The first thing that you'll notice
about Dungeon Fighter Online is that it's set in a 2-D rather than
3-D gaming environment and plays out more like a side scrolling beat
'em type of game rather than your typical RPG. The battles are
real-time rather than turn based which means you can get right into
the hack and slash action, killing monsters using a combination of
weapon and magic based attacks. Also instead of having an extensive
world, there is a limited area where you can explore and gather
quests from in-game characters, interact with other players, and find
entrances to dungeons. Like your typical RPG you can choose which
character class you'd like to play as. The current options for new
characters are Slayer, Priest, Mage, Gunner, Female Gunner, and
Fighter. Female slayer and thief characters have also been announced
but have yet to be released. The character that you choose depends on
your preference and style of play.
The dungeons, of course, are where
most the gameplay action takes place. Once you enter a dungeon
there's only 2 ways to get out. One is beating the boss character for
that area, and the other being selecting exit dungeon from your game
menu. If you opt for the second selection, however, your health and
magic points will be completely depleted as soon as you exit the
stage. To recover you'll have to spend in-game gold, which isn't an
issue if you stick to dungeons that your character is strong enough
to get through. To clear each room in the dungeon you'll need to
destroy every enemy in the area before the game lets you move
forward. Most of the enemies drop items such as weapons, armor, and
potions which you can either use for your own character or sell in
the market. The in-game characters will buy your items for a low
price. The better option for selling items is using the unique
auction system. For an MMORPG, Dungeon Fighter Online's in-game
economy is more impressive than most. It's impossible to use “bots”
to farm gold and weapons due to the security that in place. Not only
do you have to login before playing, there's also this password mini
game called “goblin pad” that you have to pass before you can
sell or drop any of the items in the game. Also, if the game thinks
that you may be cheating, it will provide a captcha which you must
solve to continue playing. With these security precautions, the game
market has stayed steady with fair prices, and equally fair
redemption for items sold.
Another unique feature this game has
is a token system. If by some chance your character is defeated in a
dungeon they can be revived by using a token. Each player is given 3
tokens a day which they can use to revive their character and there's
no penalty for running out other than you can't play anymore that
day. You can purchase additional tokens using real money if you
really want to keep playing that bad. Regardless, if you ever lose in
a dungeon, you'll never lose experience points, something more MMOs
should really consider. If you run out of tokens there's another
option. You can play in PVP (player vs player) mode. Here, you can
fight against other players in one-on-one battles, team battles, and
brawls.
Over all, Dungeon Fighter Online is
probably one of the most unique MMORPGs that's free to play today.
It's fast paced gameplay and sense of instant gratification from
button mashing and simple combos, makes this game perfect for both
the hardcore and casual gamers alike. If you haven't played it yet,
it's definitely worth checking out. Besides, what do you have to
lose? It's free to play!
