ZAM takes a look at the recently launched Wuxia MMO from Snail Games

However, it isn’t the combat or the questing that sets Age of Wushu as something worth delving into. It’s the sandbox. I can’t fully review the game after a couple of weeks’ play time because there is just so much to it. I have only scratched the surface of the trade skill system (pretty straightforward for any MMO player); though not inherently complicated there are a lot of options in whatever path you wish to follow.

I was walking through town and it took a moment or two to realize that one of the characters begging near me was actually a player, begging is a skill in the game. Jianghu VIP players (paid for with real money, of course) can become Divinators and tell the fortunes of players and bestow buffs upon them. Musicians who are VIPs can even play tunes that damage others nearby.

My path for Life Skills is more mundane as I am a blacksmith and miner. The best way to level up your crafting, particularly as there is a very strict daily cap on how far you can progress, is to take the daily missions available. The missions involve bringing a material to an apprentice for the harvesting skills or purchasing a book from the Life Shifu (tradeskill NPC) of your craft in order to make an item to turn in. Upon completion you will receive a letter that contains experience for your crafting skill.

Your Life Shifu also offers a minigame battle system which is a color matching puzzle game with a twist. Match up enough objects of the same color to empower your weapon reserves. You can then use special abilities to damage your opponent which are tied into your reserves. Get four or more in a row or a multitude of combos and you gain an extra turn.

In addition you can join a guild, build houses, declare war on other guilds, burn their buildings down, war with other schools,) attack and kill players at whim, be imprisoned for your awful acts and so much more.

A few friends and I whiled away the hours kidnapping unsuspecting characters recently. When you log off, your character becomes an NPC, taking on jobs from a variety of randomly selected options that will earn you experience and other perks. These NPC versions of players can be kidnapped. Hit them with some sleeping powder, bundle them into a black sack (I’m worried about what finding that animation amusing says about me) and drop them off at the nearest human trafficker to sell them.

Doing this makes you an obvious target, so don’t be surprised if the local goodie two shoes players start attacking you (“I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those pesky martial arts masters!”).

Frankly it’s impossible to fully review Age of Wushu so early on; not due to a lack of time playing the game but simply due to not getting to fully reach for its potential. Returning to the parallels with EVE, I feel like I am still floundering around in high-sec space when the real game is off in the dangerous badlands waiting to be explored.

The new player experience is flawed, but there is a heart to the game that demands attention. While not for everyone, I think MMO players who have been yearning for something that grants more freedom, more complexity and the promise of making guilds vital in every sense of the word should at least give Age of Wushu a chance.

I already get the impression that Age of Wushu will be a polarizing matter of taste, but for those who discover its hidden pleasures, it could be quite addictive.

When I’ve progressed further in my adventures across Jianghu, I will return with a more definitive verdict. For now though, take a look in the bottom of this large black bag…

Scott “Jarimor” Hawkes, Editor in Chief