MapleStory 2

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 358 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • grinding
MapleStory 2 Game Cover
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MapleStory 2 is a fantasy-themed Kids Games, featuring massively multiplayer gameplay and co-op mode. It takes place in a 3D block universe with vibrant graphics and offers epic quests. The game encourages players to build their dream world and explore new dimensions of MapleStory, but be prepared for some grinding.

  • PC
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 358 reviews
story27 positive mentions
grinding39 negative mentions
  • MapleStory 2 offers a fun and engaging gameplay experience with a variety of activities, including character customization, mini-games, and social interactions.
  • The game features a vibrant and colorful art style, appealing to both new players and fans of the original MapleStory.
  • The combat system is fluid and enjoyable, allowing players to easily pick up and play while still providing depth for those who want to master their classes.
  • The game suffers from significant pay-to-win mechanics, with many essential features and cosmetics locked behind a paywall, leading to frustration among players.
  • There are numerous limitations on gameplay, including caps on dungeon runs and resource gathering, which can hinder progression and enjoyment.
  • The story and questing experience can feel lackluster and repetitive, with many players finding the main quest line uninteresting and the overall narrative weak.
  • story146 mentions

    The story of MapleStory 2 has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its lack of depth and engaging narrative compared to the original MapleStory. While some appreciate the streamlined questing system and cute aesthetics, others criticize the story as bland, juvenile, and overly linear, often feeling like a mere backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling experience. Overall, the narrative is seen as a missed opportunity, with many players expressing hope for a more robust story in future iterations.

    • “The story was enjoyable to read and I really enjoyed playing as a priest.”
    • “The storyline for the main quest, and most of the world quests can read as very juvenile, but it's totally supposed to be.”
    • “I'm really enjoying the story and exploring everywhere I go.”
    • “A major problem with Maplestory 2 is that this game does not feel like Maplestory at all.”
    • “The game is fun, but the story seems very lackluster, especially when there are a ton of cutscenes and no voice acting in them at all; they do a bunch of work to make the cutscenes and then just add subtitles.”
    • “Silly storylines with no meaning and terrible writing slapped together because 'screw you, we don't have to make a good story cause we're Maplestory!' It's a lot of backtracking to the same places over and over, with overly tone-deaf lines during supposedly serious moments.”
  • gameplay44 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is generally described as fluid, fun, and engaging, with a mix of interesting mechanics and social interaction that can be addictive. However, players express frustration over pay-to-win elements, restrictive gameplay limits, and a lack of meaningful endgame content, which can lead to a grind and diminish long-term enjoyment. While the game offers a beginner-friendly experience with polished combat, many feel that its monetization practices and gameplay restrictions detract from its overall potential.

    • “The gameplay is extremely simple, fun, cute, and addictive.”
    • “Gameplay surprised me with how fluid and polished it is, having a satisfying pace with a very mobile action combat style and zones that aren’t stupidly flat and wide like in other games.”
    • “The depth for each skill, the homebuilding, decorating, and minigames keep you entertained no matter what kind of gameplay you want at any given moment.”
    • “While I'm willing to excuse the underdeveloped world as it being a much newer game, what I can't excuse is the pay-to-win mechanics, unpopular gameplay restrictions like a 30 dungeon per week limiter, and other issues that Nexon America offloaded into the game to turn a quick buck.”
    • “These mechanics and the game's community bred an environment where if you do not have perfect gear and an extremely high gear score, you literally will never be able to run content.”
    • “And it just completely squandered it with the abhorrent business model, the complete lack of interesting long-term gameplay, and the caps on everything.”
  • grinding40 mentions

    The game's grinding mechanics are a mixed bag, with many players acknowledging the grind as a core aspect of the experience, often leading to hours of repetitive dungeon runs and gear farming. While some find enjoyment in the grind and appreciate the social elements and various activities to break it up, others criticize it for being tedious and overly reliant on RNG, particularly at endgame. Overall, the grind is seen as both a source of entertainment and frustration, depending on individual player preferences.

    • “It's super grindy and would have been more playable if not the inability to gear alts using your main.”
    • “You'll be grinding one dungeon, Tronix Bunker, until you get a sufficient amount of purple (epic) drops to hit 2100 gear score, which will permit access into the game's real dungeons.”
    • “It is a tedious and asinine process to find and get the right gear with the right statistics all in a highly random and constricted system designed to hold players back as much as possible.”
  • music30 mentions

    The music aspect of the game is highly praised for its creative freedom, allowing players to compose and perform their own music using various instruments and a programming language for music (MML). While the in-game soundtrack is considered average, the ability to import custom music and the nostalgic feel of classic tunes enhance the overall experience. However, some players express frustration with the limitations on song usage and the quality of music created by others in the game.

    • “The music system in the game is well made and fun to mess around with.”
    • “You can even import your own music using MML (basically a programming language for music) and play them on your instruments.”
    • “You can purchase instruments and perform music either by using your keyboard to play the music by hand, or creating a MIDI-sheet MML file and making a sick cover of songs.”
    • “People play some horrible music with their instruments (turn that BS off!)”
    • “The in-game music is okay, nothing special once again, but the player music?”
    • “However, you have to pay for each time you play your songs a particular number of times, so it's not something you can just tinker with for free which I feel will put some players off considering that the note limit of 3000 is actually quite low, with a cost of 20k mesos for 10 uses of the song.”
  • graphics27 mentions

    The graphics of the game evoke a mixed response, with some players appreciating the unique, cartoony art style reminiscent of voxel-based games like Minecraft, while others find it off-putting and "childish." Despite the initial hesitation, many users eventually embrace the visuals, noting that they complement the gameplay and character customization options. Overall, the graphics are described as charming and well-executed, though they may not appeal to everyone.

