November 17, 2006 - Currently in closed beta, 9Dragons is a martial arts-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game set during a time when China's great clans had to rely upon their unique philosophies and fighting techniques for survival. Already a hit in Korea, the home market for developer Indy21, it will be available in North America and Europe through Acclaim and Persistent Worlds respectively.

Commendations
The basic concept of the game immediately sets it apart from the many persistent state titles based in fantasy or science fiction. So does the real-world setting, although in the interests of fun, it may not be completely true to historical accuracy. It appears that players will be able to choose among a nice variety of fighting styles such as those of the legendary Shaolin monks, the League of Beggars, the Black Dragon and the Sacred Flower. The combat animations are quite eye-catching and the overall art direction appears to be solid. The system requirements are pretty reasonable, making the game accessible to many potential players who may not have the latest generation of hardware.

Reservations
Although there's no obvious reason why an online world based on kung fu can't have long-term appeal in the West, we haven't had a test case, so we have no actual indication either way. The title hasn't been very visible since closed beta began several weeks ago, which has prompted some questions about its development status, and contributed to overall level of buzz being relatively modest. The visuals won't hold much appeal for graphics snobs.

Considerations
9Dragons is quite an interesting title due to its unusual premise, and also because it may help us to gauge how ready North America and Europe are to accept and embrace such offerings. Based on what we've seen to date, our feelings about it can be summarized as guarded optimism.

Screenshots




[First Views are intended to provide initial impressions. They may be based on information from interviews, demos, presentations, announcements et al, and limited or no playing time.

The link above will take you to North American publisher Acclaim's site for the game. European readers should note that there is a separate and different official site maintained by Persistent Worlds. - Ed.]