Leafling

About

Leafling is a multiplayer hack and slash game. It was developed by Celtaria Productions and was released on December 15, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Leafling Online is a free to play 2D Action MORPG with an evolving world. Explore, fight, craft, cast, and delve your way through dangerous dungeons and discover new areas on the Overworld.

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 922 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding72 negative mentions

The game has a nostalgic feel and is enjoyable for fans of old-school RPGs.
The developers are very active and responsive, frequently updating the game and addressing community feedback.
The community is friendly and helpful, making it easier for new players to get involved.

The game suffers from frequent server issues, lag, and bugs that can hinder gameplay.
There are significant balance issues between classes, leading to frustration for players who feel their efforts are undermined by constant nerfs.
The game lacks direction and content for players after reaching the level cap, making it feel grindy and repetitive.

story
152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
83%
5%
The game's story is currently inconsistent and underdeveloped, with many players reporting that the main questline is either disabled or incomplete, leading to frustration with quest tracking and rewards. While some find the narrative engaging and look forward to future updates, others criticize the lack of clarity and the prevalence of bugs that hinder progression. Overall, the story has potential but requires significant improvements to meet player expectations.
- “Really fun game, good story and progression pacing.”
- “It was an interesting story so far and I'm excited to see how it develops in the future!”
- “Well thought through, everything makes sense and nothing seems unnatural, at the moment the main quest is not active but will be in the future (it's in beta) but when you start the game you get a cutscene with info.”
- “The story (or main story quest) in Leafling is not consistent and barely exists, despite the lead developer's insistence that it is relevant.”
- “Would not recommend the game in its current state even looking past that, as the main quest line was unavailable after the first town (~10 - 15 mins in if you do some side quests).”
- “The current main story is 3 quests long and the side quests aren't anything to write home about.”
graphics
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
64%
5%
The graphics of the game are generally described as low-end but passable, with a distinct 2D pixelated style that some players find charming and fitting for the gameplay. While many appreciate the aesthetic and the smooth performance, there are criticisms regarding originality and character customization. Overall, the visuals are considered adequate for a casual experience, though some players have noted issues with frame drops and a lack of graphical settings.
- “Absolutely amazing graphics and pink mushroom final boss battle.”
- “Banger MMO RPG with beautiful graphics.”
- “The graphics are really good for a 2D game; it's not crowded and nothing seems out of place. There are also night and day cycles, which is really nice.”
- “The graphics are pretty low-end but passable in terms of giving the sprites personality. The gameplay is very basic and straightforward (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), and the servers are really bad with rubberbanding constantly.”
- “The art style is just terrible as well, it's not even original and has no charm to it for being a j-RPG pixel game while also having mediocre character customization.”
- “To be honest, I would like to have settings for graphics or just fix the game frame drops because it lags whenever I cast a spell or in unpopulated places with few enemies and players.”
grinding
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The grinding aspect of the game is described as both addictive and monotonous, appealing to players who enjoy cooperative gameplay and the thrill of loot hunting. However, many reviewers express frustration with the RNG loot system, feeling that it can lead to unbalanced experiences and a lack of rewarding progression, especially for newer players. While the community and events enhance the experience, the grind can feel excessive and unrewarding at times, particularly in end-game scenarios.
- “I can't progress from where I am currently with gear without loads of alma or farming the PvP zone for trophies to get some of the best gear.”
- “This leaves me farming old content solo, or farming the PvE new zones mobs which just feels unrewarding and not fun.”
- “You basically beat the game within an hour, then the only actual content is grinding the same things over and over for absurd enchanting prices (because it has to be a time sink considering it is the only thing to do).”
gameplay
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
73%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by a wide variety of classes and simplistic mechanics, often revolving around repetitive tasks like grinding and questing, which some players find monotonous. While the game shows potential with decent combat mechanics and a non-pay-to-win model, it suffers from significant bugs, poor quest design, and server issues that detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, many players appreciate the nostalgic feel and engaging concepts, though concerns about the game's long-term viability and content depth remain.
- “There are a lot of classes to choose from with a wide variety of gameplay from each class.”
- “Very fun game, neat art, and well-done mechanics.”
- “The gameplay, and end game is there, and for a free-to-play (non p2w) it's worth checking out for sure.”
- “This dramatically contributes to a boring facetank-mashkeys-drink potion vs hit sponge type of gameplay.”
- “But, currently, what I've experienced in terms of jank is quests not being able to be turned in, some quests can be completed but warrant no rewards (this is probably just unfinished quests; these quests should just have a note telling you they don't work because I wasted my time killing 200 mobs for no reason), some quests are poorly worded or the quest has poor progress tracking (there is a quest where there are two differently colored versions of a quest mob with the same name but only one of them gives you quest credit) quest bubbles appear not over NPC heads but over thin air, some quests softlock you when you can't turn them in (i.e., the written in stone main quest line where my friend tried to interact with a curio but could not and was therefore locked from the gameplay for an extended period of time. Fix appeared randomly and she was allowed to continue).”
- “Very, very clunky UI, rudimentary gameplay that is not fun.”
music
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
41%
