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La Tale

La Tale is a 2D side-scrolling fantasy MMORPG with cute, anime-inspired graphics. Chose from six starting classses and specialize further as you progress. Enter the Coliseum with a group to defeat hordes of monsters, or fight against human opponents in the Arena!

Publisher: PapayaPlay
Playerbase: Low
Type: MMORPG
PvP: Arena / Duels
Release Date: September 18, 2008 (NA)
Pros: +Great soundtrack. +Large variety of classes and skills. +Season 2 update revamped many features. +Balanced cash shop.
Cons: -Small, dwindling population. -Clunky controls. -Tedious gameplay and quests.

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Overview

La Tale Overview

La Tale is one of the few 2D side-scroller MMORPGs along with MapleStory and Ghost Online. While this art style may look simplistic, La Tale offers a detailed class system, a PvP Arena system, and a ton of other features. Players can raise and level up pets, get married, and collect powerful monster cards while they explore the world of La Tale. An update titled 'Season 2: STORM' offered a massive refresh for the game and included a graphics update, class balancing, and making it easier to level up.

New players have six base classes to chose from and can make a class advancement at Level 50, then again at Level 100. The max level in La Tale is 200.

La Tale Key Features:

  • Great Variety of Classes – choose from six different classes, each with two unique class advancements.
  • Side-Scroller one of the few MMORPGs that is a side-scroller. Adds unique gameplay and atmosphere.
  • Balanced Cash Shop – players report that the cash shop does not feel imbalanced with the game.
  • Customize Craze – equipment customization is no joke in this game. Tailor your loadout to your playstyle.
  • Great Soundtrack – run around the world of La Tale with awesome music to compliment the experience.

La Tale Screenshots

La Tale Featured Video

La Tale - Season 2 STORM Gameplay Trailer

Classes

La Tale Classes

  • Warrior – the Warrior is a melee damage dealer. This class is very strong when it comes to offense. However, it is weaker when it comes to defense. Warriors specialize in using two-handed swords, spears, and knuckles.
    • Level 50 – Warlord, Blader
    • Level 100 Dragoon, Strider
  • Knight – the Knight is the tank of the game. You will see this class with a shield in one hand and a sword or mace in the other.
    • Level 50 – Templar, Guardian
    • Level 100 Holy Order, Saint
  • Wizard – the Wizard is a master of the four elements of fire, water, earth, and wind. He wields their energies and deals massive AoE damage. However, this high DPS comes at the cost of hit points and defense.
    • Level 50 – Sorcerer, Bard
    • Level 100 Elemental Master, Minstrel
  • Explorer – the Explorer is the ranged DPS, specialized in using daggers, bows, crossbows, and knuckles. They’d rather hit often than hard, so they have the highest attack speed in the game.
    • Level 50 – Treasure Hunter, Gunslinger
    • Level 100 Ruin Walker, Duelist
  • Engineer – the Engineer combines technology and dark magic, delivering devastating results.
    • Level 50 – Meister
    • Level 100 Engistar
  • Soul Breaker – the Soul Breaker was born into darkness, making them the most destructive class in the game. Their weapon of choice is the Soul Stone.
    • Level 50 – Soul Reaver
    • Level 100 Soul Lord

Full Review

La Tale Review

By Toan Layne

La Tale is a 2D side-scrolling fantasy MMORPG developed and published by Actoz Soft in South Korea. It is published by OGPlanet in North America, Gamepot in Japan, and Shanda in China. It was released in February 2006 in South Korea, and in August 2008, it was released with an open beta in North America. Similar games include the popular Maple Story from Nexon, and perhaps Dragon Saga from WarpPortal. La Tale is available through OGPlanet as well as through Valve's Steam service.

Welcome to the Jungle

The story of La Tale is not readily apparent and it seems, at first glance, like a generic anime setting. However, as you go on adventuring, you will find out more about the world through questing. Character customization is not very extensive. You have a choice between a boy or a girl character, with several options for hair styles and eyes, and you can also choose the colors of your hair, eyes, and initial clothes. However, given that La Tale is a 2D side-scrolling game, and your character is a small 2D sprite, the lack of a powerful character creation screen is not the worst thing. Besides, the game makes up for it by having enough variety when it comes to equipment. When it comes to classes, players have an initial choice between Warrior, Knight, Wizard, Explorer, Engineer, and Soul Breaker. These classes can then be upgraded at Levels 50 and 100. The Warrior, Knight, Wizard, and Explorer have two choices upon reaching Level 50, with Engineers and Soul Breakers having a straight progression path.

The game starts with a tutorial, where “Power Rangers” teach you the basics. You use the arrow keys to move, Z and X to attack, C to jump, V to loot, and A, S, D, F, and the number keys for skills. You can also double jump and cross chasms using ropes. The rest of the gameplay is pretty standard. You have HP, Mana, XP, a 3% XP reduction on each death (unless you have Iron Will or Potion of Resurrection), skill trees, an inventory, items, etc. Leveling is done through questing, although the quests can be quite grindy. The level cap is 200 and XP gain is influenced by combos (the higher the combo, the higher the XP gain).

