Cara Opal

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While the company that created this game certainly has a rocky history, I 100% feel as though Free Realms was it's magnum opus. Between a classless system, varied environments to explore, countless minigames and things to do, interesting lore, and stellar music; this game was a masterpiece that has truly left a scar on my soul. Ever since it closed over 10 years ago, there has been no game that has come close. You didn't have to grind, rely on gambling or P2W system to actually play and have fun with the game. (Yes, I am aware that trading and the concept of "rares" in this game was highly toxic at times.) I've tried so many other games since, but they just don't quite reach what Free Realms was. It's a shame the company didn't see it's true potential, and likely won't ever bring it back.

My first run-in with this game was in 2017, as I was looking for a game to replace Freerealms. The fantasy setting and multi-class system drew me in, as did the G1 story. Overall, it is a very well-crafted game. Though the combat system can be somewhat difficult to get the hang of at first. If you are a first-time player, I'd recommend sticking to combat, archery, or chain slash (mainly to get the required chain slash quests out of the way). Since joining, they added in the Blaanid quest line, which can earn you thousands of levels to help catch you up. Be extremely careful with the transformation quests within the chain, as I've had the NPC for it straight-up disappear, basically rendering my character stuck/unplayable until I complete a quest way above my level. On the subject of quests, the main ones are very good. Though there are some that definitely show how dated the game is. Be aware that the fighter quest chain is extremely annoying (all of the characters in it are insufferable and one steals 10K gold from you). Other than that, the questing experience is fun, as long as you're not accidentally doing something from G13 when your powerlevel is still suited for G1. Just in case, master windmill as quickly as possible. It got me out of some almost impossible quests. Lastly, the community itself seems very niche. When I first joined, I was invited to a guild that welcomed me with open arms. Though the guild later disbanded for reasons I'm not sure of. After that, I made a few friendships with lone players. A majority will typically be welcoming. Though I highly suggest to keep your guard up, as I had a very scary situation happen with another player. To sum it up, maybe stick to male character models. While presenting as a female character in many games can elicit the typical responses, Mabinogi was the worst when it came to unsolicited interactions and messages from random players. Although, since rejoining earlier this year, I fortunately haven't had as many uncomfortable interactions. Overall, I'd give the game a 4/5 for it's story, most quests, and unique talents/combat system. Though the game definitely shows it's age, and I highly suggest being careful around others in-game, especially if your avatar is feminine.

CONTAINS SPOILERS: I really liked Elsa's arc, trying to find where she belongs- and all of the scenes of the past with ice were very neat. I think if they had focused more on the story itself and not just her, though, it could have used it's potential better (especially when they find their parents' ship). The idea of Olaf grasping the concept of getting older and changing was nice, but whenever he strayed away from that, he was kind of annoying. I felt him re-enacting all of frozen was a bit of a time-waster. Other than that, he was screaming, which wasn't fun. Anna was.. okay. I adore that she's still just as much of a hero without powers, but I feel they kind of pushed her to the side and made her act SUPER out of character whenever she was around Kristoff. The first movie built up their relationship just to retcon all of that and make her misunderstand him. I assume there's been a timeskip, and it makes NO sense for her to not understand him. I also have strong feelings that the writers favored Elsa over Anna in this one because they picked Elsa to be "the fifth spirit", when it already states water as one of the spirits. Ice is water. The fifth spirit should have been love, which would have been better represented through Anna or Anna/Kristoff. Kristoff I just feel bad for in this movie. He had a decent musical number, but they shoved him off to the side more than Anna. I feel they made him a bit out of character as well to shove him into that "bumbling fool who can't propose" trope. It was just painful to watch. All of the other characters sort of just.. existed? I feel any feud between the Northuldra and the guards was very underplayed, and the Northuldra themselves put up this whole barrier to keep people out. Someone comes in and they immediately trust them because of a scarf? Imagine if Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were villains. Would not have ended well for them. Other than the movie's flaws, it's not the worst. I'd watch it again, but I'll admit it's not as good as the first. It has a lot of potential that just wasn't used in my opinion.