ZOMG! an MMORPG for Gaia Online Players

Ah, Gaia Online. I remember the website from before it became this popular and developed, from when the main attraction and forum was Barton Town, a place for roleplay and creative writing. Visit the site now, and you will have trouble even finding this forum in the huge place that Gaia Online has become.

Gaia is all about customizing your avatar. You can do this by earning Gaia Gold.. which you get from many different activities that include (but are not limited to) simply browsing around.

And now, there is an MMORPG.

You can find it here: http://www.gaiaonline.com/games/zomg/

I have to admit, I was skeptical. I was a huge fan of the site back when it was a nice place to go and write collectively. It's lost that appeal for me. But right away, the MMO has some attractive assets:

It's browser based, meaning you don't have to download anything.

There is a manga-styled comic that gives the game some background. As always on Gaia, the art here is very nice and fun to look at.

Once I started playing, I was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful and detailed backgrounds and environments (and, of course, the classic Gaia avatars... whose legs turn into a comic-effect blur when they walk).

As an added bonus, the music is great.

The story itself is funky, but creative. Inanimate objects have become animated, and you must defend the world - but more importantly, yourself! - from them. The first "monster" you fight is a trash can.

Also, unlike in most other RPGs, there is no choosing classes here. Instead, you use rings with posses the power to fight the Animated. Different rings do different things, and each time you use a ring, your stamina gets depleted.

Still, I did find the controls and movement a bit clunky. It took me a bit to get used to attacking and figuring out what everything did. Once I was thrust into Barton Town I was a tad overwhelmed. Also, while not having to download anything is nice, having to wait for everything to load every time I move onto a new map is not.

Overall, Gaia Online has managed to take its community feel and incorporate it into an MMORPG that is pretty different. If you love Gaia Online, do give this a try. I believe you can use your Gaia account name and avatar. And even if you don't have an account.. this is worth looking into, if only for the nice art and creative concept. Since it's browser-based, you don't have to commit to anything through downloading. You just need to sign up for Gaia.

Happy gaming!