You may not know this, but I am a big fan of Free to Play MMOs especially those with personality and style. That’s why I was excited to get a chance to spend some hands on time with Zentia, ChangYou’s upcoming comicbook inspired F2P offering recently announced at this year’s E3. Developed by Pixel Soft and promising social leveling and multi-player mounts, Zentia promises to be a strong contender in the MMO space.

Character Creation

This is the first game that I’ve know that has a cast of precreated characters interacting together on the character selection screen. Although you don’t seem to be able to customize a character yourself, there is a large selection for a free to play MMO. I really like the visual style of this game. The characters each seem to have a great deal of personality, and tons of charm. Except for the crazy monkey looking guy, he’s just creepy. I chose a Western looking gal (since she was closest to what I look like) And continued on with the process.

Classes

Classes are represented by their respective icon in the character creation process, something that indicates what talisman they will play with. I was given the choice between eight classes: Vajira Guardian, Blade Warden, Fire Mage, Divine Enchanter, Raksha Warrior, Master Summoner, Stormlord, and the bell-wielding Dark Revenant. After reading through the descriptions, I selected Master Summoner, as it sounded the most well-rounded and the most interesting to play.

Little Mandifesto was born, and then the game started in earnest, with a lovely fully rendered cutscene that shows off each of the character classes in action – and more creepy monkey kids.

Questing

Questing is fairly fluid in Zentia, with virtually no grinding required at least at the lower levels. I appreciated how the quests connected one hub to another, which many free to play games don’t bother to do. Throughout the quests you get a sense of the humor in Zentia, especially when fighting the lower level monsters. On first impression, the quests kept me interested enough to read the quest text most of the time, and for the most part the localization was solid when I did read through the offerings. Zentia also features a quest tracking system, much like many modern F2P games, and an easy to understand quest log – both highly important elements in an MMO.

One thing I’ve noticed that I haven’t yet seen in other MMOs is the Ascetic Taoist. This little feller will pop up to assist you if the game believes your current mission is a little too tough for you. I’ve had him spawn a couple of times, but in both cases I didn’t feel his help was needed. I mean, I can’t even chat with him between demon kills. I imagine it might be useful for harder quests to have an NPC party member join you when you don’t have a group. Perhaps when the game development continues they will make the Ascetic Taoists more meaningful.

Pets & Mounts

Pets and mounts are available very early on in Zentia. I received my first pet at level 4, and my first mount after doing a certain quest chain I happened to finish at level 9. The pets, beyond being a little cheeky, also give you bonuses so long as they are out, and allow you to take advantage of autopathing to a zone or NPC. I thought this was a clever use of the autopathing mechanic. Sure we’ve seen it before, but I like that it’s handled in a novel way.

Once I reached level 10 I was given a quest to learn how to tame my own pets. The taming system required a little getting used to, and reminded me more than a little of UFOs rather than arcane magicks. When your pet reaches the appropriate level, you can send them off to train up. I imagine they go through little pet boot camps, where they either crack or come out tougher and meaner on the other side. I’m not sure I want my little tabby cat to come out mean. It might affect our relationship.

Crafting

Crafting and Professions are my all time favorite parts of any MMO. Professions do exist in Zentia, but as far as I can tell, the materials are only available through the cash shop. As someone who loves this aspect of gameplay, I am disappointed that it is only an option if you choose to buy game currency. I would much prefer a system that allowed crafting for free, had me scavenge parts from mobs around the world, and then reserved only truly rare or novelty recipes to be sold through the cash shop. If I’m going to be forced to pay to play the part of the game I like most, I probably won’t play the game. Let’s hope this gets refined and/or changed before the game is released.

All in all, Zentia was fun. I loved the art style, and for a beta the game was incredibly polished. I look forward to seeing how the game progresses as it moves towards release. The closed beta just started July 8th, so if you’re interested in signing up for a key, head on over to the Zentia website and give it a shot. Chances are you’ll have as much fun as I did.