(10 votes, average: 2.70 / 5)
Loading...Dark Era
Dark Era is a free-to-play 3D browser MMORPG where players take on the role of Chrono Heroes travelling through long-past eras of legend and myth to save the universe from evil forces that threaten it.
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Publisher: Game321 Playerbase: Medium Type: MMORPG Release Date: October 19, 2015 Shut Down: December 21, 2016 PvP: Cross-server 1v1 Arena Battles Pros: +Awesome graphics and artwork. +Somewhat unique storyline. +Lots of things to do. +Fast game progression. Cons: -Unoriginal gameplay. -Cash-shop heavy. -Automatic pathfinding and combat. |
Dark Era Overview
Journey through time to save time-space itself from the threat of evil forces in Dark Era, a 3D browser MMORPG. Choose from three playable classes and embark on a quest to stop the King of Abyss and his army of phantoms and demons. Visit long-past ages of myth and legend and work together with iconic personalities from each era, including the mighty Greek gods, the legendary King Arthur, and the infamous Robin Hood and his merry men. Summon and train powerful beasts to assist you in combat or merge with them to grow more powerful. Collect shards from each period to create powerful weapons and items to help you on your quest to defeat the threat to the universe. Dark Era shut down in December, 2016.
Dark Era Key Features:
- Flashy, Combo-based Combat – rack up combo hits against hordes of mobs using powerful and flashy skills.
- Pet System – summon upgradable pets to fight by your side or fuse with them to gain more powerful attacks.
- Travel Through Time – journey to the past and team up with iconic characters from different eras, including Greek gods, Joan of Arc, and Robin Hood.
- Collect Ancient Artifacts – collect and assemble a variety of powerful weapons and gear from each era you visit such as Robin Hood’s bow or the Pharaoh’s Scepter.
Dark Era Screenshots
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Dark Era Featured Video
Dark Era Classes
Berserker – uses massive weapons to deal large physical damage to opponents. They have high strength and defense but have low attack speed.
Assassin – relies on speed and critical attacks to deal damage to opponents. They have high dodge but low defense.
Mage – uses spells and the power of nature to deal massive damage to enemies. They have high magic damage but have very low defense.
Dark Era Review
By, Marc Marasigan
Dark Era is a free-to-play fantasy-themed MMORPG where players take on the role of Chrono Heroes tasked with stopping the King of Abyss and his army of phantoms and demons who have possessed the world’s most infamous villains to wreak havoc in time. Players journey through different eras and team up with iconic personalities to restore the natural order, from King Arthur and Joan of Arc to Kratos and the Gods of Olympus.
For a browser game, Dark Era features stunning visuals and flashy effects owed, in-part, to its in-house 3D engine. The game’s graphics and artwork bear resemblance to League of Angels, Winterfrost Legacy, and other MMORPG’s from R2Games, right down to the scantily-clad heroines and goddesses. The sound effects and background music are good, and helps immerse players into the game but still seems a bit generic. Players can download a mini-client or play the game straight from a browser. Downloading the mini-client not only makes the game load faster but also gives players using it a small experience and drop bonus.
Choosing Your Hero
Before players start jumping through time and space, they first choose from one of three pre-made playable classes: Berserker, Assassin, or Wizard. Veteran MMORPG players can easily figure out each class’ weaknesses. For those who need a rundown check out the Classes tab up top. Surprisingly, Dark Era allows players to choose their character’s gender, an option rarely found in browser MMORPG’s—although that’s as far as you can go with regards to customization. After creating their characters, players then go through a quick movement and combat tutorial in the form of a prologue which involves the taking down of one of the Abyss King’s trusted generals, which is easy enough since players have access to the full range of end-game skills. With the demon’s dying breath, however, he lets out a powerful surge of energy which *surprise surprise* makes the player fall unconscious and forget everything, including their skills and abilities. After which they wake up in the starting area, which is where their journey really begins.
