Blade & Soul (PC) (2016)

Overview: Korean action MMORPG.

Important: once a character is created, the appearance cannot be changed again without paying a fee

20170824:
I tried to play Blade & Soul once before but the game wouldn't run after I installed it. Today, however, I realized I might be able to play it on my current desktop computer. Luckily it worked for me this time. After choosing a race/class (5 minute) and customizing a character (32 minutes), I played the Prologue (eight chapters) and the first four chapters of Act 1 (81 minutes).

Standing around.

Game Time: approximately 2 hours (session), 2 hours (total)

20170827 Midnight:
Today I resumed the game, played for an hour, finished Act 1 Chapter 5, and played the very start of Act 1 Chapter 6.

Game Time: approximately 1 hour (session), 3 hours (total)

20170827 Noon:
At noon, I picked up from where I left off and played for about two hours. I had completed Act 1 Chapter 10 when I stopped playing.

Casting a spell.

Game Time: approximately 2 hours (session), 5 hours (total)

Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Strong character customization
+ Attractive female character models
+ Decently aesthetic environments / enemies.
+ Cool attack animations.

Talking with an NPC (non-player character)

Neutral:
~ Anime style
~ Free to play

Minor Cons:
- Terrible quest: I was supposed to read some letter and I did what it said but the game didn't seem to register the action.
- Bug: I got stuck after using fly. WTF. If i wasn't allowed to be there why were borders set the way they were.
- Not the best interface

About to throw a bomb at the enemy (Blackram)

- Loading screens are annoying. Can't that stuff be cached based on proximity?
- Running should be unlimited when out of combat.

Summary:
While the game was rough around the edges, I enjoyed playing it. However, since I've only played a couple of MMORPGs,* I find myself unable to make any meaningful recommendations. Actually, if a short clip of gameplay or the game's graphics look appealing, then it wouldn't hurt to give the game a try because it's free-to-play.

Selection of races and classes.
The availability of classes and gender depends on the race.
*Besides Blade & Soul, I've played WildStar (2014), Realm of the Mad God (2011), Spiral Knights (2009). Apparently I also played an MMORPG called Darkfall Unholy Wars (2013).

Blade & Soul (PC) (2016)

Relevant Links:
Blade & Soul (Wikipedia.org)
Blade & Soul (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Blade & Soul Website

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