Tibia Review
Overview: Tibia is a free on-line only RPG. It contains a constant World where hundreds of people can freely go about their business. You can join guilds, kill monsters, cast spells, make friends and enemies, and generally have a fun time.
Visuals: Ok, I've seen better graphics, but I must admit they have improved greatly, it now runs in higher resolutions than before and displays more colours, it can also be run in full screen and has nice lighting for a 2D game. What is really nice is that it runs well on low end systems. Also there are at least 50 different types of monsters, most of which have completely different looks. Basically, when you see a cyclops you'll imediately recognise it as such, same with dragons, orcs, trolls, etc. The items are also incredibly varied, there would be hundreds of different weapons and armor, as well as quest items, all with distinct looks and abilities.
Sounds: There is none, but I guess that's a good thing due to it being a downloaded thing, sounds would take up a lot more room (that is, if everything the monsters text said was speech) and wouldn't really add to the game other than to bug you with constantly chinking swords, or walking noises.
Gameplay: Gameplay in Tibia is simple, you start out on Rookguard, you go around, kill stuff, etc. Left click to move, right click to use (or bring up a menu with the new controls), pretty basic stuff. Talking is acheived by typing basically, there's no windows you have to select oyu just type your sentence then press enter. Skills are acheived by doing the particular action. You want shielding? Equip a shield and get hit. Like swords? Equip one and watch your sword skill grow as you kill more monsters. It's very simplistic and it works wonders. Rookguard (or Newbie Island) has no player-killing (pking), due to the fact that it's for people to learn the basics of the game. However, due to this fact you will find a lot of idiots on Rook, they'll steal your monsters, steal your loot, block you so you get killed, etc. Not everyone is like that, but a few are.
When you reach level 8 you can go to Main by heading to the Training Academy and talking to the oracle, it will ask you what vocation (class for any of you confused RPGers out there) you want to choose (Knight: standard fighter, though I like to call them walls due to the fact that they stand there getting hit while the other vocations safely pepper the enemies from behind, Paladin: really good with bows and crossbows, plus they get a few of the lower level spells, Druid: the healing vocation, get's all the healing runes and a few of the low to mid level attacking runes, Sorcerors: get all attack spells, including the instant hit attack spells the other vocations don't acquire) and which area (the three major cities; Thais, Carlin and Venore). Once everything is chosen and accepted, you're on Main.
Main is where the fun starts, you can buy spells, go hunting, explore, and get killed by other players. This is called pking and I'm going to let you in on a little secret... If you don't want to get pked every five seconds then start on an empty server. It's that simple, plus that way everyone doesn't seem so incredibly strong compared to your meagre self and everyone is far more helpful.
Spells are cast by saying the words associated with them, it's that simple, you want light say "utevo lux". Need to eat? "exevo pan" is your friend. There are also rune spells, you must first be holding a rune in your characters hand, say the words, and poof that rune is now full of spell charges. Runes can then be used by any class provided they have sufficient magic level (this rules out Knights using Sudden Death runes, I doubt any knight has acquired the lvl 15 magic required for it).
The only downside to Tibia's gameplay is the lag, at times it can be downright atrocious with dropouts, disconnects, and server downtime. That comes with the online territory though, and you must remember these guys are using their own money to supply you with a free game (unless you are a premium user which is when you pay a monthly fee for bonuses not available to free accounts).
Lastability: There is a lot to explore. Main may seem pretty small walking across it, but when you factor in the intricate caverns beneath the various islands you'll realise the place is a lot bigger than you first expected.
Conclusion: The lag really lets down the final score, but the game is still worth it. If you put in the time and effort you'll come away satisfied with your playing experience, just don't go to a full server, that's just asking for trouble.
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It's simplistic nature helps to appeal to people of all ages, with easy to use controls, and a simple interface witrh everything just one click away. Lag does cause problems though, but you can't expect everything for nothing. |
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Rather old graphics, but they do what you need. The vast amount of item pictures and enemies make up for the lack of 3D whizz bang effects. |
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There is none, but who really cares? |
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There is plenty to explore, plenty to find and plenty to kill. If you want to accomplish everything in this game be prepared to play for a good year or so. It's even worth the monthly fee for Premium. |
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With better graphics, and less lag, I would give it higher. The fun you will have while playing this game makes up for these faults though. |
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