The Adventurer's Domain Online
- January 26, 2023
- Unbalanced Equations
- 90h median play time
Get on Steam"The Adventurer's Domain Online" is a massively multiplayer role-playing game set in a vast, procedurally generated fantasy world. Players can create unique characters, embark on quests, and engage in real-time combat against mythical creatures. With an emphasis on player-driven economies, politics, and social systems, this game offers a rich and immersive online experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic old-school MMO experience with a classless skill system that allows for extensive character customization and exploration.
- The developers are actively engaged with the community, providing regular updates and responding to player feedback, which enhances the overall experience.
- The game features a rewarding exploration mechanic, with many secrets to discover and a sense of adventure that encourages players to find things on their own.
- The game suffers from significant performance issues, including lag spikes and stability problems, especially when using certain graphics settings.
- There is a lack of balance in gameplay, particularly in dungeons where respawn rates and boss health regeneration can make encounters frustratingly difficult.
- The game currently has a small player base, leading to issues with resource competition and a feeling of emptiness in the world, which can detract from the multiplayer experience.
- story34 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, with many players feeling that it is overshadowed by grindy gameplay and poorly designed quests. While there are elements of exploration and some engaging main quests, the overall narrative experience is marred by bugs, a lack of quest markers, and repetitive side quests that often lack context. Players express a desire for a more cohesive and meaningful storyline, as well as improvements in quest design and world navigation.
“There is a good feeling of exploration; it's not hand-holding or linear, but quest descriptions offer enough info for you to find your next objective within the story.”
“I was able to complete the main story quests and most of the obvious content in about 10 hours, but there's still plenty of side quests, hidden dungeons, bosses, and other stuff to find.”
“Looking forward to seeing it expand and enjoying the main story.”
“The typical story of the game has very little content, masquerading as 'very grindy/hardcore'.”
“It is a frustrating janky hot mess, with bugged sailing, no quest markers, no world map, and no skill descriptions.”
“Side quests feel very poorly designed; I disliked the game a lot when I saw how they were made. If it's a side quest, it should have its own story, not just 'bring me x3 fish' or 'x5 wood'.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising the promising new mechanics and enjoyable core loop, while others criticize its lack of polish and optimization issues. Many users note a medium-high learning curve, but once mastered, character progression can be achieved relatively quickly. Overall, while the game shows potential and offers fun and addictive elements, it suffers from frustrating mechanics and performance problems that detract from the experience.
“I am in love with the main gameplay loop.”
“The graphics, sounds, and gameplay were exactly what I was looking for.”
“Highly varied gameplay based on which skills you elect to use.”
“Besides basic gameplay problems that extend beyond the 'it's an EA title' excuse, the game was also not optimized.”
“The gameplay is ass and so is the navigation.”
“People may say 'oh but you didn't play enough!' yeah cause the base gameplay shouldn't feel like a god damn slog in order to get to any 'good parts'.”
- grinding20 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is heavily criticized for its excessive grinding, with players reporting that a significant portion of their playtime—up to 80%—is spent repetitively farming the same enemies to level up and gather resources. While some players enjoy the grind as part of the MMO experience, many find it tedious and frustrating, especially given the high level requirements and limited content. Overall, the grinding aspect is a major point of contention, with some players feeling it detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
“Lastly, the current endgame is a loop of farming the same mobs for ungodly amounts of time, ruining your good gear and doing daily events.”
“Grinding is one of the worst things in the game and you need lots of it; like 80% of your hours played will be killing the same enemy camp over and over to increase level because level requirements are insanely high.”
“Right now, the game is all about finding a place where you can farm thousands of mobs to gain barely anything but a small amount of experience that will eventually - after a few days of grinding - get you closer to the level 200 cap which was raised from 100 a few days ago to please those who spend their lives on the game.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game evoke a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of early 2000s titles, with a blend of modern visuals that some players find pleasing. However, opinions are mixed; while some appreciate the art style and overall aesthetic, others criticize the graphics for being outdated, poorly polished, and prone to performance issues, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, the graphics may appeal to fans of classic MMOs but may not satisfy those seeking cutting-edge visuals.
