Horizons: Empire of Istaria

List Price: $19.99 Discount Price: $1.49

Features:

• Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
• Adventure through dynamic quests as a dwarf, elf, gnome, fiend--even a dragon
• Dynamic world enables you to explore an ever-changing frontier and create custom strongholds
• Open-ended skill system allows you to switch character roles
• Note: this online game requires a monthly fee payable by credit card

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Getting better [Posted on 2005-01-02]
I've played this game on and off for a while now, and I can say that it is getting better. Most of the issues past reviewers have complained about have been fixed, and content is being added each month. This game is now almost where it should have been at release:P. 1 more year in development would have been better than an early (very bugged) release, but it has been getting better.

Becoming a finished game! [Posted on 2005-09-22]
Every day I play I see this game becoming more and more finished - since the last reviews especially! Classes are more balanced, crafting is fun, fighting is also fun and easy.


Basics: Horizons is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG). It has a detailed, and heavily involved craft system and also a player vs. enemy fighting system (limited player vs. player is currently on the testing shard and may go live soon). The two are closely integrated. There are 10+ playable races, including 2 player unlocked ones, dryads and satyrs. While there are the basic races (humans, elves, dwarves) there are also very unique races (satyrs, dragons) In fact, playing a dragon vs. playing a biped can be seen as a completely different game. As for classes, there are many to choose from, both fighting and crafting. One the best things about this games is the multiclassing capability - if you choose warrior as a school, you're not stuck with it - you could pick up a magic using class later as well. The same goes for crafting classes. (Dragons are excluded from the multiclassing thing, they only have 2 classes - dragon adventurer and dragon crafter.)

Learning the game: When I first learned the game, I did find it difficult, but I don't think I had a typical experience (long story short - the only game manual I had was in german.) The developers have recently put in a new dragon tutorial island though and I went through that. Though it doesn't teach you everything, you do learn the basics as a dragon, and I found most of the relevant information covered. There is a new biped tutorial island coming soon as well.


Changes in the past year:

Dragons: The Rite of Passage (becoming adult and being able to fly) is long finished for dragons and the Ancient RoP is nearing completion as well! There is no hoard decay, that was taken out well over a year ago. Dragons have become a more powerful class as well when compared to bipeds - we've enjoyed a pretty sizable armor increase in particular.

Bipeds: I'm primarily a dragon player so I can't speak much for bipeds, but I know they've added many quests for bipeds, most notably racial specific quests.

General: Much has changed in the last year - expert forms were introduced widely and are now readily available. The land mass has changed noticably - monsters relocated, and many areas totally reorganized to make more sense for newbies. Monster classes were completely overhauled and redesigned for tougher and more interesting fights. Crafting has been worked over too, especially metal crafting. The technique portion of crafting has been reworked too. I'm sure I'm missing things here too! But all in all, enough has definitely changed for those who tried this game a year ago to warrant another try again today.


Community: As always, this game has the most mature base of players I've seen. People actually help each other - there's little griefing. Everyone also seems intelligent, there's no AOL speak or leet speak that I've seen. If you're sick of the kids in WoW, this is a nice place to take a break.

Graphics: The graphics have largely remained the same. The graphics are a little primitive compared to games nowadays, but they're still completely adequate. The atmosphere and landscapes are probably the best part of the graphics. The game uses the same engine, which has its problems. Although it has been worked on, there are still memory problems, but an occasional relog can usually fix that.

Sounds/Music: The music is great, some of the best I've heard for a game. There have also been some new scores introduced for various areas, and I haven't found one that I don't like yet. Ambient sounds - there definitely could be more, as it is, there are very few. Fight sound effects are fine, nothing amazing but certainly not terrible. All in all, I tend to leave music and sound effects on when playing even through over a year of play. The music is just that good!

Overall: The game has improved greatly in the last year. The company is obviously dedicated to improving the game as well, and it seems Horizons will be around for a while. If you're an old player who hasn't tried it in a while, I definitely suggest another try. If you're a new player, give it a try too!

Not for all, great for some, perfect for a few. [Posted on 2005-10-02]
I've played Horizons from beta to the present. I am retired, and have been able to devote a good deal of time to the game. After a rocky start, it has steadily improved. It is not for everyone; combat is solely against monsters/critters (Player vs. Environment) and is never against other players (Player vs. Player.) Players who like PvP games dislike Horizons quite a bit. Those who never play PvP games enjoy Horizons; and this is one reason that the player community is unusually friendly and helpful. Many players from other games comment very favorably on the social atmosphere of the game. The average age of the players is believed to be the highest of any MMO.

The game interface was a revelation when new; since then parts have been copied by newer games, but it is still probably the cleanest, most flexible game interface of any MMO.

Adventurers gather resources needed in crafting improved equipment; crafters make the items that use the looted resources, and gather the more mundane metals, plants, etc. The Crafting system is complex, and sensible. Some players only craft, others adventure, many do both.

Dragons! Dragons are a playable race; a very great variety of colors, patterns, shapes and sizes are available when you begin a dragon character. Roughly one third of the players choose dragons out of the 8 playable races. They were more difficult to play originally, but that has since changed, and they are as powerful as any of the other races/classes. After the Rite of Passage is completed, (3 months if you push, often 6 months) dragons receive the gift of flight. Real Flight.

I'd advise beginners to join a good guild as soon as they find a compatible one. There is a lot to learn, and a guild helps quite a bit.

The company site has a lot more information on the playable races, flexible class system, etc. etc. I've tried more to convey the flavor rather than the details, as there is no other flavor like it.

The company emerged from bankruptcy, found stable financial backing, and the subscriber base is growing. There's a reason why it's still here...

Nice MMO that was ahead of its time [Posted on 2007-11-11]
I have recently downloaded this game. Must say I rather like it over most of the newer stuff that has been released.

Most noticable is the maturity level of the community. While not overloading like WoW is. Its still a nice size community without all the drama you run accross with so many of the others. Its refreshing without having to listen to hours of pointless banter, and childish "woot" language all the time.

The real thing that stands out is the mix of gameplay. While most of the newer MMO's have moved on to focusing on the killing aspect. This game has your killing, but is mostly PvE.

This game puts lots of the stuff in crafters hands. You don't run accross the problem of the loot being better than your crafted stuff.

player review [Posted on 2008-03-17]
I have played this game for 18 months and can highly recommend it to any gamer who is both mature and prefers a PvE game play. I will not go into detail...you can get that from the last two reviews (and they are accurate), but I will say that the game, and its community, are enjoyable to the point of addiction.

It is growing and improving even after all these years, and the current owners are adding rich content even as I write this. I play an adult dragon, (aine, order and blight shards), not yet an ancient (I have that covered in real life, hehe), who is happily building her lair (10 layers deep!), and have recently revived a dryad alt,(sycorax), so that I can get involved in the new bi-ped confectioner skills. Both classes, (dragons and non-dragons), play quite differently and are provided a multitude of quests appropriate to level and school. Each class is able to multi-school and can switch back and forth between schools with ease.

While some earlier reviewers complain that they got bored (a complaint I have heard, to my frank amusement, on every game I have played, leading me to suspect the player, not the game), in truth, there is so much to do that my biggest complaint is that I may never live long enough to try it all!

The monthly fee is comparable to that of most other large MMORPGs, and provides you with multiple character slots on a choice of several servers, making the game a reasonable economic choice.

Ahhh...I guess that was some detail, after all. *Sighs*. I do love the game and can't always stop talking of it once I have started! *Curtsies and steps away*.

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