Continent of the Ninth Seal (C9) combines action with the MMO formula to create a fast paced fantasy style experience for MMO fans who want something more hands on than the traditional MMOs in the genre. Releasing in late 2012 to Windows players will fight in a war as heroes of Glenheim who are standing against the evil villain Nefer who intends to open a gate to the Netherworld to call forth a swarm of infernal legion troops.
Offering the full suite of MMO mechanics C9 offers that wealth of content which will keep players busy for hundreds of hours to come. Much of this time will be spent as a lone adventurer in the world of Tampera as they fight evil monsters on behalf of NPC quest givers to help stop the plans of Nefer. While it’s a standard fantasy battle of good and evil there is enough to the world that it doesn’t feel too similar to the battles you’ve likely fought before in other game settings.
To explore this world Continent of the Ninth Seal offers 5 different base classes for players to choose from which are gender locked into their roles which does cut down on customisation a little. Classes include the fighter, hunter, shaman, witchblade and mystic which sprout into various different advanced classes with their own unique take on familiar archetypes.
Under the fighter tree for example you’ll find the warrior, blade master, guardian, berserker and viking that each bring a different close range playstyle to C9. The blade master for example favours attack and mobility which comes through in their iconic skills of counter smash or storm whirlwind. On the other side of the fighter spectrum is the berserker that trades away mobility for greater offensive power with a large two handed sword to bash enemies with fire enhanced slash attacks.
Regardless of your choice you’ll find that Continent of the Ninth Seal provides an active style to combat that does away with the lock on mechanics of the older MMOs. The result is flowing combat sequences which give players the ability to fully utilise area of effect attacks, position themselves to avoid attacks and generally feel like your decisions are having an actual impact on combat success or failure. This is of course not just basic attacks with a range of skills that each class has that are designed for players to combo together to maximise their character potential. The ultimate element of this is the character unique fury skills that each character has in their arsenal that boast high damage numbers and flashy visual effects that can take over the game screen.
These fury skills are similarly effective across PvE and PvP content with PvP definitely slightly favoured by the developers in terms of game rewards and development time with the action combat ensuring it is both challenging and skill based. A unique element of this PVP is the dungeon invasions that allow groups of players to invade active dungeons and instances and if players are able to kill the party currently attempting the instance they’ll receive greatly increased experience in loot. This adds a whole new level to instanced gameplay as you now have to worry about getting through the instance and making sure you don’t get attacked by other players at the same time.
Summary:
- Fast paced MMO with an action focused combat style that is enjoyable across PvE and PvP content.
- Plenty of class options that branch from the 5 core archetypes with their own unique attacks, combos and fury skills.
- Dungeon invasions had a whole new level of intensity to instances as you are at threat of being attacked by other players.
- Carefully designed control schemes give you full control of your character movement and attacks that further enhance the active challenging combat.
- Enhance your items, join a guild and develop your housing as you explore the game world.
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Review Platform: PC