Erenshor brings the classic MMO feeling to Steam: without online pressure, subscription costs or time pressure, but with a vibrant offline world.
Those who can’t be online all the time in MMOs miss events and daily quests, fall behind in level, or see their guild slowly pass them by. But a new game on Steam is aimed precisely against all this pressure: Erenshor (to the game on Steam) promises the full MMO feeling, even without human players.
MMO yes, multiplayer no
What sounds contradictory at first glance makes a surprising amount of sense in the game. Erenshor feels like a typical old-school MMO: you grind mobs, loot dungeons, hunt for epic loot and level up through a medieval fantasy world full of quests.
Instead of real players, you’ll meet so-called SimPlayers: These AI-controlled characters behave like human players: they found guilds, invite you to adventures, trade with you and even remember previous encounters. And they even continue to level up independently, even when you’re taking a break.
Erenshor automatically dispenses with many modern MMO mechanics: no battle passes, no subscription fees, no in-game shops, no online requirement
At launch, you can expect four classes, over 35 handcrafted zones, hundreds of items, crafting and fishing. The estimated playtime is between 80 and 130 hours – a decent amount for an early access project.
Solo developer Burgee Media, who has been working on his game for four years, promises that anyone who used to play EverQuest, Runescape or Dark Age of Camelot should feel right at home in Erenshor.
Players love the concept
With a current 94% positive rating on SteamErenshor has been extremely well received by the community. Many praise in particular how consistently the game concept has been implemented:
No FOMO, no pressure, just play without having to keep up with the progress of others[…] – while
The impression is reflected in many reviews: the world seems alive, the SimPlayers convey a real MMO atmosphere:
Erenshor is the definition of a labor of love. A single developer wanted to capture the magic of the old MMOs. […] There are other players in chat and in the world, equipment progression, professions.
It’s an exciting and honest experience – the developer has earned every penny for this game. – Edonh
For user James, the game feels like traveling back in time to the era of Final Fantasy 11, complete with cumbersome controls:
Quests consist of instructions instead of markers, there is no minimap, no clear direction or order – and the danger of dying at any time is very real.
Battles and controls are bulky, and the game as a whole has this find out for yourself
mentality.
I’m a veteran of this era and love it so far. – James
If you’re one of those people who wants to experience the MMO feeling again with quests, dungeons, and raids, but have absolutely no time for a real MMO and no desire to pay subscription fees, then Erenshor might be worth a look.
There’s also a demo on Steam where you can try out the first few hours of the game and all the main systems for free.
