I don't know for how long this trial has been available, but I just recently discovered it. And I always wanted to test this game because of its combat system and live events.
In the title its called a short review. That's because I didn't play the full 14 days, but only 5 days because, for me, Matrix Online is not something you can play for long and because the Warhammer Online Open Beta started (review pending).
I doubt that anyone here doesn't know what the Matrix is about, still I give a small recap. In the Matrix the world we know is just a computer simulation into which our brains are hooked into by machines which need out bodies for energy. But some people notice that there is something wrong in the world and can be rescued from it. And when you know that the world is a simulation, then you can bend the rules like jumping farther and other things like that. Not to mention that you can simply load knowledge into your brain when needed. The machines are also active in the Matrix with programs called agents who look like the typical faceless government/CIA person, are nearly unbeatable and hunt down awakened people.
The first step in this game is creating a own avatar, called RSI or redpill. At first you see the world from the eyes of a hovercraft crew who scan an area for a potential redpill to be rescued. Here you can select your appearance. The choices are fairly extensive and the random function also delivers good result, although you nearly always end up with a look which you would likely associate with a gang member or other low life. Next you have to select a background which increases one of your stats and decreases another one. Here most beginners, even if they have experience with other MMOs, will have no idea what they should do. As you play a virtual character inside the Matrix having for example a strength score wouldn't make much sense. That's why the attributes in Matrix Online are called things like believe or reason which doesn't really explain what they do and they do quite a lot. So you likely either look at a guide or select one at random, only to later notice that its not what you wanted.
After that you are finished with creating your character. You likely have noticed that you didn't select a class. That's because there are no classes in Matrix Online. All advancement is done by purchasing and upgrading abilities and the ability trees branch in a large number of ways. The interesting thing is that the abilities, once purchased, are not permanent like in other MMOs. Instead you can simply unload an ability and load a different one if you want. And you don't loose the ability you just unloaded. It stays in storage and you can get it again if you want. That means that you can change your specialization whenever you want. Tired of being a spy? Simply switch out your spy abilities with hacker ones (hacker are the casters). You just need enough money (which, in this game come in the form of information) to keep all the skills you want to use upgraded so they stay effective. You won't be a good hacker when, at level 50, all of your hacker abilities are just level 10.
You can also mix the abilities however you want. The only limit is the amount of abilities you can have loaded at once, and that limit increases with your level.
The first thing you notice when you are in the game is the graphics. And in my opinion they are average. They can look very pretty when you want, but when you play normally you likely won't have the settings this high up. You simply see that this game is already rather old and the graphic can't compare with new titles. Especially the environment is boring. Also it will glitch very often which means looking very low detail, nearly one coloured, or people and items have a chainmail like texture.
One of the next things you will notice it the camera, which is not very good. It takes a bit to turn the camera around the see what is behind you. That makes entering new rooms a bit awkward as when the enemy stays close to the door he gets one or two free shots at you till you turned the camera and selected him. You will also have problems spotting clickable objects. That's because they meld into the scenery and you will never know if this wooden box is really a container or just some object to make the room look not so sterile as they look both the same. You can display all clickable objects with the "V" key for a few seconds. But that display takes the form of a huge yellow circle which isn't really decent and constantly pressing "V" isn't fun either. Sooner or later you will simply stop looking for lootable boxes instead.
Now for the gameplay itself. If you are familiar with City of Heroes you will see a lot of similarities. Walking is like in any other MMO and jumping is a bit awkward as you have to walk right into the obstacle in order to have a chance to jump over it as otherwise the game doesn't recognize the obstacle and just has your character jump straight into the air.
The primary way of playing this game is doing missions. That works like in City of Heroes. You call your questgiver (or speak to him directly) and he gives you a mission inside a building. And while there is a wide range of missions like assassinations, stealing objects or escorting people most missions require you to go in and kill all enemies. The only difference is that some missions require you to also go into a second building or to escort a NPC.
Other than in City of Heroes is, that the buildings are not instances. You are still part of the normal game world so other players might cross your way while you do this missions. Keep that in mind when you play on a PvP server. The layout of the building is randomly selected from a stock of layouts. And what is selected is in no way related to the mission, meaning you can be tasked to kill 2 enemies in a 20 room skyscraper or might be confronted by 6 enemies in a two room apartment.
