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Review of Nostos - Beautiful MMORPG in VR
Butcher79
Earlier this month, Netease launched Nostos, an ambitious new MMORPG platform designed to bridge the gap between flat screen and virtual reality, so we dived into the game and checked out the result.
Nostos is not the first attempt to bring huge worlds to the VR market, but it may be one of the most ambitious attempts to enter the market in recent times. This oriental entry into the MMO market weaves together a massive open world built around an animated aesthetic and challenges players to survive as they traverse new worlds. Players who jump into this cross-platform MMO can experience the adventure on a flat screen or in virtual reality, playing the role of a trailblazer trying to survive among various landscapes and uncover the mysteries of a lost world.
Undeniably beautiful, Nostos draws on its animated aesthetic. While many MMORPGs, such as the recent Kingdom Under Fire 2, make heavy use of high fantasy trappings, Nostos is more anime-inspired. The vibrant colors, Ghibli-like scenes, and charming style make it very pleasing to the eye. The first glimpse of the underwater world is like diving into the bold colors of the Abzu, and the huge luminous structures that rise above the opening horizons are just as beautiful. Everything is very serene, nice and cozy.
A SPECIAL DISCOVERY
As you progress through the opening moments of Nostos, you will find out that the world you are about to enter has changed. The once vibrant environment has suffered somewhat, and while the background may look beautiful, you must survive in a world full of danger. It's not a near-future post-apocalyptic dystopia like Last Oasis, but it definitely falls into the survival sandbox category. As an open world game, Nostos aims to balance the player's need for freedom with narrative design. The enigmatic main characters that inhabit Nostos allow players to jump into different scenarios and explore the world as more than just one person. From the outset, it is possible to move from a central hub environment to a series of instanced worlds, all located within the larger character arc. Whether you're an engineer or an explorer, you'll be able to invite your friends and fellow adventurers to each of these instanced environments, or simply play alone as you see fit. All of this means that there are plenty of ways to play Nostos, and the ability to use a 2D rig means that players should be able to continue playing without being locked into total immersion.
Each world brings its own adventure to the players, in the form of a lone hunter or maybe a mechanic focused on learning old technologies, instanced experiences are a combination of open world exploration, survival mechanics and narrative content that provides a huge amount of opportunities. a number of possible scenarios. The lofty goal that Nostos seems to be aiming for definitely leaves him plenty of room to play. Especially in VR, the environment that you and your friends can explore is huge. Dazzling stars paint in the night sky, and the dusty hills stretching into the distance are impressive to look at.
With so much to explore, players may end up trampling grassy hills on foo, but as the game progresses, there are more than a few other possibilities. Despite the tendency of traditional MMO players like myself to expect a narrative element, Nostos relies heavily on exploration and survival. A brief introduction and detailed mechanics take players quickly into each environment with a flexible goal that seems designed to take players to the heart of each world and beyond. As they progress through the instances, players learn how to collect and craft in a fairly traditional sandbox style. If you've ever played Minecraft, then you can find more recent entries like Conan Exiles., or something like that, then you will understand what systems exist here. What starts as chopping wood with a simple ax turns into more sophisticated equipment and quickly gives way to tech trees, residences, and even full-fledged vehicles that race across the sand. All of these utilities sync perfectly with the game's survival systems, allowing players to build fires to keep warm, build vehicles, or even create weapons to hunt for food.
Combat, of course, isn't just about bringing food that each character needs to survive, it's about fighting off aggressive animals, NPCs, and other horrors in the new world. There are many of them, and as many prey as there are predators in the evening sun. Unfortunately, with some very reliable systems, Nostos manages to undermine the overall experience with some serious issues.
HARD ESCAPE
The problem with an alluring escape to one of these instanced worlds is that it's still completely unforgiving. Nostos has lofty goals, but he feels that he is not yet ready to give up on them. At the start of beta testing in September, the game has a few issues that make it feel like a work in progress. Promoted as an open world MMORPG, this game is much better suited to multiplayer survival. The game readily throws players to the very end from the very beginning. The mysterious underground beginning does not give way to a detailed narrative or guidance. Instead, players are almost thrown without any rhyme or reason.
What makes this even more unfortunate is the game's sporadic reactions to these controls. When traversing lush green grass, players may find that objects are difficult to wield, or that the dial system on the wrist does not always work in concert. Often the culprit is depth measurement, which manifests itself in other unusual ways. I found myself having to go into the distance to engage controls that should be easy to activate, and even found my character going into the stratosphere for no reason. Combat is exacerbated by these weird issues, which means VR players can sway and miss too often.
Similarly, the graphics have real issues with scenes falling out in the dark, loading screens popping up and frame rate issues that seem to ruin the game when walking on grass or jumping aboard a vehicle. Nostos is meant to be a magical adventure, and perhaps in time it will be. For now, the entire experience should be treated as a survival adventure and major functional issues need to be resolved before embarking on the adventure again. Nostos should be commended for its ambition and if Netease can fix the issues I'll be back to give it another try. It's a great looking activity that just falls apart when forced to actually interact with players. Nostos is now on Steam for PC and major VR systems. We played it on an Oculus Rift S and will be back sometime next year to check on progress.
SUMMARY
An ambitious new open-world adventure from Netease that goes beyond VR and the traditional tabletop MMORPG. Nostos is a magical experience that ultimately has a long way to go before reaching its lofty goals.
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