Maplestory 2 is coming: Will it succeed or fail in the west?

Maplestory is a name that just about every gamer has heard at one point or another. The title that took over the scene in the early 2000s, even commercials in this time period, has definitely had a huge impact on the MMO scene. Developed by Wizet and published by Nexon, Maplestory, even after 13 years (15 prior to Global release) holds an extremely respectable player base and continues to push content out for their players. Maplestory 2 was released in Korea late 2015 and pushed to China in late 2017, many players and fans alike of Maplestory have wanted a Maplestory 2 global release, and that time has finally come. So will it live up to the name?

Let’s talk about Maplestory.

There’s no denying that this side scrolling adventure is cutesy, fun, and for all ages. The emphasis since release has been heavily on bringing people together in a community and keeping it friendly. Some bad eggs could give someone a different experience in terms of how friendly the community was, but, overall, there aren't many multiplayer games as friendly and welcoming as Maplestory. The game allows you to personalize a chibi avatar that you can heavily customize. Most of the customization came from their cash shop, but, for a free game this is one of the better payment models that we are able to ask for. I am a sucker when it comes to adding flare to my in-game characters and would sooner buy cosmetics than a subscription model for them.

The amount of options you have for emotes, that your avatar will then show, allows the ability to convey emotions to other players in a faster and more personal way that other games are unable to express. The leveling system for this game is a major grind which can be both good and bad depending on the type of games that draw you in. This was the type of MMO that primarily had you focusing on slaying groups of mobs, instead of questing. It has a fair amount of quests but they will not guide you through leveling and reaching end-game.

What about Maplestory 2?

The second installation to this series has kept a lot of the charm from the original while dropping the idea of 2D and upgrading to a blocky 3D style. Don’t fret if the cutesy style is what you enjoyed about Maplestory because this game keeps that feeling and should bring players from the original a sense of nostalgia . The change to 3D graphics allows more in depth team coordination and the terrain to be more interactive, expect the ground to be collapsing under your feet as you fight new and old bosses alike. Trees will be able to be destroyed along with objects and blocks making the environment feel more alive.

Maplestory 2 has expanded the customization available to truly make your character feel like yours by allowing the ability to modify your outfits with more options than presets. If that’s not enough to allow you to express yourself, there's the ability to have a corner of Maple to yourself and your friends by having the tools to modify a house in which others can visit. Usually this is the most games tend to offer but Maplestory 2 takes it even one step further by allowing their community to create and share their own dungeons. Ever want to send your friends through your imagination of death traps and minigames? Now’s your chance!

Maplestory 2 has had a mixed reception in Korea, however China had a very successful open beta. Even with the success of China, many players had given up hope of seeing a global version. The announcement of a global release was a truly welcoming one and they seem to be placing a lot of faith in its success as they announced it with a road trip event that allows players to earn beta access and even download the game ahead of time, among many other things.

An updated article will be released when more information on the state of the game has been released as there is not enough information about the overall quality and polish of the global version. At this point though, we’re glad there is at least a version coming soon.

So what are your thoughts? Do you think that Maplestory 2 will live up to the name?

By Michael Hack