Later, when you are higher level, you can get a group and go into a construct. The constructs are the instances in Matrix Online, complete with good loot, bosses and everything. I can't give further informations about them as I never was in one.
And if you come from Korea you can simply grind. Spread across the map there are collectors which trade trinkets the local monsters drop for other, useful items. And depending on the mob the trinkets can have a very low drop rate. Strangely the mobs in the starter area seem to drop their trinkets much less than later mobs, making it very frustrating for new players to complete the trades in his area. Especially as new players are send from collector to collector, all requiring piles of the same, rare drop.
Now, to get those trinkets you have to do combat. I said in the beginning that I wanted to try out the combat system. Sadly the game got a combat revamp by now so the combat was not what I expected, but it was still different than in other MMOs. Although that doesn't necessarily have to be a good thing.
There are two modes of combat. Free combat and interlocks. In free combat you can still move freely and you and the enemy shoot at each other with guns. And while you can still move, the combat is still static, as every time you shoot your character stops and does his firing sequence which can't be interrupted by you. So it is more a stop and go than a free combat.
The other form of combat is the interlock. You and and a single enemy go into locked combat where you can't move anymore on your own. Instead the combat rolls of you and the enemy get compared and either one of you, both or none of you hit. And depending on who hits and which combat style and mode each of the combatants use, a different sequence is played which can include movement. This makes it very hard to see what actually happens at first, but you can only watch at the rings under each combatants feet to see who hits whom. And soon you will have memorized all combat sequences anyway as they repeat over and over again.
No matter which combat you use, you can choose between four different modes. Fast, giving you a higher accuracy and reduced your defences, strong, with lower accuracy and more damage, grab, higher defences and lower damage and block which increases your defences and regenerates you "mana" at the cost of not attacking at all. When you use a gun the names for the modes are different, but the effects are the same.
The combat revamp also left some abilities with no use like multi-combat which isn't possible to do anymore.
So far this game is just a repetitive grind without much content and boring graphic. What redeems it a bit, but not completely, is the story. The game tries to stay true to the Matrix lore and incorporates the story of the three movies into the game. The game itself is set after the last Matrix movie. Humans and Machines have formed a truce which allows a limited number of people to be rescued. And in the tutorial you have the same choice Neo had. Either take the red pill and become aware of the Matrix or take the blue pill and continue to live in an illusion. For the record, I took the red pill and have no idea what happens when you take the blue one.
So far this is just nice, but not exceptional. What Matrix Online does do better than all other MMOs is, that the storyline is continuously evolving with live events and missions not through paid add-ons. Every weekend there is some live event in the game. Either the game advances to a new chapter or subchapter or a tournament or other event will take place. You will also meet dev-controlled famous matrix characters like Niobe, Ghost or Morpheus there.
And if you missed the story, you can replay the story missions of all sides if you want.
Currently the Story is in the eleventh chapter. Things which have happened so far include Morpheus going rogue to force the machines to give Neos remains to Zion, unknown programs appearing in the Matrix causing havoc or the Machines renouncing the truce because the humans have secretly build a new, heavily fortified, city in the real world. The players can even become an official part of the storyline.
Of course there are some downsides. The story is similar to DragonballZ, where a super strong enemy is replaced by a even stronger enemy over and over again. Also the effort going into the story has constantly declined. At the beginning there were full in game movies at the beginning of each subchapter. Soon, they got replaced by unanimated, hand drawn black and white comics and now have been stopped altogether and replaced by a simple newspaper page. I also don't know if there are still contests between the factions while doing these events which influence th story. Still, as long as the story goes on this is a big advantage over other MMOs which have a static game world.
Speaking of factions, there are three different factions in the game you can join. Humans, represented by Zion, the Machines and exile programs represented by Merowinger. Both Zion and the Machines also have a sub-organization. PvP between the factions is consensual or happens in arenas, although a full PvP server exists.
Grouping, especially for PvP is advised and required for live events, but the normal game can be played solo.
While the idea of a continuous story is a big plus for the game, it can't hide that there isn't much content. Also what content there is, is very repetitive and becomes boring soon. Maybe you get more to do when you reach the maximum level, although I doubt that the game is more than a glorified chatroom unless a new live event happens.
