NosTale

About

NosTale is a single player and multiplayer open world hack and slash game with fantasy, anime and erotic themes. It was developed by Entwell Co., Ltd. and was released on September 18, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

NosTale is a free-to-play anime action MMORPG which takes you on an exciting journey through a world full of mystery with your friends.

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 684 reviews

story12 positive mentions

grinding51 negative mentions

Nostalgic charm with cute anime-style graphics and a unique pet system that engages players.
Deep class specialization system through specialist cards offering diverse playstyles and strategies.
Strong community aspects when playing with friends or joining families, making social gameplay rewarding.

Highly grindy gameplay with long time investments required, especially in late game content.
Heavy pay-to-win elements with important game progression and best gear mostly accessible via real money transactions.
Outdated graphics, clunky interface, and poorly explained or lacking tutorials especially hard for new players to understand.

story
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
77%
9%
The story in this game is generally seen as repetitive, confusing, and poorly guided, with many quests involving tedious fetch tasks, unclear objectives, and excessive backtracking that detracts from gameplay enjoyment. While some users find a somewhat engaging storyline in early acts, many criticize broken or meaningless quests and lack of direction, making progression frustrating. Overall, the narrative is average at best, with a mix of nostalgia for some but significant design flaws and lack of clarity hindering the storytelling experience.
- “The storyline is captivating, and the graphics are stunning.”
- “It also has a very nice and well-developed story that lasted until about act 6.”
- “Although it may not seem like it, the first three acts have a fairly nice story.”
- “For those that want to give it a shot because nothing else is fun to play anymore, look somewhere else. The game has broken quests throughout your journey, and you can't abandon main quests. I got stuck on one that literally makes you kill a lot of underworld wolves, then it gave me the next quest and had me go into the time space, and it says I don't have the required amount of seeds. It happened on 10 quests up to this point. I am level 34, and the quest I am on is level 25, so you do the math. You can only kill so much before it becomes overbearing and boring. So I don't recommend this game; I won't recommend it ever in the future, even if you fix it after years of making money off the community. I still won't be coming back. This game is poorly designed and broken; it should have been closed down years ago!”
- “Missions suck in general. It is either go there and kill that, pick that up, give it to someone, go back, do the time space and repeat. The story is not that interesting either, nothing to be added.”
- “The start of the game is very bad. Moving with the mouse up makes you go to the left and so on; it doesn't walk in diagonal direction. The quests at the start don't tell you anything; they just draw a random spot on the map, and you have to look around for it for several minutes since the mini map has no markers at all. It does not have auto tracking for quests, and it's a total bother to have to be going back and forth to town to switch out the pets.”
gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
70%
8%
The gameplay in this MMORPG is generally considered outdated, grind-heavy, and repetitive, with clunky mechanics and slow progression that can deter new players. While it offers some interesting late-game raid mechanics, unique dungeon elements, and character customization, its pay-to-win aspects, poorly explained systems, and unbalanced PvP limit accessibility and enjoyment. Overall, it has a nostalgic charm but lacks innovation compared to genre leaders.
- “The gameplay mechanics are smooth and enjoyable.”
- “Very very deep and complex fight mechanics.”
- “Has unique gameplay elements and a nice addition of pets and partners.”
- “Grindy gameplay loop offers little reward for significant time investment.”
- “And that's after slogging through the clunky mechanics, boring combat, and molasses slow progression.”
- “The early quests constantly send you back and forth across long distances, but in a way that adds nothing to the gameplay.”
grinding
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
Grinding in the game is intense and time-consuming, often requiring hundreds to thousands of hours to progress, especially in the endgame, which is considered tedious and repetitive. While some players find the grind nostalgic and relaxing, many criticize the game for its heavy reliance on grinding coupled with pay-to-win elements, botting, and an unbalanced economy that detracts from meaningful progression. Overall, grinding is a core, yet polarizing aspect, making the game appealing mostly to those who enjoy extensive farming and can tolerate its grind-heavy design.
- “Grindy gameplay loop offers little reward for significant time investment.”
- “The late game will never really be reached by the majority of the player-base and unless you are willing to put in thousands of hours grinding, you will miss most of what this game has to offer.”
- “Even if you do the things stated before, progress in this game takes ages and you literally achieve nothing meaningful in this grindy game.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated, with simplistic and clunky visuals that reflect its age, though its nostalgic anime-inspired art style still appeals to some players. While some updates show inconsistency in visual quality, the overall charm and cute aesthetic remain appreciated despite a lack of modern polish. Many note that the graphics hold nostalgic value but could benefit from improvements to meet contemporary standards.
- “The storyline is captivating, and the graphics are stunning.”
- “Despite being from 2006, the art style still holds up today.”
- “The graphics are great, the gameplay to me is fantastic, it's just a great MMO overall.”
- “Visuals are dated and the user interface is clunky.”
- “A generic MMO, with outdated combat and gameplay mechanics (very grindy, repetitive, overall just tedious), dated graphics (the artstyle is somewhat charming, but also simplistic), and a very expensive cash shop full of pay-to-win content.”
- “New updates look like graphics from another game.. if you compare the look of first items with last items, you will notice the difference and how not pleasing to the eye it is.”
monetization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
37%
45%
The game's monetization heavily relies on microtransactions, leading to a pay-to-win experience with progression often locked behind spending money. While it was more balanced in earlier years, recent updates have intensified the cash grab, making the game feel overly commercialized and frustrating for free-to-play users.
- “Expect repetitive quests and a reliance on microtransactions to progress at a reasonable pace.”
- “This isn't really free as the game is infested with mobile app store like microtransactions.”
- “Too much microtransactions to even start playing the game and even worse later in the 'adventure', highly off-putting part of the game, without the need to spend money, everything else is bearable/manageable and can be enjoyable.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The music in the game is widely praised as its strongest feature, with many describing it as calming, charming, and memorable. However, some note that the soundtrack can be repetitive and occasionally mismatched with the game's environments. Overall, the soundtrack significantly enhances the player experience despite minor issues.
- “With a soundtrack that pretty much tells all the other MMO soundtracks to step aside.”
- “Music is the best part of NosTale, hands down the best part of the whole game, no issues here.”
- “The only good thing about this game is the music; very calming.”
- “The localization in the opening movie is mistranslated, setting the tone for the game; and the opening track of the music doesn't fit the environment.”
- “Music is always the same.”
- “If you don't, well, the first few levels will tell you most you will experience and also get the music stuck in your head.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is appreciated for its nostalgic, old-school MMO charm and funny anime-style graphics, providing lighthearted entertainment. However, some players feel the humor alone may not justify investing significant time compared to other options. Overall, the humor contributes to a fun and quirky experience.
- “I'm playing this game since beta. It's a pretty funny game. ;)”
- “Funny anime style graphics.”
- “It's a funny old school MMO.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's 2D sprites and isometric view create a nostalgic, cozy atmosphere reminiscent of classic online games, which many players find charming. However, some newcomers feel the atmosphere is unwelcoming, leading to a less enjoyable experience for them. Overall, the cute graphics and familiar style contribute strongly to its distinctive ambiance.
- “The 2D sprites and isometric view evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for classic online games, creating a cozy and familiar atmosphere.”
- “Playing it now when I'm twenty-one, all I can say is; this game gives me a very nostalgic atmosphere.”
- “Cute graphics and cool atmosphere.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The replayability of the game may be limited for experienced or nostalgic players, as it might not hold the same appeal over time. However, this perception can vary based on individual expectations and familiarity with the game.