Online game "Waven"

Waven - a rare nowadays example of an online game about the post-apocalypse with humor. Usually developers depict the world after the end of the world in gloomy colors, pile up dreary ruins, relish the tragedy of survivors, set on the characters creepy monsters. And here the adventures are fun, in the style of a cartoon, with plenty of effects and comical characters. Gameplay entertains in every way: there are wanderings across the ocean with the exploration of islands, and story quests, and turn-based battles with a touch of KKI, and collecting collections. And all this is available for free, and also on different platforms - from PC to smartphones. Let's find out what the game is able to attract the modern audience.

Remember that movie starring Kevin Costner that failed miserably at the box office? Well, Waven offers a similar setting. A thousand years before the events taking place here, a release of magical energy caused giant tsunamis all over the planet. The waves swept away all life from more of the land, and the world was covered in water, with only the tops of mountains visible above. On these islands with floating cities in addition and settled survivors. You need to take control of the hero, able to return the virtual universe to the former harmony, that is, to restore the correct balance of water and land. But first you need to decide on the character's class.

There are several options to choose from. There is a healer, capable of supporting and healing companions during combat. There is also a warrior with the classic bonuses of health, attack and defense. Fans of remote combat are free to take an archer or a mage, but it should be noted that spells in one form or another are available to all classes, even the warrior. The wizard's spells are much stronger and more varied than those of the wizard, who is used to waving a piece of metal. Rounding out the list is the assassin, a grim type who hides his face under a mask. He is a master of the art of swift strike and puts traps on the battlefield, so playing for him requires tactical savvy. After choosing a class, you can decide on the gender of the hero, but it has no effect on anything.

Since the whole fairy tale world consists of islands, your character comes to himself on one of these pieces of land. But the game does not turn into the adventures of Robinson Crusoe - a pirate comes from nowhere and offers you to get on a raft to the places where other people live. Having agreed, we get to the map, where each of the islands has some kind of activity. There is a location for training, treasure hunting, trekking to the world boss, duels with heroes of other users, story quests, trials and so on. Only the way to most of them is forbidden to a newcomer. You have to start small and step by step learn the basics of gameplay. You are introduced to tactical battles, using the mechanics of KKI, the call of helpers, the intelligent use of equipment and the pumping of role-playing characteristics.

Characters giving quests are marked with an exclamation mark on any of the locations. This is the only way to identify NPCs, as there are no nicknames above the heads of characters under the control of other users. Fulfillment of tasks, although they are provided with a brief history, is usually reduced to battles - the difference between them is only in the design of the battlefield, the number and quality of opponents. But sometimes you have to rescue someone or find something. It's nice that some missions have cartoon screensavers with the voices of professional actors. In order not to get lost in the missions, you will be guided along the path of the main plot by a highlighted line, but you are allowed to go wherever you want, so nobody forces you to stick strictly to the script. In any case, in time you will learn that the monsters are climbing out of the rifts in the ground, under which a certain realm of darkness is hidden. You can also fall into it, by the way.

So we and sailed the seas, closing portals to hell. Sometimes these feats require the passage of two, three or even more stages, for each of which, however, is rewarded. Also, other users are free to join your adventures. Or, on the contrary, to challenge you, but for such activities must sail to special islands. Also at any time you can return to the initial island, where the hero first appeared. It is here that you are given to equip your personal possessions.

Turn-based battles are the most interesting part of Waven. They are a unique blend of classic RPG battles, tactical genre elements and collectible card games. Each battle opens in a separate window, and the scenery is always different - we get into a house with revived furniture, then we fight with demonic bushes in the garden, then with sea monsters on board the ship. Your hero's actions during a turn consist of three stages: you can move and hit yourself, activate a spell card and summon a companion. Let's deal with all of this in order.

As already mentioned, every character regardless of class has spells in his arsenal, but they are weaker for a warrior than for a wizard. All spells are in the form of cards with a description of their effect and the number of points needed to activate them. You have, conventionally speaking, a deck divided into four elements - fire, water, earth and air. And you have a "hand" where you can draw up to 15 cards from this deck. At the beginning of the battle you are randomly given a few special moves from the "hand", but you can't use them all at once, because only six points are available for such actions. You can use a wave of cards for the full amount or use a couple of cards on different enemies - for example, three and three points or four and two. It all depends on the situation. However, there is one more factor that influences decision-making. It's about summoning companions.