After the initial tutorial, players will still receive tutorial quests which will teach them about Returning Stones and Stones of Iris (respawn points). There is not a lot of variety when it comes to level design, with players entering a zone that’s around two screens wide and two screens high, where they will fight mobs of several varieties. Questing can also feel very repetitive, with a lot of kill-and-fetch quests.

Skills

There are six skill categories in La Tale. You have Weapon, Magic, Miscellaneous, Action, Emoticon, Craft, and Ely skills. Players receive one skill point for each level up and specific skills can be unlocked at certain levels (for example, the Spear skill can be unlocked at Level 1, the Strength skill at Level 3, etc.). After unlocking a skill, players can then start spending points in it. Weapon skills affect a specific weapon type’s damage. Magic skills are mostly exclusive for the Wizard class and they have an impact on the effect of spells. Supportive skills fall under the Miscellaneous category, with some of them (such as Dig or Ignite) being unlockable through quests. Action skills include jumping, sitting, guard, etc. Emoticons are self-explanatory and they can be unlocked by using emoticon guidebooks, which are random drops from enemies. Action skills and Emoticons do not require skill points. Craft skills are part of La Tale’s crafting system and Ely skills are used to increase the game’s four stats: Power, Stamina, Magic, and Luck. The Ely skills can be purchased and there is no level restriction. Upon Promotion to a new class, all skill points are reset, which means that players should not spend money on Ely points before the final Promotion.

PvP

La Tale features a strong PvP system. There are two types of PvP: Official and Unofficial. Official PvP takes place in the Elias Fight Arena, where players face against random opponents. There is free-for-all PvP and team PvP. However, most of the PvP that takes place is in a 2v2 format. Unofficial PvP can be initiated by right-clicking on a player and selecting “Challenge to PvP” and there are no level restrictions. To balance things out, lower level players will have their stats boosted to match the power of their opponents. This means that the stat boost tries to take into account the weapon, armor, and extra skills of the opponent. However, if the level difference is too big, the higher level opponent can still have an advantage even after a stat boost. Winning an Official PvP match is rewarded with Honor Points and PvP Points. Losing is not that bad either, with the loser receiving a smaller amount of points as well. PvP and Honor Points can then be spent on PvP items and skills.

Other Features

Other features include personal shops, a mailing system, a marriage system, an auction system, instances, a Coliseum, guilds, and pets. The Coliseum is a PvE arena where players form parties and fight waves of monsters. Guilds are an important element of the game, allowing players to form associations. Guilds can be one of three types: Order, Chaos, and Neutral. Being in a guild gives players a stat bonus, which increases as the guild levels up. Pets are a nice addition to La Tale. Pets can level up and be enchanted. However, they have a limited timer (60 days, for example) and they have to be revived once the timer runs out (using cash shop items, unfortunately).

Cash Shop

The Cash shop in La Tale features equipment sets, fashion items, pets, pet-related items, XP boosts, and convenience items, such as inventory extensions, equipment gender switches, and the like. Players have reported that they do not feel at a disadvantage for not using the cash shop. However, if players wish to progress faster or look better while doing it, the cash shop has them covered.

Final Verdict – Good

La Tale is a very cute game that can become an addiction to anyone. It has the significant advantage of featuring a balanced cash shop and it has received several content revamps over the years. With that being said, the game is fairly basic. It can become repetitive, even for an MMORPG. I will say that what it does, it does well, but the game simply does not have enough to do. If you're a fan of the the 2D side-scroller look, give La Tale a try. Otherwise, a dated game with a dwindling population is hard to recommend.

Screenshots

La Tale Screenshots

Videos

La Tale Videos

Links

La Tale Links

La Tale Official Site
La Tale Wiki [Database / Guides]
La Tale Steam Page

System Requirements

La Tale System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce4 MX / ATI Radeon 9000
RAM: 1 GB
Hard Disk Space: 2 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Core i3 530 or better
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 7 series / ATI Radeon HD or better
RAM: 2 GB or better
Hard Disk Space: 2 GB or more

Music

La Tale Music & Soundtrack


Additional Info

La Tale Additional Information

Developer: Actoz Soft

Closed Beta Date: July 31, 2008 - August 6, 2008 (North America)
Open Beta Date: August 21, 2008 - September 3, 2008 (North America)

Foreign Releases:

Korea: February 2006 (Actoz Soft)
China: February 2007 (Shanda)
Europe: July 30, 2009 (Aeria Games) [Closed on October 21, 2010]
Japan: 2006 (Gamepot)

Development History / Background:

La Tale was first developed and published in South Korea by Actoz Soft in February 2006. Shortly thereafter, it was published by OGPlanet in North America, Gamepot in Japan, and Shanda in China. It did not hit North American markets until August 2008. Similar games include the popular Maple Story from Nexon, and perhaps Dragon Saga from WarpPortal. La Tale is available through OGPlanet as well as through Valve's Steam service. OGPlanet has since shut down and the game is now available through PapayaPlay.