Fairyland Online

Fairyland Reviewed

Fairyland Online went into open beta in late 2007 which is surprising when you take a look at the graphics and game play in Fairyland. Like several other MMORPGs including Myth War Online, Elf Online, and Wonderland Online, Fairyland has random encounter style combat most commonly found in console RPGs. But unlike those other MMOs, the fights in Fairyland are turn based rather than ATB (action time battle). Each ’side’ in the encounter is given ample time to choose their attacks.

Character creation in Fairyland is simple but its worth noting that Fairyland offers more options than most 2D games in this regard. There are three races to choose from: Human, Elf, and Dwarf. Each race has a different distribution of the six stats: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Constitution, Luck, and Charm. While there are a total of nine first job changes available at level 10, they fall into general three types, which are labeled ‘guilds’, these guilds include The Journeyman, Diviner, and Soldier Guilds. Each of the races is best suited for a particular guild, for example the Elves start with a lot of intelligence which is useful for any of the Diviner classes. Players can also chose their character’s hair, skin, and suit color along with their gender.

The short tutorial explains the basics of movement and the interface. Each NPC handles a different lesson and the player is usually rewarded for listening (or clicking through) the NPC’s lessons. After leaving the tutorial players are encouraged to speak to near by NPCs and complete a short quest requiring them to go into the basement of the tavern. This quest gives players their initial equipment. Random encounters can occur at any time outside towns and other safe areas. Players are given a fairly long amount of time to command their character and pet’s moves. Each player is given three stat points to distribute per level. New players are encouraged to play melee oriented classes since increasing strength makes the early levels far more bearable. As stated earlier, once characters reach level they make the first job change but until then they are free to become an ‘apprentice’ in any of the three guilds. This allows players to try out the play style of all three types before committing. But since each race is best suited for a class type, most players will have already made their guild decision long ago.

In Fairyland there are always more NPCs to give you quests to do but for some reason the game feels like it has a lack of direction. Being the only player walking around doesn’t help either. Like many less known free MMOs, Fairyland suffers from a lack of community. The movement and general feel of the game takes some getting used to. Like most other turn based MMORPGs, Fairyland has a vibrant pet system. This seems like a must in the Turn Based genre since controlling a single character in a turn based encounter feels ridiculous. Acquiring pets in Fairyland is a lot like Pokemon. Players must purchase ‘capsules’ and use them on weakened monsters (the weaker, the better) in order to capture them. As an additional distraction, there are dozens of titles players can earn and dozens of ‘dolls’ that can be collected.

Fairyland is not short on content, there is even an in depth PvP element. Players can participate in ‘Kingdom Wars’ between the three races starting at level 11. A more high end version of team PvP is called ‘Purple War’ which is only available to players level 71 and over. Like many other MMORPGs today, players can have in-game marriages as well. Even with all this enticing lure, most players will make up their minds whether they want to give this game a try or not based on the graphics and combat style. If you’re looking for something with a bit of a retro feel, give Fairyland a try.

Fairyland Screenshots

Fairyland Video

Fairyland Links

Official Site

Fairyland Wiki

Fairyland Forums