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.