Fractured Online

The world's first "truly dynamic" MMORPG? That is a bit of a stretch considering the multitude of genre titles on the market pushing innovations regularly. Fractured Online has had a turbulent time since seeing the light of day. Maybe because it's struggling to live up to that promise, or perhaps the reaction to this dynamism hasn't been the one that was anticipated?

Fractured Online classifies itself as the first open-world sandbox RPG where action combat and completely interactive environments combine to create a fascinating gameplay landscape. Players will become the adventurer of bard's lore, fighting their way through hordes of enemies, and crafting great gear, ruling the roost as the world's ultimate warrior. So how many of these promises have come to fruition?

Putting the Pieces Together

There are some magnificent ideas behind Fractured Online, which keeps this game interesting despite its regular closing for development. Apart from the more standardized combat approach, managing life in the game has the potential to win over players. Gameplay completely changes depending on your race, there's a riveting knowledge and talent system, and crafting stretches from elemental armors to building your city.

We'll remind you that the game is in alpha, meaning not every idea has seen complete finesse yet. And that is where the problem lies with ambitious promises such as an entire city builder and a tremendous knowledge and skill tree. So far, these incomplete gameplay elements have left Fractured Online in a messy state, worrying players as to whether we'll get the full scope of the title's core features.

What we've pulled so far is that visually, the game is unimpressive, and mechanically, there are niggling issues everywhere. There isn't one aspect of this MMO that feels promising or is on the right track. But every development cycle is different; maybe they are trying to test how the heavily diverse gameplay will all tie in together.

We'll respect that Fractured Online's race and class system already serves as the most intriguing part of the experience. It incentivizes players to have more than one character, as the gameplay varies greatly by choosing one of the three races and their associated classes. At least so far, the developers are delivering on that promise of one of the most dynamic MMOs ever produced.

Alpha Dog

Fractured Online becomes available now and then as it attempts to patch up the holes identified in player feedback. Development has a long way to go if it's to live up to its promises. Even longer if it wants to surpass the quality of already established sandbox MMORPG titles like Albion Online, but with the right resources, we could see the world's most dynamic MMORPG.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Varied race gameplay is impressive
• Fun combat
• Decent balance of competitive and cooperative gameplay

Cons:

• A long way to go before ambitious ideas are realized
• Visually not impressive
• Does not stay online all the time