Astellia’s first reviews reveal a traditional MMORPG like Aion and Tera

Nexon has just released the fantasy PC MMORPG Astellia in South Korea on December 13. It is, in fact, the open beta, but just as it happened with Lost Ark's open beta, this is often considered as a ‘soft-launch'.

Astellia is developed by Barunson E&A and the studio has already expressed its intentions of releasing the game in North America, so it's definitely a good idea to keep it on your radar.

Korean media has started to talk about the game and the general conclusion is that Astellia is a traditional MMORPG with a feeling similar to classic MMOs such as Aion and TERA. It is aimed at players who have grown tired of the hack and slash style of MMORPGs such as Lost Ark and are looking for a more traditional experience.

Astellia still needs work in some departments, including loading times which are said to be long, and the map isn't easy to read, so this should be addressed as quickly as possible. It's likely to happen as well, seeing that it is open beta, after all.

Astellia is powered by the Unreal Engine 3, but so is Lost Ark and we all know how great Smilegate's game looks. As for Astellia, it's a good-looking game, with nice skill effects and a in-depth character creation that has plenty of sliders to create a unique character.

There are five classes in Astellia: Rogue, Warrior, Scholar, Mage and Archer (you can watch the classes in action here). But of course, the main draw of this MMORPG is the Astell system, which are a sort of companion that you can recruit to help you in battle. Currently there are about 33 Astell divided into three categories (Servant, Guardian and Savior) and seven jobs.

There are different conditions to summon each Astell category, with the selected companion consuming a set number of AP per second, so this is something to be used wisely. If you play your cards wisely, you can summon up to three Astells at a given time. You also have to consider your class and summon an Astell from a job that will suit your character's playstyle.

Astellia has auto-movement and skill combination options. Oh, and cat dances, as you can see below.