Maple Story is a free, anime/fantasy, 2D side-scrolling MMORPG developed by the Korean company Wizet. Maple Story has been released in Japan and Korea, and is currently in a beta stage of development for the world at large. In the game, the player defends the "Maple World" from monsters and can chat with other players.

Gameplay

Character advancement comes through gaining experience points, levelling up, and collecting items and pieces of wieldable/wearable equipment. The player combats monsters, aquiring money (in a currency called mesos) and various items as well as completing quests.

The Beta version of Maple Story on its Global server takes place in a world called Tespia. When the full version is released, it is most likely that other worlds will be released.

The action begins on Maple Island, an area designed for new players. Once the player gains enough mesos, they can sail to Victoria Island via the boat located in the town of Southperry. At level 8 your character can become a magician. In addition to that, at level 10, the player can choose from three other character classes or jobs as they are known as in the game: the Bowman, the Thief, and the Warrior. You arrive at Victoria island in a place called Lith Harbour, which is ideal for beginners (Chracters without jobs). After vacating Lith Harbour, a player may explore the whole island, which includes such areas as: Perion (Warrior's Mountain), Kerning City (Thief's City), Henesys (Bowman's Town) and Ellinia (Magician's Forest). Also, in the center of the island, there is a place called the Dungeon. As a player advances in the game, the character will eventually become mature enough to enter the Dungeon and reveal its mysteries.

There are four types of skills, which will decide which Job your character will choose. The following displays the full list of attributes and various Jobs' requirements of stats:

Str: Strength - This attribute increases the maximum power of melee attacks.

Dex: Dexterity - This attribute increases the minimum power of all attacks.

Int: Intelligence - This attribute increases the maximum power of magic attacks.

Luk: Luck - This attribute increases the accuracy and avoidability of your character.

Tips

Bowmen tend to concentrate on Dex and Str,

Magicians tend to concentrate on Int and Luk,

Thieves tend to concentrate on Luk and Dex,

Warriors tend to concentrate on Str and Dex.

External links

• Official Maple Story global site (http://www.mapleglobal.com/)
• Official Maple Story Korean site (http://www.maplestory.com/)
• Sleepywood.net fansite (http://www.sleepywood.net/)