In the title its called a short review. That's because I didn't play the full 14 days, but only 5 days because, for me, Matrix Online is not something you can play for long and because the Warhammer Online Open Beta started (review pending).
I doubt that anyone here doesn't know what the Matrix is about, still I give a small recap. In the Matrix the world we know is just a computer simulation into which our brains are hooked into by machines which need out bodies for energy. But some people notice that there is something wrong in the world and can be rescued from it. And when you know that the world is a simulation, then you can bend the rules like jumping farther and other things like that. Not to mention that you can simply load knowledge into your brain when needed. The machines are also active in the Matrix with programs called agents who look like the typical faceless government/CIA person, are nearly unbeatable and hunt down awakened people.
The first step in this game is creating a own avatar, called RSI or redpill. At first you see the world from the eyes of a hovercraft crew who scan an area for a potential redpill to be rescued. Here you can select your appearance. The choices are fairly extensive and the random function also delivers good result, although you nearly always end up with a look which you would likely associate with a gang member or other low life. Next you have to select a background which increases one of your stats and decreases another one. Here most beginners, even if they have experience with other MMOs, will have no idea what they should do. As you play a virtual character inside the Matrix having for example a strength score wouldn't make much sense. That's why the attributes in Matrix Online are called things like believe or reason which doesn't really explain what they do and they do quite a lot. So you likely either look at a guide or select one at random, only to later notice that its not what you wanted.
After that you are finished with creating your character. You likely have noticed that you didn't select a class. That's because there are no classes in Matrix Online. All advancement is done by purchasing and upgrading abilities and the ability trees branch in a large number of ways. The interesting thing is that the abilities, once purchased, are not permanent like in other MMOs. Instead you can simply unload an ability and load a different one if you want. And you don't loose the ability you just unloaded. It stays in storage and you can get it again if you want. That means that you can change your specialization whenever you want. Tired of being a spy? Simply switch out your spy abilities with hacker ones (hacker are the casters). You just need enough money (which, in this game come in the form of information) to keep all the skills you want to use upgraded so they stay effective. You won't be a good hacker when, at level 50, all of your hacker abilities are just level 10.
You can also mix the abilities however you want. The only limit is the amount of abilities you can have loaded at once, and that limit increases with your level.
The first thing you notice when you are in the game is the graphics. And in my opinion they are average. They can look very pretty when you want, but when you play normally you likely won't have the settings this high up. You simply see that this game is already rather old and the graphic can't compare with new titles. Especially the environment is boring. Also it will glitch very often which means looking very low detail, nearly one coloured, or people and items have a chainmail like texture.
One of the next things you will notice it the camera, which is not very good. It takes a bit to turn the camera around the see what is behind you. That makes entering new rooms a bit awkward as when the enemy stays close to the door he gets one or two free shots at you till you turned the camera and selected him. You will also have problems spotting clickable objects. That's because they meld into the scenery and you will never know if this wooden box is really a container or just some object to make the room look not so sterile as they look both the same. You can display all clickable objects with the "V" key for a few seconds. But that display takes the form of a huge yellow circle which isn't really decent and constantly pressing "V" isn't fun either. Sooner or later you will simply stop looking for lootable boxes instead.
Now for the gameplay itself. If you are familiar with City of Heroes you will see a lot of similarities. Walking is like in any other MMO and jumping is a bit awkward as you have to walk right into the obstacle in order to have a chance to jump over it as otherwise the game doesn't recognize the obstacle and just has your character jump straight into the air.
The primary way of playing this game is doing missions. That works like in City of Heroes. You call your questgiver (or speak to him directly) and he gives you a mission inside a building. And while there is a wide range of missions like assassinations, stealing objects or escorting people most missions require you to go in and kill all enemies. The only difference is that some missions require you to also go into a second building or to escort a NPC.
Other than in City of Heroes is, that the buildings are not instances. You are still part of the normal game world so other players might cross your way while you do this missions. Keep that in mind when you play on a PvP server. The layout of the building is randomly selected from a stock of layouts. And what is selected is in no way related to the mission, meaning you can be tasked to kill 2 enemies in a 20 room skyscraper or might be confronted by 6 enemies in a two room apartment.
