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Stormthrone

Stormthrone: Aeos Rising is a browser-based MMORPG that sets you in the world of Aeos, a land overrun by demons. Choose from six different classes, equip rare and unique Aeon weapons, and slaughter hordes of demons to become a powerful hero.

Publisher: R2 Games
Playerbase: Medium
Type: MMORPG
Release Date: April 14, 2015 (International)
Shut Down Date: June 30, 2017
PvP: Arenas / Cross Server Battles
Pros: +Cross server battles. +Good variety of classes. +Good pet system.
Cons: -Generic fantasy environment. -Stolen art work from WoW.

Stormthrone Shut Down on June 30, 2017

Overview

Stormthrone Overview

In Stormthrone: Aeos Rising, become one of six unique fantasy classes and slaughter enemies with a combat system found often in MMORPGs, having many gameplay parallels with the popular World of Warcraft. Its graphics share much in common with WoW and other MMORPGs, though it features a 2D engine and an isometric camera. Stormthrone has a large variance of features that unlock as the character progresses, offering exciting gameplay for both casual and hardcore players.

Stormthrone Key Features:

  • Six Playable Classes – features unique abilities, equipment + talents.
  • Leveling Variety – large variety of ways to level characters and gain currency.
  • AFK Mode – allows the player to complete quests and dailies without controlling their character.
  • Auto-Pathing System – moves players to their objective destination automatically.
  • Collectible Pets pets participate in battle and boost character's combat abilities.

Stormthrone Screenshots

Stormthrone Featured Video

Stormthrone - Official Gameplay Trailer

Full Review

Stormthrone Review

By Margo Sikes

Stormthrone: Aeos Rising is a free-to-play, browser-based 2D MMORPG developed by Mokylin and published by R2Games, set in the fantasy world of Aeos. Its open beta began on April 14, 2015. Players become Aeon wielders to slay hordes of demons and dominate other players in an all-out territorial war. Its artwork will feel familiar to MMORPG veterans, as much of its art is a 2D version of World of Warcraft models and its combat system is not terribly unique for the genre. What sets Stormthrone apart is its variety of gameplay and streamlined browser experience, touting features such as AFK mode and cross-server PvP battles.

Entering the World

As in most MMORPGs, players begin by picking a class. The six classes available in Stormthrone are: Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Paladin, Priest, and Hunter. The classes are differentiated by the types of equipment they use, their abilities and their skill trees. Players take control of their character in the peaceful zone of Duskhearth and are quickly introduced to the game’s auto-pathing mechanic. When activated, the player moves directly towards the quest objective, automatically mounting onto their mount if available. Each objective is simple: kill enemies or interact with an NPC or object. For an MMORPG, Stormthrone’s dialogue is refreshingly brief, moving you quickly through quests to the next destination. The first few quests lead players to a tutorial boss who protects an Aeon weapon. After acquiring the weapon, players are sent to Dawnhold, the game’s first hub city which is under siege from demons, to become a hero.

Players are also introduced to the game’s many login bonuses, such as timed rewards that can be collected after playing for a certain amount of time, a daily log-in lottery, and offline EXP that is rewarded for when players miss in-game events. These offer an edge to players who continue to play for the long-term, gifting players free premium currency just for logging into the game every day.

Gameplay

Moving from area to area via portal and acquiring a mount early on in the game, Stormthrone has relatively short amounts of travel compared to many other MMORPGs. Its quests are fairly linear and move neatly towards the next zone with hardly any downtime. The auto-pathing translates into very quick leveling, as no investigation or reading is required to complete quests. Opening the game map shows all of the NPCs in the region, meaning that you can also auto-path to vendors and trainers by selecting them on the map.

Around level 15, the AFK system is introduced, which allows players to set up a skill rotation and set their characters to fight on their own with no player involvement, much like a bot. The rampant amount of illegal botting found in browser-based games makes this is an interesting design choice, as it levels the playing field for players who do not use bots, and allows a level of more casual play that many MMORPGs do not offer. The AFK system is not available in PvP at all, increasing the value of its competitive ranking systems and combat mechanics. Those familiar with Chinese-developed browser-based MMORPGs should be familiar with the AFK auto battle system, as Monkey King Online and League of Angels feature similar systems.

Questing

Beyond its main storyline, Stormthrone offers many different ways of gaining rewards and experience. The quest system is not limited to the main quests found in each zone. There are others, such as Story quests, which unlock at level 50, and Crusade quests, which unlock at level 30. Players can complete 15 Crusade quests per day, offering increased rewards and benefits over regular quests but are generally more demanding in terms of kill count and act as the game’s form of daily questing.

