Most RPGs, and most MMORPGs especially, have long adhered to a popular series of narrative and gameplay tropes throughout the years: high-fantasy settings, epic storylines about good and evil, and gameplay loops centered around building up characters through battle. That’s what makes the indie title Book of Travels so interesting, as it eschews much of what gamers have come to associate with massively-multiplayer online games.
Following a successful Kickstarter last year, developer Might and Delight shared the first look at an early build of the game in action, highlighting much of what sets it apart from most MMOs. Described as a TMO, or “tiny multiplayer online,” RPG, Book of Travels will set players in a far more serene world than the kind seen in the likes of World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14, one that players will be free to explore without the quests and linear storylines that traditionally guide them through their adventure.
Another interesting change of pace is the game’s character creation system. Here, a character build is based less on classes and stats and more on things like background and personality, with players being able to choose various positive and negative traits that provide unique perks and impediments. Multiplayer will have its own unique twists as well, as players will only be able to communicate through symbols and emotes instead of more conventional voice-chat.
Add to that a leveling system based around the number of skill slots a player has, skills that players learn from the world’s characters, and combat that can have a “dramatic impact” on one’s character, and Book of Travels is shaping up nicely. While it’s still early days for the project, based on what’s been shown so far, it’s very much possible that the game, with its emphasis on wandering and role-playing over conflict and grinding, could end up offering one of the freshest MMO experiences in years.
Book of Travels is slated for an early access launch on PC in 2021.
Source: PC Gamer