Pantheon: Rise Of The Fallen Pre-Alpha Gameplay Looks Promising

Looks like gamers are finally getting their hands on Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, well, members of the content group are, at least.

The classically inspired modern MMORPG was created by Brad McQuaid, known for his work on EverQuest and Vanguard. Developed by Visionary Realms and funded through crowdfunding, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen aims to capture the social and challenging aspects of the genre. Set in the world of Terminus, players venture through dangerous landscapes in search of adventure. The game emphasizes group play too.

Footage of the game has mostly come from the team and sometimes small slices of outside footage from founders or dedicated fan sites. This weekend, though, we watched friend of MMOBomb Redbeardflynn’s video on YouTube, where he does a first look at the pre-alpha gameplay. His experience was positive for the most part. The combat and gameplay mechanics were described as a blend of Vanguard, EverQuest, and early World of Warcraft, incorporating tab-targeting and meaningful decision-making. Combat felt engaging, requiring tactical choices while maintaining an active pace. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen places heavy emphasis on class roles, promoting group interdependence and encouraging cooperation. Solo play was also viable but slower, showcasing the developers' commitment to offering various playstyles.

The world of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen was praised for its size as well, with climbing mechanics adding a new layer of exploration and strategy. Redbeardflynn highlighted the significance of climbing in the game, as it provides shortcuts, secrets, and immersive gameplay. The perception system contributes to the immersive experience too by offering lore hints and quests as players explore, making world traversal engaging and meaningful.

That being said, while the game shows promise, he expressed concerns about its development timeline. Despite the positive elements, there's still much work to be done, and Redbeardflynn worries the game can't launch as a complete and polished MMO. However, he also appreciates that Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen’s incentive to launch is clear, as it's not built around a self-sustaining business model that could delay or compromise its completion. Hopefully the game does indeed bring back a challenging, social, and immersive MMORPG experience that has been seemingly missing in the genre.