Final Fantasy Awakening vs Ragnarok Online
Final Fantasy Awakening
Final Fantasy Awakening is one of the many official, third-party spin-offs for the incredibly popular Final Fantasy game franchise. Featuring a 3D ARPG gameplay that many casual MMO gamers would probably be familiar with, this game offers players with a brand-new storyline set in the world similar to Final Fantasy Type-0. Aside from having plenty of the franchise's iconic characters and Eidolons, Final Fantasy Awakening also boasts of containing over 200 high quality CGs that help in the visualization of the narrative as well as the gameplay.The game is a party-based RPG, where you'll need to recruit heroes to your Class Zero team. However, the heroes that you choose will also have positive or negative reactions to the other members of the team - this is called hero's bond, and having a good symbiotic bond can be crucial to assembling a much more superior team. Besides the many PvE elements, the game has a strong focus on PvP as well, providing players with intense cross-server PKs and Arenas to showcase their team and their skills.
As exciting as all of these sound, Final Fantasy Awakening is however only available in selected countries in the South-East Asian region for the moment. It is possible that the game may eventually make its way to the Western countries, but if you simply can't wait, using a mobile VPN is a way to go or you can simply grab the game's APK (or the iTunes equivalent) off a third-party website.
Ragnarok Online
Ragnarok Online is a timeless classic and is among one of the very first anime-themed MMORPG that's based on a popular Korean comic series of the same name (which is still pretty popular now). The game is different from any other MMOs at that time mainly due to its unique graphical approach - using 2D sprites set in a 3D game environment. The game also infuses the "kawaii" and "chibi" concepts into its characters, giving rise to the famously cute Porings in the game.Gameplay-wise, Ragnarok Online has many features that may be relatively unheard of such as giving players the ability to set up their own vendors, in addition to having an auction house, to sell off items that have farmed or crafted. The job-based character progression system in this game is also incredibly in-depth, allowing for a wider variety of character builds. There are even collectible cards that players can not only collect from every single mob type in the game, but also equip these cards to enhance their equipment and stats.
It's not at all surprising to see that even 15 years after its initial release and having to put up with competition from its fully 3D sequel, Ragnarok Online 2, this game is still going pretty strong. If you consider yourself a hardcore MMO gamer, Ragnarok Online is a game you should try the first chance you get!