Online game "SUN Classic"

SUN Classic is short for Soul of the Ultimate Nation Classic. The game published by Webzen is a free-to-play MMORPG and at the same time a global re-release of the Korean project from 2007, the name of which had not previously had the word "Classic" in the title. Especially for the release on the international market developers tightened the graphics, changed the interface and accelerated the character progression, but left in place storylines and role-playing system. And since the Koreans are the masters of massively multiplayer entertainment, there is already a good recommendation for fans of the genre. But this is in theory - let's test it in practice.

Although the global version of the game was released in March 2022, which means that enough time has passed to introduce all sorts of improvements, to launch it without difficulty is not possible. The first thing you must do is to go to the official website and download the client, and it is not on the main page - you will have to dig through the menu. Then you must install the Webzen's original launcher on your computer. But do not hurry to exhale in relief after this: after all the manipulation, you will be surprised to find that there are no new icons on the desktop - there is no place to click for fun. You have to open the official website again and click on "Game Start" there. And repeat this whenever you want to enjoy the gameplay. At the same time there will be loaded all sorts of programs like protection against cheats, but it's the little things.

But account registration is fast. You leave your email address, make up a nickname, get an email, and welcome to the server. At the very beginning you have to create a character. The editor here is simple: you can choose the height, hairstyle, type of face and clothes of the hero. But the rest is made original, because the classes and gender differences are tied to clans (or races, as you like). For example, in the Sharad faction there are only women, and by class they are strictly Witchblade - no other race has such a specialty. But in the Eysher clan, which is also populated only by ladies, you can choose from Berserker, Dragonknight and Valkyrie, that is, master of close combat and ranged combat.

If you need a male character, you can pay attention to the representatives of Luke, Rodile and Helron, and if you want to control a robot go to HEL-P7, where there is the only exclusive class - Helroid. In total there are eight clans in the game, giving in combination with the heroes' specializations 13 classes. It's nice to see that the developers have tried to make the creation of protagonist a unique activity - not similar to similar mechanics in other MMORPGs. True, the situation obliges you to read the descriptions carefully to choose exactly the option that will suit you in the future.

The adventure begins in the city, where you and the other newcomers go through training missions and collect your first equipment. Individual characters try to introduce the newcomer to the plot, but the story here is banal: there were two worlds, the upper and lower, but suddenly between them formed a bridge, where infernal creatures crawled out. Governed by the inhabitants of the "basement" evil Emperor Schwartz, who seized power in the empire and has been terrorizing the public for five hundred years with all sorts of monsters - it turns out, it is necessary to kill monsters and put an end to the tyrant. All in all, nothing sensational.

The combat system and inventory handling are also done by the standards of the genre. There is movement by mouse click and keys, to quickly select an attack or use an item it is necessary to assign these actions to the buttons with numbers. For convenience, necessary on the quest enemies are not only highlighted on the mini-map, but also wear special icons over their heads. And you can also put on the machine to run to the target and attack, and it is allowed to combine the machine simple strikes and manual activation of special techniques. The only inconvenience - the sharp jerk of the camera when you try to use the mouse and keyboard on the battlefield at once. The rest is organized as simple as it can be in an MMORPG that has undergone almost twenty years of evolution.

Of course, not everything is clear from the start, but a few hours of training dot the i's. And if you need training at later stages of the game, in this case SUN Classic has a unique mechanic - the creation of personal polygons, where you can invite your friends or go yourself to fight monsters under the control of artificial intelligence.

The vast majority of quests boil down to destroying enemies. Even if it's a detective story, where you need to get evidence of monsters invading peaceful lands, you still have to kill these monsters, take evidence from their bodies and hand it over to the character in charge of the investigation. Sometimes the customer and the one who has to report on the job are different people, and they are at a decent distance from each other. But in general, the layout is familiar: you run around on the map and smashing horned dummies. Add to this the standard activities like resource extraction and creation of items "at the knees" - and you can consider that the basics of the updated Soul of the Ultimate Nation you have comprehended.

Since the principles of character development have remained intact since 2007, there are no surprises. By killing monsters and running errands, the heroes level up and get experience points, which must be invested in two directions - in basic characteristics and special skills. The first are represented by strength, dexterity, spirit, intelligence and health - with each new level it is necessary to allocate four points to these items. The gamer decides where to invest - whether to throw everything into physical attacks or, conversely, to raise a warrior with a magical bias. Another three points are given for the development of skills - the situation with them is about the same: either strengthen one, or strengthen everywhere a little at a time. Just don't forget to manually drag a skill from the progression window to the quick access panel.

Naturally, the power is also affected by the equipped items. The peculiarity of the game is that at first you are given only a set of rings and one random item - for example, a breastplate. The rest must be obtained as you complete the tasks. Note: there is no automatic donning of things here - each item must be added to the "doll" of the character manually. You can wear a total of 20 items, including five rings, so every now and then you have to dive into the inventory to see if something better than that already hangs on the hero after the next battle. As is customary in the genre, additional features are revealed as you level up. If at first only a few locations with enemies are available, from level twenty a lot of activities open up - both for single player and for the squad.

The game pushes you to find partners from the first minutes. The fact is that even at the training stage not all monsters are given to you on the spot, and the further the events develop, the stronger the opponents become. Moreover, they do not react to the attacks one by one, but in groups. It is good, if there are other heroes hunting in the glade, where you have to kill a certain number of creatures. And if there is no one to help, it means the accelerated consumption of everything from life potions and energy to the character's health. That's the choice: either train on easier creatures to level up, or buy items and enhancers for real money, or look for friends. Fortunately, if you know English it's not so difficult - any location is full of heroes under the control of other users. Yes, and without knowledge of the language will cope, because the chat is available automatic translator in the manner of Google Translate.

At level 20 you can start your own guild, but if you want to, nothing prevents you from joining someone else's guild as well. The main thing here is to find company, because all life in the game revolves around the guilds. First of all, there are regular GvG (Guild versus Guild) battles where up to forty guild warriors meet on the same field - such battles look epic. Secondly, SUN Classic is constantly fighting for castles and territories, so you can't do without support here either. Finally, the guild opens access to the dungeons that exist only for your group, and also gives bonuses in war, trade and character development.

While the single player is only available for story and daily challenges, guild members have many more options to have fun. You can fight for gold and prestige in the Zone of Chaos or take part in a daily tournament under the rules of dematch - it's true, there is a battle format "5 on 5", and duels, designed to show the prowess of individual heroes. Another option is to play bingo to get crystals to improve your equipment, or go to the Temple of Blood. Of course, only guild members, possessing the "Token of the King" are allowed to come here. The principle of the war on the location is as follows: a squad enters, destroys the crystal and captures the Temple of Blood, and the other factions must interfere - the winner is the last one to take possession of the building before the final event. The winners receive a random, but powerful bonus that lasts for a week.

SUN Classic - entertainment for those who would like to plunge into old-school Korean MMORPG, but with interesting features like personal training grounds or unique class system. A little outdated, but still nice graphics and luxurious symphonic soundtrack only increase the impression of the game. Newcomers are welcome here: every day there are gifts for entry, the community is friendly. And the fact that the project is available for free becomes a decisive argument. So why not give it a try?

Zarium. February 2023