A new PC MMORPG was launched today, in some parts of the world. It is called The Chronicles of Spellborn, made by Dutch developer Spellborn International.
The game is set in a fairly regular fantasy world, and in many ways, the game seems like your typical YAMFRIES (Yet Another MMORPG Featuring Rogues, Imps, Elves or Sorcerers.)
There are 9 classes to choose from, and two races -- though your choice of race only determines your looks.
Combat is much more 'twitch' based instead of the usual WoW-way -- so you actually have to run up to people and control your swings, or dodge manually. There is also a sort of spinning UI feature that allows you to develop more powerful attacks. The game also features PvP.
Spellborn aims to be more about tactics and thinking, over stats and skills.
To encourage people to try out Spellborn, the first portion of the game is free to play. The free content is roughly 20 hours' worth of stuff, and you'll have access to three zones. After the free content is done with, subscription rates seem to be $15 a month.
The launch dates are spread all over the place for this game. Today the game went live in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. On December 5th the game comes to France and Scandinavia; in January, the game will be available to North Americans. As for the rest of Europe, including the UK, I hunted around the Internets and that information was surprisingly difficult to find.
Will this game have what it takes to make a profit? It's a pretty crowded market for YAMFRIES. Only time will tell, but the odds look stacked against Spellborn.