    • “I really love the art style they went for in MapleStory 2; it's unique to the IP.”
    • “The graphics are unique and adorable, and I'm eager to see how far this MMO goes.”
    • “Although the graphics are somewhat square, the smoothed edges and the entire art style make me really enjoy every minute I am in the game.”
    • “The visuals make it look like a wannabe Minecraft clone, and while it certainly has great character and house customization, it falls flat in many other areas.”
    • “The graphics and the pixel block design were a big turn off for me - it took me around 2 hours to get into the game and embrace the art style.”
    • “A lot of people dislike the game because of its 'childish' graphics; well, let me tell you something folks, this game is so awesome the gameplay is amazing.”
  • monetization5 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized due to rampant bot activity and spam advertising, which detracts from the overall experience. However, some players appreciate specific features like the designer shop, indicating that there are elements of monetization that could enhance gameplay if managed properly.

    • “As long as they don't ruin the monetization, this is a game I could see myself playing a lot!”
    • “While I'm talking about the microtransactions, there is this one little feature that I love, which is called the designer shop.”
    • “Do you like bots allowed to run so rampantly that they literally have a huge house in the busiest city on the server advertising their website on its walls and it doesn't get taken down for a week?”
    • “Plagued with bots, spam, spam ads, spam ad housing lots, and immature guild spam recruiting in world troll chat.”
    • “This is mainly used for advertising; let's say you've listed something on the black market and want it sold.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as cute and funny, with a mix of charming and potentially cringe-worthy storytelling that can be entertaining in a "so bad it's hilarious" way. Players appreciate the cartoony aesthetic and find the gameplay enjoyable, though some note technical issues reminiscent of Minecraft. Overall, the humor contributes to the game's addictive nature and fun experience.

    • “Cute, funny game, addictive as well, exploring, building your own house, nice story, plenty of side quests, create your own music with any instruments and more :)”
    • “My friends and I can't tell if the story is one of those 'so bad it's hilarious' cases, or just straight up painful.”
    • “It's cartoony, it's fun, it's funny.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering and low frame rates, even on capable hardware. Despite the introduction of a 64-bit client, many users have experienced worsened performance, leading to frustration over the game's outdated optimization practices.

    • “They just released the 64-bit client, but it made the performance even lower than it was before. In empty zones while questing, I reach a maximum of 15 FPS with all my settings on the lowest they can be. I've adjusted all my settings for the game outside of the game, like in the NVIDIA control panel, and I have up-to-date drivers.”
    • “I hope your PC processor has at least one core, because that's both the minimum and the maximum this unoptimized, prehistoric pile of RNG utilizes.”
    • “Bad optimization; I'm running a Ryzen build with DDR4 RAM and a 1050 Ti OC, and I'm still experiencing stuttering and lag.”
    • “They just released the 64-bit client, but it made the performance even lower than it was before. In empty zones while questing, I reach a maximum of 15 FPS with all my settings on the lowest possible. I've adjusted all my settings for the game outside of the game, like in the NVIDIA control panel, and I have up-to-date drivers.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Players find the game's replayability somewhat hindered by grindy mechanics and the inability to gear alternate characters using their main. However, after extensive playtime, many still enjoy the experience, especially with anticipated quality-of-life updates and potential increases in dungeon cap, which could enhance the overall replay value.

    • “After 100 hours of playtime, the game continues to be fun with more quality of life changes on the way. Hopefully, the dungeon cap increase will enhance the replayability of dungeons, as the current drop rates are a bit harsh. Bravo, MS2! I have another game to invest my time in! <3”
    • “The variety of character builds and playstyles keeps me coming back for more. Each run feels fresh and exciting!”
    • “With the constant updates and new content, there's always something new to explore, making replayability a strong point of the game.”
    • “After 100 hours of playtime, the game continues to be fun, but the replayability of dungeons is hindered by harsh drop rates. I hope the upcoming dungeon cap increase will improve this aspect.”
    • “The lack of variety in missions makes it hard to stay engaged after the initial playthrough. Once you've seen everything, there's little incentive to return.”
    • “While the game has a lot of content, the repetitive nature of quests and limited endgame activities significantly reduce its replayability.”
  • character development1 mentions

    The character development in the game is enriched by a diverse array of monsters and character designs carried over from the first installment, enhancing the overall depth and familiarity for players.

  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the Heavy Gunner class, highlighting its exceptional design and impact, which evokes feelings of joy and nostalgia. In contrast, the Archer class is perceived as satisfactory but does not elicit the same depth of emotion.

    • “The heavy gunner makes me want to cry because of how good the class is.”
    • “Archer is alright, but the emotional depth of the heavy gunner class really resonates with me.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Play time

84hMedian play time
305hAverage play time
23-900hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 7 analyzed playthroughs

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