Later, when you are higher level, you can get a group and go into a construct. The constructs are the instances in Matrix Online, complete with good loot, bosses and everything. I can't give further informations about them as I never was in one.
And if you come from Korea you can simply grind. Spread across the map there are collectors which trade trinkets the local monsters drop for other, useful items. And depending on the mob the trinkets can have a very low drop rate. Strangely the mobs in the starter area seem to drop their trinkets much less than later mobs, making it very frustrating for new players to complete the trades in his area. Especially as new players are send from collector to collector, all requiring piles of the same, rare drop.
Now, to get those trinkets you have to do combat. I said in the beginning that I wanted to try out the combat system. Sadly the game got a combat revamp by now so the combat was not what I expected, but it was still different than in other MMOs. Although that doesn't necessarily have to be a good thing.
There are two modes of combat. Free combat and interlocks. In free combat you can still move freely and you and the enemy shoot at each other with guns. And while you can still move, the combat is still static, as every time you shoot your character stops and does his firing sequence which can't be interrupted by you. So it is more a stop and go than a free combat.
The other form of combat is the interlock. You and and a single enemy go into locked combat where you can't move anymore on your own. Instead the combat rolls of you and the enemy get compared and either one of you, both or none of you hit. And depending on who hits and which combat style and mode each of the combatants use, a different sequence is played which can include movement. This makes it very hard to see what actually happens at first, but you can only watch at the rings under each combatants feet to see who hits whom. And soon you will have memorized all combat sequences anyway as they repeat over and over again.
No matter which combat you use, you can choose between four different modes. Fast, giving you a higher accuracy and reduced your defences, strong, with lower accuracy and more damage, grab, higher defences and lower damage and block which increases your defences and regenerates you "mana" at the cost of not attacking at all. When you use a gun the names for the modes are different, but the effects are the same.
The combat revamp also left some abilities with no use like multi-combat which isn't possible to do anymore.
So far this game is just a repetitive grind without much content and boring graphic. What redeems it a bit, but not completely, is the story. The game tries to stay true to the Matrix lore and incorporates the story of the three movies into the game. The game itself is set after the last Matrix movie. Humans and Machines have formed a truce which allows a limited number of people to be rescued. And in the tutorial you have the same choice Neo had. Either take the red pill and become aware of the Matrix or take the blue pill and continue to live in an illusion. For the record, I took the red pill and have no idea what happens when you take the blue one.
So far this is just nice, but not exceptional. What Matrix Online does do better than all other MMOs is, that the storyline is continuously evolving with live events and missions not through paid add-ons. Every weekend there is some live event in the game. Either the game advances to a new chapter or subchapter or a tournament or other event will take place. You will also meet dev-controlled famous matrix characters like Niobe, Ghost or Morpheus there.
And if you missed the story, you can replay the story missions of all sides if you want.
Currently the Story is in the eleventh chapter. Things which have happened so far include Morpheus going rogue to force the machines to give Neos remains to Zion, unknown programs appearing in the Matrix causing havoc or the Machines renouncing the truce because the humans have secretly build a new, heavily fortified, city in the real world. The players can even become an official part of the storyline.
Of course there are some downsides. The story is similar to DragonballZ, where a super strong enemy is replaced by a even stronger enemy over and over again. Also the effort going into the story has constantly declined. At the beginning there were full in game movies at the beginning of each subchapter. Soon, they got replaced by unanimated, hand drawn black and white comics and now have been stopped altogether and replaced by a simple newspaper page. I also don't know if there are still contests between the factions while doing these events which influence th story. Still, as long as the story goes on this is a big advantage over other MMOs which have a static game world.
Speaking of factions, there are three different factions in the game you can join. Humans, represented by Zion, the Machines and exile programs represented by Merowinger. Both Zion and the Machines also have a sub-organization. PvP between the factions is consensual or happens in arenas, although a full PvP server exists.
Grouping, especially for PvP is advised and required for live events, but the normal game can be played solo.
While the idea of a continuous story is a big plus for the game, it can't hide that there isn't much content. Also what content there is, is very repetitive and becomes boring soon. Maybe you get more to do when you reach the maximum level, although I doubt that the game is more than a glorified chatroom unless a new live event happens.
