Atlantica Online vs Vaporum: Lockdown
Atlantica Online
Atlantica Online is a pretty old MMORPG that has been around since 2008. As opposed to the usual action-based or even the hack-and-slash gameplay that most MMORPGs offer, this game is perhaps the first of its kind (and by "kind" we mean Free-to-play MMOs) to merge strategy/tactics with RPG, allowing players to fight their enemies using a team of mercs rather than just a single main hero. In fact, this gameplay formula has actually been adopted and used in many browser-based MMOs today.Although ultimately the main villian in the game is Riederani and his army, the storyline in this game is also slightly different based on which faction you choose to opt for, either the Scion or the Atlantian. There are plenty of character classes too, each playing their own roles within the team. Despite its age, Atlantica Online still sports a robust in-game economy and is a strong proponent of fairplay when it comes to PvP.
However, the best part about this game is its link to events happening in real life. The game itself is based on the real map of the world we live in and as such, major events that recently happened or had happened ages ago in our world will be manisfested, one way or another, in the game. How awesome is that?
Atlantica Online might not remotely resemble the graphical quality of today's MMORPGs, but the game itself is unique and fun enough to stick around until today. This speaks volume about the value that this game brings to the lives of many gamers worldwide, doesn't it? If you enjoy being intrigued by games and you don't really mind poorer visuals, then this is a game you should try out.
Vaporum: Lockdown
Vaporum: Lockdown is a first-person, dungeon crawler featuring old-school grid-based dungeon-crawling gameplay with real-time combat, fun Sokoban-like puzzles, cool steampunk-themed setting, and an intriguing mystery to uncover. In this game, you play as a scientist, Ellie, who’s trapped within a locked-down facility called the Arx Vaporum filled with murderous robots and mutated creatures. Will Ellie be able to escape the place in one piece? What will she discover as she makes her way through Arx Vaporum?In terms of gameplay, you’ll be moving Ellie, the protagonist of the story, one grid at a time. Turning to face a certain direction before you can say turn a corner also requires an extra tap of the keyboard. However, this also means that you can actually move like a crab in this game if you’re sure of the path you’re on. Like most dungeon crawlers, Vaporum: Lockdown comes with devious traps, enemies and puzzles. Traps in this game can be rather easily avoided as long as you got the timing down right.
The interesting part about this game is that combat plays out in real-time here, unlike any other old-school dungeon crawlers we have experienced before. This means that it is entirely possible to loop a sequence of “move and attack” when facing something stationary so you can avoid getting hit at all. However, this also means that more mobile enemies can be trickier to slay – it all boils down to timing really.
There are also fun Sokoban-like puzzles in this game. Most of them involve having you to move crates around to fill holes in the ground, block danger from the path you want to take, or even to serve as paperweights on metal pressure plates. For hardcore treasure seekers, the game even has several hidden compartments that an inquisitive explorer might be able to find, each of these alcoves usually come with some nice rewards. There is a sufficient variety of loot, and you can get better gear as you progress.
Being a prequel of the highly-successful Vaporum, Vaporum: Lockdown definitely does the original game, and the Vaporum universe as a while, proud. Besides the few new features here and there, the gameplay is generally similar to the original title and hence, would be instantly familiar to fans of Vaporum. The storytelling here is great as well, offering so much more lore than before, and of course, the fantastic atmosphere here will pull you right into the fumium-obsessed world that Ellie Teller lives in.