City of Steam brings people to the most dangerous adventures into tens of forgotten regions around the central city. With the same rusty colors prevailing in the game, each region has its unique monsters that generate a unique atmosphere. These regions may have many gates, but you won’t get out without collecting keys through a correct means. If you don’t accept quests in an expected sequence, you will break into these hells unknowingly and lose yourself therein until an open door is found among its numerous gates. And this blind intrusion is not related to any XP or level enhancement, only costing all of your potions.
This is a 3D game running on browsers, so inevitably there are some disconnected moments. But generally, the game runs pretty steadily, leaving you no time to scan the explanation texts at the entrance of a dungeon. The whole gaming world is a grand system of brickwork, woodwork and stonework, but most of the objects are air-slake in a comfortable way. Besides tigers, bears, apes and wild dogs, some of the monsters are both dirty and mysterious, like rats, ash worms, water worms, potato ladybird. As a contrast, bad humans among these evil creatures are sensuously beautiful; the tiny amount of shillings earned is a pile of happily shinning colors, even the battling noise rings pleasantly to the ear.
Tutorial of City Of Steam is cool, but the most basic things about getting quest, using map and managing your weapon, armor, ability is not included. You follow the instructions of the guide on a running train. Each passage contains some quest that may reward you a key to unlock the next passage, which indicates what a smooth sense of progression you will experience. You are taught to fight, to switch stances, to crash breakable boxes for loot. Getting off the train, you reach central city.
Central city is a complicated map with too many branches included in a complete map, as you often need to see one part clearly. Traveling freely, you can notice how many red arrows are forbidding your footsteps. The minimap, also the only map available, is a transparent block on the top left, very convenient for path choosing. But the numerous identical red arrows are not named, nor are the gates of a dungeon numbered, which only flash as gate 1, Gate 2 when you are nearby. That’s why I repeat choosing a wrong gate as well as enter the same dungeon again and again whenever the golden question mark isn’t shown in time.
These dungeons are not so terribly difficult as you imagine. Skeletons in a dungeon take only one stroke to fall down. Offensive monsters always surround you and the real time battle mode requires you to target manually and click nonstop. However, you are given enough initial power to deal with these gangs. Beating one by one won’t end up with you dying first. It’s the first time I feel not so panic when besieged in a locked space. However, there are more difficult quests to task you to worse things in a same dungeon, for example, on a different floor, a different part, where nearby players can be an indispensable helper.
Interface is simplified. Only two things are ruling the game, money and XP. Other performances like purchase and equipping are more efficient. Each time you visit a shop, the shop and your bag are simultaneously opened on both sides of the interface. Also each time you click character, the bag is shown. You draw the wanted items from shop to your bag or from your bag to your character. But you can’t equip a newly earned item with your weapons drawn out and this game won’t flash when a useful item is collected or a new skill is ready to upgrade.
Source: dotMMO