Riders of Icarus

Riders of Icarus for PC is an epic fantasy MMORPG which main highlight is the possibility of taming and mounting many mythical beasts of varied abilities. The title is free-to-play for PC and was developed by WeMade Entertainment and the creators of many popular MMOs, Nexon.

Plot

Similarly to most Asian MMORPG, the plot of Riders of Icarus is not too extensive, being just an excuse for the gameplay. We are taken to a vast fantasy land of open structure in the center of which is the monumental city of Hakanas. While playing, players assume the role of warriors that use progressively tamed and trained beasts to face an ancient evil that reawakened after years in slumber and gradually grows stronger, posing a threat to the entire humanity.

Mechanics

As far as the general premise is concerned, Riders of Icarus is a classical third-person MMORPG. The gameplay itself combines adventure elements with dynamic action. Starting out, we assume the role of a warrior we have created. The character can belong to several classes, such as Berserker, Guardian, Priest, Assassin, or Wizard—naturally, each one offers not only a different appearance but also unique skills and preferred fighting style. While playing, we mostly explore the land and perform quests that mainly boil down to combating hordes of enemies. As we progress, we gain gold and experience which allow us to develop our character and equip it with increasingly better equipment.

The main distinguishing feature of Riders of Icarus for PC is the fact that the aforementioned bests that fight alongside humans are just as important as player characters. Among tens of different species, we can fight both those more animalistic, such as powerful bears or wild cats, as well as a wide variety of mythical creatures, including giant, fire-breathing dragons. Every beast that we encounter can be tamed and then trained, thanks to which, in time, not only does it become our devoted friend but also a real killing machine that possess powerful and varied special abilities. Depending on the specifics of a given beast, it can simply fight alongside but also be mounted. Flying creatures introduce an incredibly rare element in the MMORPG genre which is air combat. It is a part of an incredibly extensive combo-based combat system.

Game modes

As far as game modes are concerned, Riders of Icarus does not deviate from the typical features of the genre. The players that like to play solo can devote their time to performing story quests in the PvE mode, although there is a myriad of opportunities to fight powerful bosses which require not only an adequate tactics to be defeated but also a strict cooperation between several players. The title also features a PvP mode that lets us fight epic battles on the back of our mounts, including the flying ones.

Technical aspects

Contrary to many budget Asian MMORPGs, Riders of Icarus for PC boasts an impressive, fully three-dimensional graphics powered by CryEngine 3. The title can successively compete with many Western AAA action RPGs, although visually it clearly is an Asian production. Riders of Icarus is available in the free-to-play business model which is typical to Nexon. Naturally, the game offers numerous additional packets that provide us with useful bonuses and bigger customization options but purchasing them won’t give us any meaningful advantage over other players.

Last updated on September 18, 2016