Riders Of Icarus

Riders of Icarus Review

By, Marc Marasigan

Riders of Icarus is a free-to-play 3D fantasy MMORPG set in the mythical kingdom of Hakanas. Players assume the role of a soldier framed for the disappearance of the princess who was abducted while transporting a powerful relic by an influential noble in league with an all-powerful evil force. Exiled and living life as a mercenary, players must journey through the game world to clear their name with the help of a mysterious group known as The Onyx Order. The storyline itself, while not unique in the fantasy genre, is definitely a first in the fantasy game world. At least, from my experience.

The game runs on CryEngine and features great-looking graphics, stunning lighting, well-detailed environments, awesome character models, and flashy effects. The game’s overall theme and artwork closely resembles that of TERA but with decidedly better graphics quality and supports 4K resolution assuming that you have a graphics card that supports 4K. The game’s audio also doesn’t disappoint with immersive background music, good (albeit repetitive) ambient sounds, and well-made voice overs.

Character Creation

As with most MMORPG’s, players must first create a character before gallivanting off into the game world. Like most modern MMORPG’s, Riders of Icarus features a solid character creation system which includes a number of preset characters, a fair number of options for face, hair, and body builds, as well as sliders to tweak minute details such as nose height, arm size, height, and yes, even boob size. The system gives players just enough options to create a unique look for themselves without going too over the top. The craziest you could probably be able to get away with would be a character that can double as a bobble-head, which, weirdly enough, is actually one or two of the presets.

Semi-Action Combat

Before entering the game world players are given the choice of playing the game using Standard or Action controls. In Standard mode, players use the left mouse button to move, the Tab to select targets, and the keyboard to trigger abilities. In Action mode, players use the WASD keys to move while using a reticule/crosshair to aim and target enemies. Skills are bound to the keyboard keys as well as to the left and right mouse buttons much like Neverwinter. Standard mode is recommended for ranged classes that don’t require a lot of movement during combat, such as the Wizard and Priest classes, while the Action mode is recommended for more dynamic characters such as the Assassin, Berserker, and Guardian classes.

Unfortunately, while using the WASD keys and a crosshair in Action mode gives players the illusion that they’re playing an action MMORPG, combat in Riders of Icarus is still based on the tab-targeting system regardless of whether players choose the Standard of Action control scheme. While you do gain the ability to quickly and effectively dodge enemy attacks in Action mode, there are times when tab-targeting kicks in and messes everything up. I’ve had a few experiences when I was aiming directly at a mob that I aggroed only to dash-attack a different mob and end up with two aggroes instead of one. No biggie if you’re playing a tanky Guardian, an absolute pain when you’re a delicate glass Assassin. For the most part though, the semi-action combat combined with the game’s TERA-like skill chain combo system feels very fluid and fun even with tab-targeting in place.

Prison Break

After creating their characters, players are treated to a quick cut-scene which will be the first of many as they advance through the game and, with my love for storylines and cinematics, is one of the things I like about Riders of Icarus. Players start off in a prison cell before being broken out by a guy in a crow costume, aptly-named Crow. Players must then escape the prison compound with the help of NPC allies much like Coldharbour in Elder Scrolls Online. This serves as both the prologue and as the tutorial which culminates with a boss fight. Unfortunately, there’s no way to skip through this phase even with succeeding characters. Don’t worry though, the whole ordeal is a piece of cake and shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to complete, boss and all.

Keeping It Simple

Riders of Icarus brings players back to the roots of MMORPG’s with simple and traditional gameplay elements including dungeons, mini-bosses, gathering, crafting, PvP, and a mount/pet system which everyone has been raving about. We’ll get to that in a bit. Instead of the sandbox-style gameplay that has been becoming the norm in modern MMORPG’s, the developers have opted to employ the time-tested breadcrumb quest system where players need to complete quests from NPC’s in a certain area in order to move on to the next one, thereby advancing the storyline in the process. Progression is very linear and straightforward with none of the trappings we’ve come to expect from MMORPG’s released within the past couple of years, such as open and cross class systems, multiple factions and starting zones, and dynamic/public quests.

Sadly, Riders of Icarus also lacks any type of skill tree. Skills are automatically unlocked and improved as a character gains levels. No skillpoints or trainers needed. This means that, aside from coming up with a skill rotation to match their preferred playing style, there’s really not much of a difference between one Berserker, for example, and the next.

How To Tame Your Dragon

From the title Riders of Icarus, you could probably guess that you’ll at least get to ride something in the game. Riders of Icarus’ mount system is the game’s best-selling points and has been generating a lot of hype since development first started in Korea in 2013, especially their flying mounts and mounted aerial combat. Imagine getting on the back of a dragon (or any flying mount of your choice) and taking on a gigantic hill-sized raid boss together with other players. Sounds awesome right? First you have to tame a mount.

