Online game "Tarisland"

We are used to the fact that the Chinese like to copy everything - including games. And just recently, this summer, Tarisland was released - a game that is called a Chinese copy of World of Warcraft. Is it a good copy or not so good? Let's find out in our review.

Associations with the main MMORPG of all times and peoples arise primarily because of the similar visual - somewhat cartoonish - style. Only Tarisland looks even prettier - after all, the game was released in June this year, it is objectively more modern and advanced in terms of graphics. And if we talk not about the character models (they are absolutely "Warcraftian"), but about the environment and the way the world itself is drawn, then the associations with the best gacha games like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves - and these are almost the most beautiful MMOs today.

In Tarisland we also turn into a delighted tourist, whose eyes are dazzled by the surrounding beauty, and he opens his mouth and takes pictures (in our case he takes screenshots) - everything around is so picturesque and epic. There are many different regions in the game - green meadows, some scorched lands, swamps, gloomy dungeons and so on. And everywhere spectacular natural landscapes are combined with epic architecture and unusual buildings like a huge tree where local elves live.

Against the backdrop of these beauties unfolds a familiar story about how our hero or heroine (depending on which character you have chosen) turns out to be the next chosen ones, called to save the world. Namely we are recognized as a kind of "vessel", which can interact with powerful artifacts - stones of inscription. And those, among other things, show the future and warn of certain disasters. Naturally, these stones (and thus us) are also hunted by various villains who pursue their evil goals - in particular, they are going to release a terrible evil in the face of a huge black dragon.

In general, everything is familiar. But, first of all, everything looks very epic - the events are constantly accompanied by spectacular cut-scenes and clips. The production, of course, does not compare with the best works of Blizzard, but the efforts are noticeable and commendable. Secondly, the story has its own intrigues and unexpected events. Yesterday's allies will become traitors, then our favorite characters will be captured, on the verge of death and infected with darkness - and we will have to save them.

In short, there is no need to be bored. After completing the current story quests in each region, many side quests become available. Naturally, most of them are reduced to the usual program of entertainment - kill so many enemies, bring their teeth or feathers, collect such plants, destroy the evil big bastard poisoning the life of the locals, find the lost necklace and so on. But there are also more interesting things, when, for example, we investigate a theft and follow the trail of criminals, cook a certain dish, look for a fisherman and learn to catch fish, fly on griffins, surveying the neighborhood during a patrol and so on.

Even more interesting and unusual are the so-called "reputation quests". There are many of them in each region. And every time they are some mundane ordinary errands that need to be performed in an unusual way for this genre. For example, we may be asked to help deliver crates with goods - and for this we will have to solve a riddle in the format of a mini-game. Or we will shoot from a cannon flying to the city harpies. And one of the tasks offers to clean up the local "Augean stables" - there we naturally clean up the poop behind huge rhinos, as well as feed them and collect other scattered animals in the stable.

Such errands increase our reputation in each region, with each level of which we get different rewards and opportunities, and also open new items for purchase in a special shop. Reputation can also be earned by exploring the region - the level of exploration is filled when we take pictures of local landmarks, find new waypoints-teleports, chests and all sorts of collectibles like codex pages revealing details about the local "lore". By the way, the codex pages, as well as most of the dialogs, are perfectly voiced, which only emphasizes the level of the project.

As you can see, there are plenty of options for things to do in Tarisland. Moreover, in the main and the biggest city today, Srebrosvet, there is even a huge star amusement park, where we can participate in various mini-games, including gacha-mechanics, fight in balloons, sign up for griffin races - there are many options, and for victories you get special currency, which can be used in the local shop.

However, here, as in all MMORPGs, our main occupation is clearing all sorts of dungeons and battles with bosses, which take place in a variety of formats. In addition to standard dungeons with a group of players or selected bots, there are also large raids. Designed no longer for a standard party of four, but for 10 people, they offer several challenges before the raid boss itself appears. We also fight him in several stages. Of course, there are also world bosses - they are located not in separate arenas, but on maps of locations, and anyone can try to cope with them, although without a well-matched group to do it is unrealistic.

In the "Mystic Kingdom" mode, players go through several stages of battles with ordinary opponents and fight with several bosses, and at the end of the main final creep awaits them. "World Hall" offers to pass floor by floor and on each one alone fight for a while against some single boss. All these dungeons, raids and modes can be played on different difficulty levels. And if at the early stages there are no special problems, then at the elite difficulty, and even in the format of tests, the evening is no longer languid.