Same Game, Different Story
Dark Era’s gameplay should instantly be familiar with gamers who’ve played an R2Games MMORPG. The game features a breadcrumb quest system similar to any typical MMORPG. Players acquire kill and collect quests from the local townsfolk, which eventually leads them to the next area, then the next, while also moving the story along. The game also features pets, mounts, crafting, dungeons, bosses, raids, and basically everything players look for in an MMORPG, including a PVP arena. Combat uses the point-and-click system and reminds me of the grinding in RAN Online, where players grouped mobs together and spam them.
Unfortunately, the game also features the automatic pathfinding and combat system typically found in Chinese-made games, which basically play the game for you. Dark Era, however, takes automation to a new level. Click on one button and the characters automatically go through quest after quest until they eventually run out of quests to complete. At least in R2Games MMORPG’s, players still had to click in-between quests. The auto-combat and pathfinding feature can easily be turned off by clicking anywhere on the ground or at an enemy mob, although there’s practically no reason to do that aside from making things harder.
Faster Is Always Better
Much like the gameplay, character progression is also similar to most Chinese-made MMORPG’s. Players level up extremely fast, and by fast I mean 30 levels in 30 minutes. Leveling up slows down around the level 45 mark when the level-based quests start running out and players are forced to grind mobs to reach the next level. The fast character progression, however, isn’t all that bad considering that game features equipment upgrading , dungeons, as well as character skills that are automatically unlocked. It also allows players to experience the end-game faster which is where the fun starts with dungeon runs, raids, and full gear PVP. PvP matches are done in an instanced cross-server 1v1 arenas where combat is automatic. Character strength is equipment-based, which makes running dungeons to acquire rare equipment an important part of the game.
Cash Shop
Dark Era, like most free-to-play games, makes money through microtransactions that allow players to buy premium items in exchange for real world cash. Players can buy a variety of items including VIP packs, boosters, weapons, and cosmetic items. The premium weapons are a bit stronger than the in-game variety but don’t necessarily break the game. Players can also use vouchers that they earn from quests to buy premium items. Collecting vouchers, however, takes longer than simply shelling out cash, but at least players get the chance to buy premium items with a bit of patience.
The Final Verdict - Good
While Dark Era brings something new to a genre filled with cliché stories of good and evil with their time-hero concept. Getting to team up with Robin Hood, Joan of Arc, and Kratos was just awesome. That being said, it still isn’t enough to cover up the fact that the game is just another run-of-the-mill Chinese MMORPG. The game might be fun for the first couple of hours as you soak in the stunning graphics, flashy effects, and the mildly entertaining combat, after which you can just let the auto-pilot do the work. Personally, these Chinese-made MMORPG’s are starting to grow on me. If it’s your cup of tea then by all means give it a shot, otherwise there are plenty of other choices out there.
Dark Era Screenshots
Dark Era Videos
Dark Era System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP SP3
CPU: Dual Core 2.0 GHz
RAM: 1 GB RAM
Browser: Any browser with Flash Player installed
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP SP3 / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 (64 bit)
CPU: Quad Core 2.5 GHz
RAM: 2 GB RAM or more
Browser: Any browser with Flash Player installed
Dark Era is a browser based MMORPG and will run smoothly on practically any PC. The game was tested and works well on Internet Explorer, Opera, Firefox and Chrome. Any modern web-browser should run the game smoothly. A small mini-client can also be downloaded from the game's official website.
Dark Era Music & Soundtrack
Coming Soon!
Dark Era Additional Information
Developer: NGames
Publisher: Game321
Closed Beta: September 21, 2015
Open Beta: October 19, 2015
Official Launch Date: October 19, 2015
Development History / Background:
Dark Era is a free-to-play 3D MMORPG developed by Chinese game developers NGames, and their game portal Game321. The game went into closed beta on September 21, 2015 before going into open beta one month later on October 19, 2015. The game uses an in-house 3D engine that allows the game to run smoother on most machines.