; for example you may be slaughtering something which gives no experience or vanquishing something which gives you the most possible experience. It is then up to you to decide where to put your experience depending on which trainer out of the dozens available that you choose to train with.
As for communicating with other exiles, it is done through text, just like any other game but with a slight twist... speech bubbles represent talking and pondering represents thoughts (although it is commonly used for OOC discussion with OOC:), actions which are again completely up to your imagination and then we have the sunstone. The sunstone is a special type of item that a player can equip which allows them to communicate with anyone else within the game world that holds one. This means all actions and conversation you do outside of the sunstone will only be viewable to those around you, making sitting around in town a very social and common practice. The stones are not cheap but being a new player you will most likely get given one from someone you've met along your travels. They're alsomaintained by Mystics as they fade from use over time, but theres no need to worry about that just yet.
For many years Clan Lord was a monthly pay to play, but has recently become available for a once off $15USD payment.
Overall Clan Lord is nothing short of excellent and I highly recommend giving one of the free "demo" characters a try, just click here and download the client.
Please do not let the somewhat simple website discourage you from trying the game. Something that may be interesting to know is the developer has never really advertised Clan Lord, it's a bit of a secret gem especially when it comes to PC users. He once said in an interview; "I resist pretty much all marketing – it feels like pimping out my games. We keep our games secret, so only the cool people can find them.”
It's dangerous out there in the beautifully designed, highly addictive 2D world of Clan Lord, with many adventures to be had... what will be your destiny?
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity.
Comments
Very well put together and pretty article, hell, I wanna try this game now! So is it a sandbox? Considering most MMORPGs this ancient are sandboxes it seems like.
It is more of a sandbox in there not being one set goal, but there are many goals that you might choose from. --Usually related to acquiring skills and strengths, but might also include role-play kinds of things. This game is all about making meaningful choices, because as you progress, your path tends to become more and more distinct.
The basic goal is survive the fairly hostile environment, and since you really can't do that alone, you have to form cooperative, reliable, relationships with other players.
You also though can compose music that will play in the client, and learn to cast illusions, and make paint (or pies!) that you can throw at other people to dye them some color or other, and fun stuff like that. :-)
--I love it, frankly.
I've played Clan Lord on and off over the years originally back in 98/99 when it was still in beta, again from 2001 to 2005 and I've recently started playing again after a 6 year gap it was and still is one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played.
While some may find the base classes a little limiting (and the lack of powerful offensive magic disappointing) the way the levelling system works soon shines through. You have complete freedom to customise your training so there is no such thing as a cookie cutter build, prefer the glass cannon over the tank? you can do that, prefer to hit fast and accurately instead of one shotting everything before you have a chance to actually enjoy the fight? you can do that too and that's before you look at subclasses.
It's an immersive world where you have the freedom to rollplay as any character you can conceive with a large range of tools to help you do exactly that. We've had heroes, villains, witches, werewolves, servents of dark mysterious powers,knights of holy orders and anthropomorphic poultry.
But if there is one thing that makes Clan Lord stand out far and away above any other game I've played it's the community, you will be hard pressed to find a more mature and friendly crowd in any other online game. There is a reason I keep coming back to this game this this is a large part of it.
Mjollnir, I had no idea you were such an old and wise exile.
Glad you are in the lands again.