Trials add random modifiers to the battles - for example, special monsters will appear on the battlefield next to the players, hindering them in every possible way, or periodically the characters will be tied up in fetters - and while they are in this state, they will take damage together. Well, and in general all battles with bosses the authors try to diversify in one way or another. Not only do they use standard techniques when summoning minions or periodically using special attacks, but they can also set traps, send players to another dimension or turn them into sheep to be chased by monsters.

Another interesting mode is "Invasion of Darkness". This is a special event that periodically occurs in one or another region. According to legend, there begins an invasion of demons, and players at any time, even if they are busy with other things and are in another location, are free to move to this region to help cope with the invaders. There we perform various tasks (destroy unstable rifts, find lost cargo and so on) and periodically participate in dynamic events x - for example, we may be informed that the enemies are trying to break through at the western gate, and everyone rushes there to help.

All these are so-called PvE-activities, where we fight with computer bots. But there are also PvP battles between players in Tarisland. In addition to arena and duels, the main entertainment is participation in "Conquest" mode, where players are divided into two teams and fight each other for control points or try to deliver vehicles with explosives to the enemy's base. The only thing missing so far is guild wars for territories (although there are guilds, and they traditionally give different bonuses to participants), but don't forget that the game has actually just been released - what else will happen.

All these activities and modes involve characters of 9 classes. Warrior, ranger, paladin, mage, shadow swordsman, barbarian fighter, priest, soul catcher, bard - each has its own pros and cons, its own role, fighting style and skills. Someone is stronger in PvP, someone feels better in battles with computer opponents. Some are easier to master, some are more complicated. For example, the ranger does the most damage to single targets in the game, the paladin has the highest defense rate and is quite easy to learn, but the soul catcher, which is an analog of the necromancer, on the contrary, one of the most difficult for beginners.

Each class has two specializations. And unlike most similar MMORPGs, they are available almost from the very beginning. For example, a ranger can choose at any time between the "Tamed Beast" specialization, which focuses on summoning animal companions, or the "Hunting" specialization - the one that increases the effectiveness of attacks and skills as the character stands still, accumulating the status of "stability". Accordingly, these are two different fighting styles.

Each specialization has its own skills available - it is with their help that we fight. Battles take place in the style of World of Warcraft - the character juggles skills on "hotkeys". And you can pump all these abilities with a single click, when enough of the corresponding resource is accumulated. Another item of expenditure related to character development is passive skills tied to the inscription stone. They increase various stats and characteristics like dexterity and stamina, increase the level of specialization attributes and give other bonuses. There is also a system of titles and ranks - the latter increase the strength of the character in battles with other players, and for this you need to earn fame in PvP-modes.

However, the main indicator of your awesomeness is not the level of your character or how advanced his skills are, but the equipment rating. If this indicator is not enough, you may simply not be allowed to participate in some trials and activities. But it's not enough just to get a purple gear of high rank - you need to improve it with inlaying, strengthening and hardening. In addition, in the crafting menu you can create new equipment. The more often we do it and mine materials, the higher the level of the profession, which increases the efficiency of crafting. True, these occupations waste vigor energy, but it can be restored in various ways.

Tarisland is captivating from the very first minutes of being in the game. And it's not only about beautiful graphics, epic story and spectacular direction. It's the abundance of opportunities for exploration - there are very large picturesque locations, where there are many quests, collectibles and various activities.

In addition, the game is very convenient and comfortable to play. The game constantly turns on the autopath, itself takes us by land or air to the quest characters. It also informs itself when the equipment needs repair and allows you to make it in one click. For almost all cases there are lucid explanations - for example, we will be told how to better pump the skills of stone inscription, what is the peculiarity of this or that specialization and so on.

And in battles, you don't have to poke at a new target every time - in the thick of mass fights, your character chooses who to attack with a single click. But that doesn't mean that the game is too easy to play - it's just the case when it's easy to get used to the game, but not easy to achieve true mastery.

Naturally, to survive in PvP and in battles with elite bosses, you need to try - it will take time and, probably, money. Tarisland works according to the standard principles of modern free-to-play games - there is a built-in store and even its own gacha mechanics, but there are also many different variations of battle pass, which allow you to get free rewards for a variety of actions and activities. But especially note the emphasis on the sale of all kinds of "cosmetics" - thanks to this, those who like to dress up their character has a lot of room for experimentation.

Tarisland was released only recently, but it has already managed to make a lot of noise and become one of the most popular MMORPGs on the market. And it has everything for that, including gorgeous audio-visual performance, epic story, spectacular staging, plenty of opportunities for exploring the picturesque and diverse world, a lot of modes, interesting classes and a large space for character upgrading. So in this case the words "Chinese copy of World of Warcraft" are not pejorative at all - this version turned out to be really fascinating and much more modern.

Zarium. October 2024