Forging a name for yourself in the MMO space is a tough challenge, and Pax Dei is the latest game to face up to it. The MMO RPG has launched into Early Access on Steam today (June 18).
While it is inevitable any new MMO will be compared to the big names on the scene (World of Warcraft currently has a beta open for its next expansion, Destiny 2’s expansion The Final Shape just barely missed setting a player count record on its release day, and The Elder Scrolls Online is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a huge free trial), Pax Dei is deliberately trying to differentiate itself from the big names.
In a post on the game’s Steam page last week, developers Mainframe Industries went into some detail to explain how they see their game as sitting apart from other MMOs currently on offer.
They have outlined three core elements to the gameplay of Pax Dei – Homestead, where players mostly peacefully build their homes; Adventure, where players engage in combat to earn rare rewards; and Civilization, where large numbers of players work together to achieve common goals such as massive building projects.
“Pax Dei is not a theme park MMO,” says the post. “We do not have NPCs with yellow exclamation marks telling you they’ve lost a daughter in the woods. There is no linear, scripted gameplay that forces players into fixed group sizes or private instanced dungeons.
“Zones and gear are not gated behind minimum-level requirements. There are great games out there that do this, but this is not what Pax Dei is about. In Pax Dei, the world itself is a mystery. Nobody holds your hand, and you can venture as deep as you want – at your own peril.”
Pax Dei is also not a medieval simulation, although it is inspired by mythology and superstitions of the Middle Ages. It is set in a purely fictional world with “myths, miracles, and monsters.” And, while it may look like a survival game, it very much is not. There are no true survival mechanics such as needing to eat or sleep.
The developers also underlined that Pax Dei will be a slower-paced game than many MMO players will be used to. “We want Pax Dei to become a living shared world that can give you thousands of hours of joy, alone or with friends (old or new), at your chosen pace.”
Featured image credit: Mainframe Industries
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