Software:AdventureQuest Worlds

Short description: Massively multiplayer online role-playing game

AdventureQuest Worlds
Developer(s)	Artix Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Artix Entertainment
Engine	Adobe Flash
Release	October 10, 2008
Genre(s)	Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

AdventureQuest Worlds is a browser-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released by Artix Entertainment in 2008.

Synopsis

The player character, referred to as 'the Hero', arrives in the midst of a war pitting the forces of Good against Evil. Answering the summons of the Good army, the Hero joins the fight against the undead, led by Sepulchure, commander and emperor of Evil. The tides of battle take an unexpected turn when the factions are overpowered by Chaos ruler, Drakath. Faced with this new threat, the Hero embarks on a journey to face and defeat Drakath, along with his formidable 13 Lords of Chaos, all determined to bend the world to Drakath's twisted power.

Gameplay

Players control and move their character avatar in the world of Lore, traversing the landscape, engaging in battles against various monsters, and delving into quests while interacting with both non-player characters (NPCs) and fellow players.

Players must choose a server to join the game. Each server functions as a copy of the game world designated for a specific region, with a cap of 1,500 players per server.

Players can select from four starting classes - warrior, rogue, mage, or healer - each armed with distinct strengths, weaknesses, and a set of four active abilities alongside a shared "auto-attack" ability. Progression with these classes is earned through accumulating class points in battles, unlocking both active and passive abilities as players gain ranks. The game's open-map design allows players to explore at will, starting storylines, completing quests, and earning rewards such as cosmetic items, gold and experience points. As they ascend through levels, more storylines, items, classes, and quests become accessible.

For added in-game benefits, players can opt to purchase a membership, unlocking exclusive maps, storylines, cosmetics, faster item acquisition, and more. Additionally, players can purchase Adventure Coins, the game's premium currency, for immediate access to most classes and exclusive cosmetics released on a weekly basis.

AdventureQuest Worlds hosts special events during particular occasions, introducing new stories, quests, and items every Friday. These events vary: some occur only once, while others are seasonal, reappearing annually. Participating in these events often allows players to obtain exclusive event-specific items that remain unavailable during any other time in the game. Some of the standout events in AdventureQuest Worlds are its anniversary on October 10th, Frostvale during Christmas, Mogloween around Halloween, New Year's celebrations, Talk Like A Pirate Day, as well as the celebration of birthdays among Artix Entertainment's staff. Some events feature live events with guest stars like Korn, Voltaire, One-Eyed Doll, George Lowe, Paul and Storm, Jonathan Coulton, the cast of Ctrl+Alt+Del, Ayi Jihu, ArcAttack, They Might Be Giants, Andrew Huang, Mia J. Park, The Crüxshadows, Dreamers. Cassandra Peterson as Elvira, and Michael Sinterniklaas as the voice of Deady.

The game is set in a universe similar to those in AdventureQuest, DragonFable, and MechQuest. It was established that the Eternal Dragon of Time allowed the dragonslayer Galanoth to slay him which resulted in the hourglasses within the Dragon of Time's heart to shatter and the sands that represented the three worlds within each hourglass to merge resulting in the AdventureQuest Worlds universe being created. The goal of the game is to adventure through Lore, move on to higher levels, face the 13 Lords of Chaos, and fight Drakath: Champion of Chaos. As the story progresses, the player meets the Queen of Monsters who chose Drakath to be her Champion, and Malgor, a fully-evolved Mumbler and the Queen's rival that wishes to end the constant cycle of war and conflict on Lore. Then they are tasked by the Old World Order to deal with threats known as the Voice in the Sea (revealed to be Neso: Elemental Avatar of Water), the Rumbling of Cold Thunder, and the Flame of the Beyond.

Reception

Kotaku's Mike Fahey praised the idea of using advertisements when the player died. Pete Davison, from GamePro, also noted the advertisements upon death, calling it an "interesting" idea.