All the hero's helpers are distributed in the manner of the same cards: there are creatures on the "bench" and four active ones, chosen according to taste. And each of them has its own element. As soon as you deal enough damage to your opponent with one or another element, you immediately summon the corresponding minion without spending any points. That is, during a fight you have to think not only about dealing more damage to monsters, but also about who you want to see next to your character. This mechanic creates situations where you have to choose whether to set the enemy on fire with a powerful lightning bolt for all six "purple" points, or spend just a couple of "green" to summon a helper of that color, since purple is already in play. And it's not just about quantity - such a partner, appearing at the right time and place, will cover you from a fatal blow.

Finally, there are the actions of the hero himself. The game allows you to move and attack only in a straight line. You can't hit diagonally here - only forward, backward, left or right. Just in case, the illumination of cells will tell you how far you can go and who you are allowed to hit at a time. Archers and mages, of course, have no reason to run around the field, but the warrior and assassin have to be mobile: the first one benefits from getting to the enemy as soon as possible, and the second one - to avoid a direct collision by luring the enemy into the traps. In addition, you need to control your companions in the same way, using their unique properties and techniques. It sounds complicated, but in practice you get into the rules right away - you just need to play a couple of battles.

The variety of situations that arise on the battlefield fuels your interest. Every now and then, in addition to the usual tactical possibilities, additional ones open up. For example, the helpers in the cells become available, which can be released by spending on this move points. You have to choose whether to beat the enemies at once, or to get some reinforcements for yourself - and then victory is guaranteed.

Hero development moves in three directions at once. The first is to pump role-playing characteristics, as in any other RPG. You need to increase the level by means of experience points, and also add different artifacts to your inventory - like rings, amulets and armor parts. For a game with such uncomplicated graphics, there is a very versatile skill tree: nothing prevents you from focusing on increasing your health, strengthening your attack, developing class abilities or magic. Each of the branches requires a special resource. The usual experience, received for defeating enemies, goes to attack with defense. And gems can be invested in something special, such as expanding your deck and adding points for its use during battle.

The second direction is companions. You are given four of the simplest companions at once, but as the story develops, different characters join the hero. Some are associated with a certain element, others can be called for the use of several elements at once, and others require special conditions for their appearance on the battlefield. Here you have to make a decision again - to see what is more favorable for you. In principle, nothing prevents you from pumping the starting minions of different elements to use a simple scheme: play with fire - call one, conjure with air - get the second, and so on. But the further you progress, the more complex the available schemes are. You should also take into account that the development of partners spends gold - another resource that is mined in battles.

Finally, spell cards. There are a lot of them in the game, so there are an infinite number of deck building options. Almost after every battle you are given either a card or the opportunity to pump an existing spell - now and then there is a reason to replace something in the "hand", putting some spells instead of others. Some look attractive because of their effectiveness, others are simple and reliable, some give you a minion for a minimum of points, and some fit your tactical style (for example, if you emphasize air and ground attacks) - you can shuffle all this for a long time, and the process is fascinating.

It's even surprising how the developers managed to present such a variety of mechanics in the clearest way possible. Every aspect is learned in practice, if not from the first, then from the second attempt for sure. Combined with the humorous cartoon style of the game, it creates a sense of light adventure, which is rare for MMORPGs. You can, for example, on the third level to fulfill the task for the fifth, "pulling out" the battle at the expense of wit. Provided, of course, and purchases for real currency, but advertising internal store Waven does not bother anyone, which is also a rarity by today's standards. On the other hand, those who want to quickly pump up the hero and at the same time support the developers will find a rich assortment on the digital shelves.

Waven is a bright and accessible work, and in every sense, from zero cost and low system requirements to the simplicity of the rules, although it combines several genres at once. The style of drawing and humor will not let you get bored, and the process can be interrupted at any point - returning to the fairy tale world, you will continue exactly where you left off last time. The game will be to the taste of fans of elementary tactical tasks - you don't need a first class in chess to kill monsters. On the other hand, you should not expect the richness and depth of large MMORPGs. It is rather a light entertainment to pass the time.

Zarium. March 2024