Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is an ambitious project spearheaded by a duo that is no strangers to ambitious projects. Jeff Butler and Brad McQuaid are the tandem that founded Sigil Games and began work on what they hoped would be the definitive massively multiplayer online game, Vanguard.

Both have a pedigree in MMOs that includes EverQuest. With the world of Telon, they wanted to expand on the wealth of games and create a title that would honor the player the longer the game was played. In some ways, Vanguard accomplishes that. The game, which debuted at E3 three years ago, has finally released, but as both McQuaid and Butler are quick to point out – this is a game that is a long way from finished.

Ok, there are two ways to take that. The first is that Vanguard is a game not ready to be released and that is not the case. The way the duo intended is that Vanguard is a grand concept with years of content planned, and because MMOs always evolve, this is a game that is in a constant state of evolution – thus, not finished.

The world of Telon is vast, with a variety of different environmental settings. It is, essentially, comprised of islands, each that houses different races. There is the standard mix of dark elves, wood elves, high elves, dwarfs, humans, and humanistic animals. There are 19 races spread over three world masses – Thestra, Kojan and Qalia.

In addition there are 15 professions that all border on the offensive side of battle. Even the “protective fighter” can do some damage with spells. Three protective fighters are the warrior, paladin and dread knight. The “offensive fighter” class is what might be viewed as scout class in other games; this consists of the ranger, rogue, monk and bard. Healer classes include the cleric, shaman, disciple and blood mage. The caster classes are the sorcerer, druid, psionicist and necromancer.

Most of the classes are typical of fantasy MMOs, though the psionicist and blood mage are different takes on what has become expected. The blood mage forms unions, of a sort, with targets, siphoning off its life. The psionicist uses psionic attacks to disable its target.

The game does have some customization options to enable players to alter appearances, but what is here – while somewhat deep – you will still end up with a large number of similar appearing characters. Clothes begin to create a distinctiveness but you will have to be in the game for quite a while to attain any unique appearance.

But Vanguard does do many things right. Sure, the game is a bit of a grind, but all MMOs are. The difference lies in how the grind is disguised. Vanguard disguises its grind by creating varied histories and stories for the races. You begin as a half elf and soon find yourself in a very Asian philosophy-inspired setting. The dark elves are battling in a desert wasteland while dwarves will be fighting a different enemy in the high mountain ranges.

The game begins with players dropping in and visiting an NPC (non-playing class character), who will give you the starting mission threads. These will, in turn, lead to bigger quests. Some of the quests are accomplished solo, but others – depending on your level – will need a group.

The format is standard – quest, level, get new skills, armor and weapons. The skills are unlocked every other level, and you can buy your next skill from a trainer. But hold on – leveling is not the only way to gain a new skill. You can also do it through diplomacy.

Vanguard is a game that functions on three main levels. There is the fighting-adventuring level, there is the crafting level and there is diplomacy. Diplomacy is akin to a chess match in which players have a set of skills, or strategies (think of them as cards with limitations on how often they can be used during a debate) that are employed as you debate or argue with an NPC. If you find the right NPC, and are successful with your diplomatic skills, you may unlock a skill.

Crafting is involved but not quite as complex as it would first appear to be. You can specialize in a certain harvesting skill and then you can craft at machines in villages. Crafting is simply a matter of combining the right ingredients into a recipe to create a new item.

Like most MMOs, Vanguard does have a penalty for dying. This is usually a loss of experience. But much like EverQuest II’s PvP (player-versus-player) server, should you die on one of the game’s PVP servers, you may lose a percentage of the coin you are carrying, along with a good chunk of level experience. One nice thing, though, is that you can summon your corpse back to the respawn point rather than trek all the way back to whatever mob-infested area you were previously in. As you can drop your gear when you die, Vanguard allows players to carry extra gear. A solid method of storage is on your mount (which is relatively cheap compared to other games, and is soul-bound). Each mount has storage and you can put extra sets of armor in those storage areas should death leave you decidedly lacking in the armor/weapon category.

But the main course at this MMO table falls in the category of combat. Vanguard employs a system that is entertaining. Chain attacks occur when you have the skill sets and often involve a sequential trigger of skills that will result in a final devastating coup de grace-style of attack. This definitely gives the game a wonderful feel, with each battle fresh and alive. It is not merely a matter of punching buttons, but rather players have to pay attention to the flow of the combat and insert the right commands/attacks at the appropriate times.

Vanguard is plagued, though, with some slowdowns – particularly in load times. There are also a few graphical glitches that tend to interrupt a game that is otherwise glorious. The sound is very good as well.

While there are a few things that are not wonderful about this title, Vanguard still manages to get a lot right – with the promise that there will be much more to come as the game evolves. This is not a game for the casual player, by any means. This is a title that will require players to invest time and effort into creating the kind of MMO experience they are looking for.

Gameplay: 7.5
There is the occasional lag, and the game feels more convoluted than it is. There is a grind here – at times it is disguised nicely, while at others it is rather blatant. The death penalty seems to be a little harsher as you progress through the game.

Graphics: 8.9
The character customization is not as deep as some MMOs, but the environments are varied and have a very good look and the special effects are solid. Character animation is also well done.

Sound: 8.4
Some repetition but otherwise this audio is a solid adjunct to the video presentation.

Difficulty: Medium
This is not a game for the casual or new MMO player.

Concept: 7.5
The unique concepts are there, but most of what Vanguard offers has evolved from other sources.

Multiplayer: 8.0
The player community is a mixed bag. You will find those willing to help while it seems – for the most part – that players are content to move through their own experience. With no instanced zones, you get to see what camping can be like. Fortunately the game allows you to tag and claim a target, but you have to be quick.

Overall: 7.8
Vanguard is very much a work in progress. Count the pros to this game the way they dev team made each race feel a bit unique. The combat is also a strong element. The cons would be the way death is handled. Counter that with the relaxed cost of getting a mount and buying a home. There is a lot this game does right – and a few things that are done wrong. This game will be worth revisiting in a year to see what progress has been made and how it has evolved.