Riders of Icarus features a robust taming system not unlike that of Dragon’s Prophet, without being limited to just dragons. In fact, players can tame almost any mob in the game world (boss mounts included) provided that they’re large enough to fit them on their backs. Taming mounts isn’t as easy as throwing a Poké ball at your chosen mob and praying to the high heavens that your luck holds out. Although luck does have a small part to play during the taming process. To tame a mob, players must sneak up on them and jump on their backs at which point a mini-game starts where players must press the indicated WASD keys at the right moment to fill up the taming bar. Sounds easy enough right? Now imagine jumping onto the back of a flying mob while in mid-air. Oh, and you can also be aggroed by other mobs during the entire taming process. It’s all worth it though. Once tamed, mobs become familiars which players can ride or turn into pets to fight alongside them using a Pet Scroll. Keep in mind though that once mounts are turned into pets you will lose the ability to ride them.

PvP

Like any good MMORPG, Riders of Icarus, allows players to test their skills and their familiars against each other with a number of PvP options. The North American version of the game just hit open beta a few days ago and is behind on updates especially when it comes to PvP and endgame content. Currently, the only options for PvP are duels and a level 25 open world PvP zone called Exarahn Basin. The Korean version of the game, however, has been live for a few years now so expect to see a lot more content making its way to the NA version soon, including guild wars, arenas, and other goodies.

Ellora's Shop

Players who played during the game’s closed beta period probably noticed the lack of a cash shop. With open beta, however, Riders of Icarus went free-to-play, and with it the implementation of a cash shop. No surprise there. For the most part, Riders of Icarus’ cash shop is as balanced as they come, sporting a handful of convenience and buff items along with a few costumes and cosmetic items. No overpowered gear, or anything that would give paying payers an advantage in crafting and taming. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Final Verdict - Excellent

Riders of Icarus is surprisingly enjoyable for a game with very linear and traditional (read as generic) gameplay. The game’s awesome and well-implemented taming/mount/pet system succeeds in turning what would have been an otherwise generic game into one that could most probably give TERA and Blade & Soul a run for its money. Seriously, flying mounted combat? What’s not to love? Stunning graphics, great audio, and a distinct storyline doesn’t hurt its chances either. While the game’s semi-action tab-targeting combat system isn’t really my cup of tea, it is nevertheless fun and fluid. Overall, an excellent game that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a great Asian-made MMORPG.

Riders of Icarus Screenshots

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Riders of Icarus Videos

Riders of Icarus Links

Riders of Icarus Official Site
Riders of Icarus Steam
Riders of Icarus Korean Site
Riders of Icarus Developer Site
Riders of Icarus Inven [Fansite/Guides] (Korean)

Riders of Icarus System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

OS: Windows Vista (SP2)
Processor: Intel Core i3-2120 @ 3.3GHz or higher / AMD A8-5500 @3.3GHz or higher
Memory: At least 4 GB RAM
Graphics: GeForce GTX 260 (1GB) or better / Radeon HD 7670 (1GB) or better
DirectX: Version 9.0c or higher
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: At least 30 GB of free space
Sound Card: 16-bit Sound Card

Recommended Requirements:

OS: Windows 7 (SP1) or later
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.3GHz or higher / AMD FX-6200 @3.3GHz or higher
Memory: At least 4 GB RAM
Graphics: GeForce GTX 460 (1GB) or better / Radeon HD 6870 (1GB) or better
DirectX: Version 9.0c or higher
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: At least 30 GB of free space
Sound Card: 16-bit Sound Card

Riders of Icarus Music & Soundtrack

Coming soon...

Riders of Icarus Additional Information

Developer: WeMade Entertainment
Publisher: Nexon
Game Engine: CryEngine 3

Closed Beta: May 2 - 5 2013 (Korea)
Open Beta: April 16, 2014 (Korea)

Foreign Release:
Japan: April 16, 2015 (NHN PlayArt)

Closed Beta 1 NA: January 28, 2016 - February 02, 2016
Closed Beta 2 NA: April 21, 2016 - April 28, 2016
Closed Beta 3 NA: June 2, 2016 - June 7, 2016
Open Beta NA: July 6, 2016

Development History / Background:

The aerial MMORPG Riders of Icarus was first revealed in 2012 and has since been launched in its home territory of South Korea and in Japan, as Icarus Online. Nexon America announced they would publish Riders of Icarus in January, 2016. The first Closed Beta test was held between January 28, 2016 and February 02, 2016. A second Closed Beta was held from April 21, 2016 to April 28, 2016. Closed Beta 1 and 2 were under NDA, but a third CB test which ran from June 2 to June 7, 2016 had a much wider test audience. The Riders of Icarus Open Beta is scheduled to start on July 6, but players who purchase a Founders Pack will get a 7-day head start!

The developers behind the game, WeMade Entertainment, are best known for the classic MMORPGs The Legend of Mir 2 and The Legend of Mir 3. While the company does have a presence in Europe and North America with a MMORPG titled Lost Saga, their games have not garnered the same popularity in the West as they have in Asia.