“The graphics are not for everyone, but overall very pleasing.”
“If you are of an age remembering Ultima Online, Europa, and the like (yes, I'm old and have been gaming for about 30+ years), with a sprinkling of the vibes from older ESO games - you will have a sense of nostalgia with 2000-style refined graphics and feel like playing those types with more modern-day visuals, controls, and a lovely world to explore.”
“I actually love the graphics style of this game.”
“Seems a decent game but graphics are prohibitively bad.”
“Graphics are ugly and animations are wonky.”
“Having to turn all my graphics settings to the lowest possible settings and still getting 40 fps when 10 other players are near me just isn't great.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report decent performance and fast load times, others experience significant issues, particularly on lower settings, which detracts from the gameplay experience. Despite these challenges, the game benefits from ongoing updates that address bugs and improve performance.
“No crashes, a couple of hitches when I've been online for hours, but fast load screens on area change and pretty decent performance otherwise.”
“Consistently adding new content, quality of life bug fixes, performance; this is a well-loved indie MMO with great systems that any RPG fan would love.”
“The game has a huge open world from what I can tell, and decent performance.”
“My problem was that it is not optimized; I could barely play it on the lowest settings, which ruined the experience.”
“Besides basic gameplay problems that extend beyond the 'it's an EA title' excuse, the game was also not optimized.”
“It's scarred by what seems to be poor optimization and a few small but annoying bugs.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is currently in early access and is characterized by numerous bugs and glitches, leading to a somewhat unstable experience. However, players find it enjoyable and engaging, appreciating its potential for improvement with future updates. Overall, while stability issues are prevalent, the fun gameplay and unique features keep players invested.
“I went into this game, not expecting much but perhaps a comical buggy mess.”
“Is a game where you're going to encounter many bugs and glitches, but the game itself is really fun to play. There is still a lot of new content not released yet, but the game gets better with each update. If you want to play a game that feels like Gothic or New World, then this is the game for you. Just know that it is not a full game yet, so be patient and let's all grow together with the game as it develops.”
“Game is really early, can be wonky and buggy, but it's a lot of fun and has tons of potential.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's monetization model heavily relies on a fully functional in-game shop that offers microtransactions, which contributed to some players' decisions to seek refunds.
“The in-game shop is well-designed, offering a variety of microtransactions that enhance the gaming experience without feeling forced.”
“I appreciate that the monetization model is fair, allowing players to enjoy the game without spending a dime if they choose.”
“The game strikes a great balance with its monetization, providing optional purchases that don't disrupt gameplay.”
“The decision to refund the game was solidified by a fully functional in-game shop where you could, of course, spend real money on microtransactions.”
“The monetization model feels exploitative, as it constantly pushes players to spend more money to enjoy basic features.”
“I was disappointed to find that many essential items are locked behind a paywall, making it hard to progress without spending real money.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a relaxing and ambient environment, enhanced by a dynamic day/night cycle and occasional weather changes like rain and storms, contributing to an immersive experience.
“The game creates a relaxing and ambient atmosphere, enhanced by a day/night cycle that feels immersive, along with occasional rain and storms.”
“The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, with a perfect blend of ambient sounds and visuals that draw you into the world.”
“Every moment in the game feels alive, thanks to the dynamic weather and beautifully crafted environments that create a captivating atmosphere.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users have reported that the game's music does not respect saved volume settings, resulting in it playing at maximum volume upon each login, which can be jarring and disruptive.
“The game's music volume doesn't take your saved volume settings into account and blasts at maximum volume every time you log in.”
“The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short while.”
“The music doesn't fit the game's atmosphere, often feeling out of place and distracting from the overall experience.”
