When I first started playing Voyage Century I couldn’t believe how different it was from your traditional free-to-play, anime-inspired grind fest. Voyage Century is set in the 17th century Mediterranean Sea and you can sail around and explore the region, including the major ports of the day, such as Constantinople and Alexandria. The game actually takes place on real life location which isn’t a common theme in MMORPGs and an welcomed change from the cliche fantasy environment.

There is a lengthy tutorial, but unlike most games I actually recommend you complete it since this game has a steep learning curve. Even after the tutorial, when you’re on land you’ll still be pretty much lost. Follow the resource gathering and land tutorials and ask for help if you get stuck, as you’ll need all the help you can get in this game. As you get stronger and richer, you’ll have the opportunity to be a trader, investor, or vendor. Or you can also go the route of the pirate and harass the merchants.

Voyage Century’s guild system is also unique, as player run guilds can actually go out and claim a port for themselves and spend resources on actually upgrading the port. Upgraded ports provide resources and easily accessible merchants for the entire guild. If you can get past Voyage Century’s learning curve and understand the basics, there is a lot of depth here to keep you busy for quite a while.