7%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with players praising its immersive soundtracks that complement various zones and boss fights. Many reviewers noted that the quality of the music enhances the overall experience, making it enjoyable enough to listen to outside of gameplay. While some expressed personal preferences regarding specific themes, the general consensus is that the music is a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
- “The game has its own soundtracks for each zone and boss fights.”
- “As a supporting note, I'd honestly play just to hear the soundtrack, that's how good it is.”
- “If the game continues to release banger soundtracks, evens out the rugged balance, fixes the jank (especially the jank that makes some questing useless), creates more end game content, and overhauls the game with general quality of life updates (like an inventory maximum counter, more fast travel options, solo friendly avenues for raids or high level content, etc...), then this game can become an extremely good game.”
- “I'd listen to the soundtrack to this game outside of it and I'm a bit of a music snob.”
- “Music is also very well styled to fit the game theme.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
The game is experiencing significant stability issues, with numerous bugs, glitches, and lag reported by users. While some players acknowledge that these problems are typical for an early access title and express optimism for its potential, many find the overall experience frustrating due to frequent crashes and performance issues.
- “While I understand the game is early access, it was quite buggy.”
- “It looks lovely, it really does, but it won't open and freezes past login.”
- “Legit will say it's an early access game, but the game is just a buggy mess.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
Players have mixed feelings about the game's replayability; while some appreciate the potential for infinite replayability, many find the leveling grind tedious, often sticking to optimal experience sources and neglecting other content. This has led to a lack of exploration in various zones, suggesting that despite the developers' intentions, the grind may hinder true replayability for some players.
- “ infinitely replayable”
- “✅ infinitely replayable”
- “While the development team has shared their decision to carry out this drastic change and put forward that it adds replayability to the game, taking your main classes to the highest level still remains a grind in which players go to the optimal source of experience in each zone and don't touch anything else.”
- “While the development team has shared their decision to carry out this drastic change and put forward that it adds replayability to the game, taking your main classes to the highest level still remains a grind in which players go to the optimal source of experience in each zone and don't touch anything else. For example, leveling some classes from 40 to 45 can be an utter pain, and instead of entering the dungeon (where the boss has the highest experience of the zone) and killing countless mobs with high HP and no experience to their name, some prefer doing a repeatable woodcutting quest. Safe to say the rest of that zone is still unknown to many players.”
- “While the development team has shared their decision to carry out this drastic change and put forward that it adds replayability to the game, taking your main classes to the highest level still remains a grind in which players go to the optimal source of experience in each zone and don't touch anything else. For example, leveling some classes from 40 to 45 can be an utter pain, and instead of entering the dungeon (where the boss has the highest experience of the zone) and killing countless mobs with high HP and no experience to their name, some prefer doing a repeatable woodcutting quest. Safe to say the rest of that zone is still unknown to many players.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game is generally easy to run, even on low-end computers, but players report significant issues with server optimization, leading to frequent lag and stuttering during gameplay. While it starts smoothly, the overall experience is hampered by poor optimization, especially in high-intensity situations like battles.
- “It is a simple game to start playing, and it still runs smoothly on a slow computer.”
- “The game runs well, but servers are constantly stuttering, making the game extremely slow.”
- “I stopped playing this game; there are few players poorly optimized, and when fighting against Dragon T, there is a lot of lag. Warspear, Curse of Aros, and Skylore are much better than Leafling.”
- “This nerf coincided with a general armor nerf, which meant that I went from having quite poor solo performance to utter and complete garbage solo performance (as in, I can barely kill a monster that the DPS classes kill in 1-3 hits).”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
16%
67%
The monetization model of the game is perceived as potentially exploitative, similar to other free-to-play titles, yet many players appreciate that it feels more like a traditional game. It is entirely free to play, ensuring no pay-to-win advantages, although some players note that the grind required for progression adds a unique charm to the experience.
- “100% free to play, so there's no need to worry about player advantage through money or in-game purchases. It all takes time; it is a bit of a grind, but that's what adds to its charm.”
- “Might be a cash grab?”
- “Other free-to-play games like this are cash grabs, but this feels like a regular game.”
- “100% free to play, so no need to worry about player advantage via money or in-game purchases. It all takes time; it is a bit of a grind, but that's what adds to its charm.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game's community, lamenting its decline and the loss of camaraderie that once thrived. The nostalgia for past interactions and the hope for a revival of the community's spirit highlight the game's impact on players' lives, making the current state feel particularly heartbreaking. Despite the challenges, there remains a yearning for reconnection and shared experiences among players.
- “Upon returning to the game, I was somewhat heartbroken. The community of this game is amazing, but it's like a flame slowly burning out. I hope that one day that flame gets rekindled.”
- “As of writing this comment, there are only 5 normal players, which is just so heartbreaking. Maybe people will come back one day and we will relive the age where everyone was together, though it looks like that may only be a false dream.”
- “I checked some of the reviews and they are downright wrong and even somewhat heartbreaking. It's disheartening to see people with so much time in the game, the same people I probably laughed with and farmed with, say things like that.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is heavily influenced by its thematic focus on environmental issues, particularly the role of photosynthesis in sustaining life on Earth. Players appreciate the developers' commitment to addressing these themes, which has positively impacted the overall gaming experience.
- “(kudos to the devs for taking a stand on this issue, cause it was causing a really bad atmosphere among players.)”