Greak: Memories of Azur vs MapleStory
Greak: Memories of Azur
Greak: Memories of Azur is a gorgeous action-adventure game featuring a young boy in search of his sister in a world engulfed in turmoil, no thanks to the bloodthirsty Uglars. Playing as the boy Greak, you’ll venture across various regions in Azur, exploring every inch of it for hidden stashes, completing quests, and battling enemies along the way.The game starts off like a relatively regular action platformer, where you’ll get to jump, swing your sword around, and solve relatively simple puzzles by switching characters once you manage to reunite him with his sister. This part is actually pretty similar to the gameplay in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a favorite of mine.
In fact, you’ll get to control both characters at the same time, which is interesting, though it does complicate things a bit during combat especially considering that the sister is a magic user and deals damage from afar while the brother is a sword-wielder and does best dealing damage from a much closer range.
In a way, Greak: Memories of Azur also feels a bit like a Metroidvania in the sense that the game hides secret chests and rare flowers in places that you, if you don’t pay too much attention, might miss. Even if you spotted the items, you will still need to figure out a way to get to them, which usually involves some creative and sometimes very precise jumping. Expect to get frustrated… a lot!
The gorgeous hand-drawn art in Greak is definitely one of the highlights of the game as well. The out-of-focus background in the distance matches well with the stuff at the front too.
In a nutshell, not only is Greak: Memories of Azur a gorgeous action-adventure game with a heartwarming story about a brother trying to reunite with his sister in a world embroiled in war and infested with dangerous creatures, it also comes with a fun gameplay that's perfectly "midcore". So, if you're into story-driven platformers, you'll want to check out this one!
MapleStory
MapleStory is a free-to-play, 2D side-scrolling, anime-themed MMORPG that offers fun adventures across a vibrant and massive world along with adorable "chibi" characters and creatures. There are plenty of character jobs and factions that you can choose from before setting off into the world to complete quests, grind mobs and battle challenging bosses. Upgrade your characters often by increasing their equipments, skills, abilities and stats. Fancy adventuring in a cool outfit with a cute pet and mount by your side? Well, you can get these in the game shop too.MapleStory used to be incredibly popular because it was the first few free-to-play MMOs of its time, but now, it is still popular mainly because of the timeless classic that it is. Better yet, even after more than a decade since its release, the game and its community is still going strong. MMO players, especially ones who are skeptical of 2D MMOs, should definitely give this game a try.