The anime known as Sword Art Online introduced an interesting concept that captivated gamers but is likely impossible, at least, in the near future. Within the anime, Sword Art Online is a virtual reality MMORPG set in a fantasy realm. What makes this game revolutionary is its use of NerveGear, a helmet that connects the user’s five senses to fully immerse them into the MMORPG. Of course, this technology isn’t quite possible and twisted for ill-intent in the anime, but the world of Aincrad is still a captivating location that gamers would love to explore.
However, the number of MMORPGs utilizing VR technology now is limited. This is because, despite the immersive experience, VR still isn’t as popular as gaming with a monitor, television, or handheld device. Therefore, there aren’t enough VR users to justify developing an MMORPG, at least, to large development studios. But soon, Ilysia might just take the spotlight and fill this gap in gaming.
What is Ilysia?
Ilysia is an online multiplayer RPG, but the emphasis will be on exploration in addition to normal RPG elements such as combat. According to the developers over at Team 21 Studio, Ilysia will feature “hundreds” of hours of content include quests, encounters, and events. Its most ambitious project yet, the world of Ilysia is 288 squared kilometers, or over 100 squared miles, filled to the brim with dungeons, unique bosses, and mountains as big as The Throat of the World.
This online RPG will pay special attention to movement mechanics, for example, with gesture-based spells. Additionally, movement can be done in a number of ways depending on players’ preferences. The joystick can be used, but players can also swing their arms to move forward as well as teleport. Turning the head will also change the current direction of movement.
Utilizing haptic feedback to know when a surface can be latched onto, players can explore Ilysia by climbing nearly any surface, not unlike Breath of Wild’s climbing mechanics. Similarly, swimming will also be a large portion of Ilysia’s exploration with an entire underwater world to be discovered. But by way of swimming, climbing, and even dragons aren’t the only means of travel in Ilysia. Each player will own a caravan that can be decorated and used as a means of fast travel without making the world feel small.
As for Ilysia’s combat, Team 21 is implementing both melee and ranged combat, featuring a number of spells, archery, and velocity-based sword fighting. Casting spells is much like what one would hope for an RPG set in the Harry Potter universe: specific gestures are required to cast each spell, giving the player an incentive to learn how to fight in-game.
But what makes Ilysia inspired by Sword Art Online is the organic universe created by the players. Instead of just NPCs acting as bartenders and innkeepers, players can fulfill these jobs themselves. For example, players can run a blacksmith shop themselves after completing a quest, but this requires mandatory upkeep such as cleaning and maintaining an inventory. Players will help create the world of Ilysia.
The Downside of Ilysia
Again, the biggest reason why an MMORPG hasn’t been made in this way is because of the lack of users with access to VR technology. What typically sets an MMORPG apart from single-player RPGs is the existence of other players with guilds, raids, and events. Otherwise, with the open-world setting and an intriguing story, it won’t stand against triple-A titles that have been optimized for VR, such as Skyrim.
Ilysia, being an indie game getting its funding via a Kickstarter is, most likely, not going to see the same hoards of players that World of Warcraft or Elder Scrolls Online do, and group quests like raids will be present in Ilysia’s gameplay. Still, the Discord server for Ilysia currently contains a few thousand users, and the actual number of players could increase exponentially when the game actually arrives. But whether not players jump into and stay involved with Ilysia for months after launch could impact gameplay.
Ilysia is slated for a 2021 release for Oculus Quest, PC VR, and PlayStation VR.
