What attracts you to an upcoming MMORPG project? There are a few factors in my mind that result in a rather quick assessment of whether or not a title is worth following. Does it have a clear vision? Is the dev team competent and committed? Is the general idea and feature list appealing? Does this look like something that might have a good shot at launching and gathering a sustainable user base?
On top of all of that is a rather more vague, but far more important, question: Does this vibe with me? There’s that ineffable feel you get for the game’s overall presentation and attitude that, if it clicks with you, can go a long way to making you cheer for an MMO. That indefinable vibe is what’s pulled me into the orbit of Monsters & Memories, a throwback-styled game that’s powering through alpha right now.
Every time I write a news article about M&M, I have two thoughts: I like this project a lot, and I’m not exactly sure why. And that is usually an indication that the deciding factor was a vibes issue.
When Niche Worlds Cult originally announced this project, it wasn’t like I leaped out of my seat and proclaimed, “YES! This is what the world needs! An EverQuest clone in the 2020s!”
In fact, I’ve been disappointed with how clumsy so many retro/throwback/classic-inspired MMOs handle the mixture of nostalgia and older design. I’m beyond done with studios that are trying to swing the pendulum away from user friendliness to some sort of ultra-hardcore, group-centric, corpse run-happy, night-is-beyond-black approach. Yes, there are people out there who love this sort of challenge, but it’s never going to have any sort of meaningful pull in the community.
Why I did shuffle and creak out of my seat at the announcement, however, is that I respected the attitude of Monsters & Memories‘ team. There is a love for retro MMORPGs as well as pen-and-paper RPGs that was obvious from the devs’ first communique and has continued throughout every monthly newsletter. This is a team that’s deeply passionate about replicating not necessarily the exact format of ’99-era EverQuest and its contemporaries but rather the sensation of getting lost in those crude yet lovable worlds.
Part of the vibes is Niche Worlds Cult’s sense of style. The studio’s continually given us a visual representation of what it wants to do with the game, from a load of evocative concept art to exaggerated in-game models. Right away, you can tell that this won’t be the brown-and-grey realism-skewing sandbox. It’s going to be cute and adorable to a degree, chunky and colorful.
And from what I can tell, the team is happy to embrace positive, adventurous fantasy — the kind that too many grimdark books, movies, and games eschewed in the past quarter century. Listen to its soundtrack to hear a world that tells you, “It’s OK to go be a hero and love pretty things and smack around grumpy orcs.” That’s certainly not a complicated sentiment, I’ll allow, but it has an attraction.
I mean, think of how appealing “cozy” games are to us these days. They’ve always been around, but now creators have identified and pursued this more purposefully. A game that intends to be a soothing balm, to make you feel comfy and satisfied first is not a betrayal of some sort of hardcore ethos. It’s just a different way to make a video game.
That’s what I believe Monsters & Memories is doing. It’s wrapping up nostalgia, coziness, beauty, and chunky dorkiness into an indie MMORPG that’s going to be an underdog probably its whole existence. But dang it if I don’t want it to succeed big-time.
Do you love spectating and speculating about upcoming MMOs? We do too! Every week, Justin tackles another upcoming title on the MMO Hype Train with opinions, analysis, and blind fervent hope. Choo choo all aboard!
