Fantasy Tales Online is a free-to-play 16-bit 2D MMORPG that features retro-style graphics, randomly-generated dungeons, and thousands of unique items.

Fantasy Tales Online is a 16-bit retro-style MMORPG. Experience classic RPG gameplay reminiscent of games that came out two decades ago. Choose from one of three classes and journey through a high-fantasy world inhabited by bandits, giant spiders, and vicious goblins. Explore dangerous dungeons that change layouts every time you enter them. Gear up and customize your character with thousands of unique items from deadly warhammers to adorable chef’s hats. Build your own house in player-controlled towns and decorate them however you want, or construct a guild house with your friends and work together to achieve world domination.

Full Review

Fantasy Tales Online Review

By, Marc Marasigan

Fantasy Tales Online is a free-to-play 16-bit 2D MMORPG set in a high-fantasy medieval world where players must grow stronger by completing quests, collecting gear, and exploring randomly-generated dungeons alone or, preferably, with the help of friends. The game is still under development with a test server available for players who want to try it out. The game features retro-style graphics and is similar to classic RPG games that came out on the SNES, such as Breath of Fire and the early Final Fantasy games. While the graphics aren’t what players would consider cutting-edge retro graphics have a certain charm to them, especially to players who grew up with 16-bit gaming consoles.

Starting Out

Character creation in Fantasy Tales Online is a fairly simple process of choosing a name, class (check out the classes tab for more info), and taking your pick from a handful of hairstyle options. Further customization is done in-game by acquiring armor and gear. A barber shop is also available in town for players who want to change their hairstyle, offering more options than the character creation screen. I, however, couldn’t get it to work no matter what hairstyle I chose. Once players have created their characters, they are transported straight into the starting zone without any form of tutorial apart from a list of keybindings that players can access by hitting the Esc key. The lack of a tutorial shouldn’t be any problem though since the game is easy enough to pick-up and learn, especially for veteran RPG players.

Getting Around

Players move around the game world using either the WASD keys or the mouse. Aside from being used for movement, the left mouse button is also used to interact with NPCs and objects, as well as attacking mobs. Players can assign skills and items to the hotbar and activate them using the number keys. In spite of its retro look and feel, combat in Fantasy Tales Online is similar to more modern MMORPGs rather than the turn-based system used in most classic RPGs.

The Standard Formula

Players start out in a small town called Bluevale, and, like every other MMORPG out in the market, will spend most of their time completing errands for the local townsfolk. Quests range from the typical kill and collect quests to more interesting ones like following clues to a stolen painting, or repairing support columns in a mine. Multiple quests can be completed at the same time so make sure that you’ve acquired all the available quests before setting out—to avoid having to kill the same mobs again. Some quests also require players to complete objectives in dungeons.

What’s unique about Fantasy Tales Online is that the dungeons are randomly-generated and the layout changes every time a player enters them. This makes things a bit more difficult since players won’t be able to memorize the layout for future runs. The game also features a banking system which allows players to safely store any gold they’ve earned.

The Final Verdict – Fair

As a kid who grew up during the advent of 16-bit gaming consoles and as a fan of RPG’s in general, I had high hopes for Fantasy Tales Online. Sadly, I was let-down by the game’s lack of a storyline, which, in my opinion, should be one of the first things put into a game. With the myriad of more visually impressive and feature-packed free-to-play games available, I’d only be enticed to play a 16-bit game if the story was good, which, sadly, is missing from the game. That being said, the game is still in its infancy and, from what I can tell by browsing through the game’s website and forums, a storyline, as well as a host of other features, including a highly-requested PVP system, are planned to be implemented before the game officially rolls out. Unfortunately in its current state, I wouldn’t recommend the game to anyone but it’s still worth watching out for.