Leveling is relatively quick, especially with the AFK mode and auto-pathing. The questing practically does itself, meaning players can leave AFK mode on while waiting for their instance queues to pop. At different times during the day, cross-server events take place and pop-up on your screen as you quest. One such example is the Escort event, which takes place on the cross-server map. Players can summon convoys to protect as they move across a large map, being attacked by enemy NPCs and other players. The more players participate, the greater the reward.

Gearing Up

Dungeons and Legions are among the best places to quickly acquire gear throughout the game, especially considering the Aeon weapon system. The first Aeon weapon the player receives, Lady Valari’s Oath, must be equipped with items from five of the early game dungeons to be usable. Legions, on the other hand, are the higher-level, 10 person groups that are similar to raids in WoW. Legions come with great loot and more difficult fights than found in dungeons. The game features a queuing system for instanced content and also has built-in damage meters that rank players by amount of damage dealt.

Forlorn Rift is a survival mode and is another way to attain currency and items, although instead of gear it offers skill books that can passively increase a character’s stats. It is a game type where players can fight powerful boss monsters in a small, instanced area with a short amount of time between each fight.

Pets

Stormthrone features a large collection of pets that boost a player’s combat prowess. They are found wandering the world or are available for purchase, while some must be crafted by piecing together shards. Pets have their own levels, stats, and loyalty, which contribute to a passive stat bonus awarded to the player that increases as the pet’s level and loyalty increase. The passive stat bonus is available to the player as long as the pets are stored in their collection. When they are by the player’s side, they offer a combat skill that complements play style, ranging from controlling abilities to damaging abilities. While only one pet can be out at a time, players begin with four pet slots and can use the game’s premium currency to purchase more.

PvP

Gear can also be attained from PvP modes as well as PvP-only currency, which can be used in the game’s Black Market. The first PvP modes available to players are the Battlegrounds, which are instanced maps with objectives that mirror the battlegrounds of World of Warcraft. Crumbling Throne is a King of the Hill map where players must capture and hold objective points to win. One unique feature of Stormthrone PvP is its costumes. To more easily tell enemy players apart from your teammates, there is an option to turn on colored costumes that apply epic armor looks and team colors to all players on the map.

Cross-server PvP and arenas unlock as the player advances. The cross-server PvP, called Clash of Realms, includes the game’s events, such as escort missions, world boss fights, enemy invasions, and ore collection. The Clash of Realms also has straightforward PvP The cross-server also places important on guild alliances, giving guilds rankings based on their standings in cross-server combat. The arenas of Stormthrone are automated PvP matches, where characters can fight other players and NPCs in AFK mode to increase their ranking and gain experience and currency.

Cash Shop

The cash shop of the game features various game-improving items such as mount improvements, unique mounts, cloak upgrades and week-long experience and gold boosts. The game’s premium currency, "Pyrum," can be acquired from real money purchases or in-game. A VIP status is enabled for players who pay for currency, increasing by the amount of currency they purchase with great benefits and rewards. Pyrum can also be used to instantly complete quests, upgrade mounts, and upgrade pets. Pyrum can be used in the cash shop to gain access to superior equipment and other pay-to-win items. However, those familiar with Chinese-developed browser-based MMORPGs shouldn't be surprised, as this is a common theme among them. Those looking to enjoy the game's PvE content won't be effected by the pay-to-win elements as PvP is completely optional.

Final Verdict – Fair

While Stormthrone has some interesting features in play, the game feels woefully generic. A lot of its artwork appears to be traced over World of Warcraft models and artwork, from its environments to its UI. The sound clips felt familiar too, either in imitation of WoW sounds or taken directly from the game. This derivation makes this game feel utterly lazy in design, created for the money and not the love of game development. The game is also pay-to-win, which is a big negative. If you’re an MMORPG player looking for a casual, heavily WoW-inspired experience, Stormthrone may appeal to you. But aside from that, it's hard to recommend Stormthrone. On the positive side, the game can be played without much focus, as the auto-battle and auto-pathing allow the game to be played largely on auto-pilot, making the game appealing to casual players.

Screenshots

Stormthrone Screenshots

Videos

Stormthrone Videos

Playlist: Stormthrone

System Requirements

Stormthrone System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Equivalent
Video Card: Any Graphics Card (Integrated works well too)
RAM: 512 MB
Hard Disk Space: 100 MB (Cache)

Stormthrone is a browser based MMO 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.

Music

Stormthrone Music & Soundtrack


Additional Info

Stormthrone Additional Information

Developer: Mokylin
Publisher: R2 Games
Platforms: Web (browser) and Facebook
Release Date: April 14, 2015 (Worldwide)

Shut Down Date: June 30, 2017

Foreign Releases:

Storm Throne is available in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. R2 Games publishes the global version.

Development History / Background:

Stormthrone was developed by Chinese game developer Mokylin and published globally by R2 Games. The game is available in its home market as well as South Korea. Aside from those localized versions, everyone else can access the game through R2 Games.