Atlantica Online

Video games have been with us for some time now, and they all started off as a simple bunch of pixels that we had to maneuver to complete a level, thus improving our tactical thinking. Sadly, however, the video game industry has started following the trend of putting style above substance, and flashy, hyper-realistic graphics over a memorable storyline and good gameplay. Atlantica Online aims to act as a throwback to the good old day when tactics were above all else, and it is the core element if you ever hope of reaching great performance within the game.

As a descendant of Atlantis, you discover that it is up to you to save the rest of the Earth from the evil Atlantis descendants. You struggle with your dark history and vow to ascend above the power that pulls you towards the evil side of Atlantis. This journey will take you all across the world, including an upcoming region in the Grand Canyon. Check out this entire lore article for more information on your character's history and the game.

Unlike most MMORPGs out there, combat in Atlantica Online is turned based, and instead of controlling a single character, you control an entire squadron of characters that fight at your disposal, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and tactical advantages. battlefields are divided into tiles, and each character class is capable of interacting with these tiles in different ways. For example, while the traditional Swordsman class can only attack the one tile the enemy is standing on, the Grenadier class deals splash damage in a cross shape to the main target and those adjecent to it.

The game has a wide roster of characters you can obtain, either as quest rewards or rare drops, but regardless of what characters you will never be able to create the perfect team since each encounter is different and requires that you focus on different compositions. Despite the fact that you control multiple characters, it doesn't mean that you don't have the option to party. In fact, partying is the best and fastest way to level up, since you get EXP even if you actually do battle or not, since it is divided equally between all characters.

No MMORPG can call itself a MMORPG if it didn't offer a dungeon feature, and Atlantica has plenty to offer. These dungeons become the perfect way for you to perfect your battle strategy, character formations and general team play in parties, since each boss encounter is different from the other, even within the same instance. More so, if you're the social type, you can form relationships with other players, buy housing, join guilds and more.

A MMO that ages well

Despite being on the market for some time now, Atlantica Online aged gracefully in both graphics, gameplay and player population, with constant updates and events keeping everything fresh and interesting. This makes it great for both new and older players looking for a change from the typical point-and-click or action combat MMORPGs out there.