8BitMMO vs Wurm Online
8BitMMO
8BitMMO is quite a different sort of 2D MMORPG mainly because it is a giant sandbox set in a persistent streaming world and partly because of its eye-catching retro look. Being a sandbox game, you can literally build anything you like be it your own city or a magnificent castle; a simple humble home or an expressive voxel art. You can even build dungeons for other players to raid in! To make things more interesting, the game also has a fun zombie mode in addition to the plethora of hats, clothings and other accessories to customize your character with, and the tons of enemies you can battle against alone or with a group of friends. You don't need to worry about griefers as well, since the game has a robust anti-griefing system in place to prevent the same, bad thing that had happened to you in Minecraft's multiplayer game to occur again.8BitMMO is completely free-to-play and is still under active development by its one full-time developer (hats off to you my friend), so if you'd like to show your support, be sure to buy some of the stuff in the game's in-game shop or simply submit your feedback and ideas. Either way would help!
Wurm Online
Wurm Online is a unique sandbox/adventure RPG that many has been touting as being the most realistic one ever. The game is not a solo survival game unlike Minecraft. Instead, you are given the opportunity to build your own settlement - literally from the ground up - and help it to grow. Being an MMO, you can enlist the help of other players to develop your settlement from being little more than a camp with a few shabby and lopsided huts into something that passing bandits might be eyeing hungrily at.There is also an adventure element in this game where you get to venture of into the wilderness to fight a variety of creatures to earn some loot and to level up. Players who enjoy clashing swords with their fellow players can even hop into a PvP world server to enjoy some open world PvP. That said, things will go by a bit slowly if you are playing the game alone though. Wurm Online is an MMO for a reason!
The game has nothing but a fun and great experience to offer to its players and best yet, it's free to play! You can opt for a premium membership if you like just so you can play on multiple servers but, as mentioned, the game can be enjoyed without having to spend a cent.