The first thing that came in my mind when I first heard of the games title, was a game where I would be constantly climbing on top of a mountain and jumping or holding to dear life at the end of a rope. Luckily, logging on to the game showed me it was one of those free MMORPGs with characters clad in mail-clad or leather strapped boots.

The realm of Rappelz online is based on the Hindu story of creation and destruction. The gods frustrated with the humans sent the Deva or guardians of light and the Asura or people of the dark in bringing order to the world. Harmony was established in the world until one day a dark presence threatened to destroy all in the world. The evil was finally defeated after years of fighting.

After a short introduction into the games storyline, I then proceeded playing and start my Rappelz experience. I was quite surprised to know that the game had excellent graphics despite it being free. Graphics were great and the sounds complemented the mood of each scene, giving it a great overall feel for the game.

Starting the game is pretty straightforward. You are first given the choice of selecting a race and gender. The three available races are the Gaia, Devas and Asuras. Gaias strength is mainly based on the inherently strong physical abilities. Devas are the healers of the realm, their abilities makes them invaluable to the team. If you want to play on the dark side then the Asura race is definitely for you, the ability lie with curses and debuffs to weaken and destroy their enemies.

You start the game as a novice and progress until you reach level 10. Here you are given the choice on what path you would like to pursue in the game. However, there are only three jobs to choose from regardless of race or gender who may have chosen at the start of the game. The only jobs open for players are the Melee, Caster and Breeder types.

Starting out on your adventure is easy. Players are spawned on an island which helps you learn the ropes with simple quests and instructions. The quests are easy and experienced MMORPG players can accomplish the tasks around two hours. Players are then taken to their race’s major cities to begin their adventure.

Although Rappelz Online is one of the best games I’ve reviewed so far, the game has its own downsides too. The character shows a lot of details and was visibly eye popping but the same quality could not be said throughout the game. Some of the games environments were not as detailed and makes you think if the developers did some shortcuts. A few complaints that I would like to point out is the seemingly lack of customization in terms of appearance. Changing armors could only be done after reaching a level and the choices of armor is a bit lacking. Players end up looking similar to one another and make you wonder if you’re looking at a mirror image of yourself sometimes.

A few nice touches could be seen in the game offering players something different form the usual MMORPGs. The Breeder types offer players to tame monsters and summon them during fights. The pet system certainly needs a bit of fine tuning. A more interactive relationship between pets and players could spice up some interest. If you’ve played Lineage 2, Rappelz Online has similar feature with the game. Rappelz also offers players a chip for reducing damage, the Force chip gives players decreased battle damage from mobs. Another cool and unique feature in the game is a guilds ability to control a dungeon and earn when players adventure inside.

Rapplez Online is one of the few games that have really caught my eyes. It has a decent story and would be a nice game for noobs learning the ropes of playing an MMORPG. One serious downside to the game is the lack of PVP, you could cap other players but this is strongly discouraged and penalized. Hardcore RPG gamers would find Rappelz Online a decent RPG and the excellent graphics could provide you a more eye popping gaming experience.