Dark and Light Preview

Farlan’s upcoming massively multiplayer roleplaying game, Dark and Light, is bringing several new features to the genre. It has high quality graphics and entertaining sounds. But when I got a chance to talk to one of the beta testers for the game at E3 he started right in on the gameplay.

The world of Dark and Light is separated into two opposing factions, the Dark and Light kingdoms. Both kingdoms are ideologically opposed to the other. As a result, players from either kingdom are engaged in a brutal PVP war with the other side. With the exception of the kingdom, specific races Dark and Light allows players to make their own choices during character creation, building the hero they want to play.

Unlike most modern games the world of Dark and Light is going to be located on a single server according to their beta tester. This is going to allow for a game of truly epic scope. The game world already has 12 full-sized kingdoms for players to explore and dominate. Part of the PVP system is allowing the kingdoms to be captured by one faction or another.

If PVP isn’t for you, don’t despair. There are “safe” kingdoms where the other faction cannot enter. No matter how the game is going there will always be the option for safe hunting without the worry of being killed by ambushers. As another benefit to the casual gamer, while Dark and Light is oriented towards group adventures, solo play will be viable.

The world of Dark and Light is lush and three dimensional. While I was watching the game being played a character was flying around the world at will. That’s right, he was flying. Even more entertaining was his mount: a dragon. Players can hire dragon mounts, catch a ride on hot air balloons, and even pull out a back-pack hang glider when the going gets tough.

This leads to another entertaining feature. The developers are supposedly working on ways to make aerial combat a staple of the game. In the case of dragon mounts the first player will act as the pilot while a second player can launch spells or other missile attacks at the enemy.

Keep an eye out on the Dark and Light site for information about their stress test as the beta ends. If you’re looking for a solid MMO to play the graphics, sound, and gameplay of Dark and Light make it worth a good look. All you have to do is decide which side you’re on and join in the fun.

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