So allow me to provide you all with a slightly larger, more inclusive list of Anime MMOs now that I’ve had the opportunity to play through each and every one of these in more detail.
BURNING SOUL WORKER
I include this game in every single video I do about Anime MMOs because to this day – it is still the very best Anime MMO released in the West.
Note, the game in question isn’t Gameforge’s Soul Worker but rather – the Burning Soul Worker private server.
Burning Soul Worker is further ahead than Gameforge’s version by many, many months, having significantly more content – both custom and official.
The population as of January 2019 is higher in comparison as well – although admittedly a lot of these players are at higher level content.
This makes it easier for players to find parties and actually participate in the content the game offers – especially without all the bullshit modifications Gameforge made to the game to promote purchasing items via the cash shop.
Burning Soul Worker is by far the most visually pleasing Anime MMO released in the West right now. It also has, arguably, one of the best action combat systems in an Anime MMO.
PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2
I haven’t included Phantasy Star Online 2 in a “top” video in a very, very long while. This is because the game, although incredible.. just isn’t as readily available as the other games in this list.
This is because PSO2 never officially launched in the West. Instead, to play the game you need to download third party software that isn’t officially supported by Sega to translate and play the game.
You also need to navigate their website – completely in Japanese, to sign up. This is somewhat of a nuisance for people that don’t even know if they want to play it or not but it is fairly easy if you Google around for a guide.
Nevertheless, after a tremendous amount of you were surprised I opted to not include PSO2 I chose to this time because let’s be honest here.. not many games come close in terms of quality.
Its population is off the charts, having over 10 different servers, all with hundreds of channels that are filled with tons of people.
Graphically, yes, Soul Worker is the most.. crisp? I’d say, but you don’t get any Anime-er.. than PSO2. It does it better than any other MMO out there.
Its combat is a little clunkier though and definitely shows its age, but the amount of features the game has completely trumps any other Anime MMO out there.
EDEN ETERNAL VENDETTA
Aeria Games is one of the worst publishers in the MMO-sphere. They take good games, make them heavily pay to win, unbalanced pieces of garbage and then eventually shut them down when people stop playing them.
So when I initially played Eden Eternal.. and saw the desolate wasteland the game had become, I’d lost all hope in ever really progressing through the game.
Then I came across the private server: Eden Eternal Vendetta. If you’ve watched us in the last year or two you’d know we’ve tried out quite a few private servers for a large variety of games.
Eden Eternal Vendetta is actually one of the better ones out there, providing players with the opportunity to experience the game, sans the pay to win that Aeria Games introduced into it.
The population is also several times larger than Aeria’s version as well, especially after they sold their company to Gamigo.
Eden Eternal takes place in the complete opposite spectrum of the Anime niche: chibi-inspired Anime graphics, and gives us one of the last older-gen Anime MMO feels left.
It’s beautiful, as are the skill effects and honestly.. with FlyFF, Fiesta and other games like them all hopelessly clinging to their last breaths of life, Eden Eternal Vendetta might be our last refuge.
DUNGEON FIGHTER ONLINE
Like PSO2, a lot of you guys were really upset when I didn’t include Dungeon Fighter Online in my previous video. I get it. I played through a good amount of the game over the last month and I can see why you all enjoy it so much.
Dungeon Fighter doesn’t really look very “Anime-ish” as opposed to other titles in this list but there is no denying it is Anime-inspired. I’ve played my fair share of side-scrolling MMOs like this and I gotta say.. Dungeon Fighter is one of the better ones.
It’s fast, very fast. Overflowing with story, and probably has some of the best combat effects in a game of its kind.
Seriously, if combat is something you’re interested in then let me reassure you right now – Dungeon Fighter Online is at the top of its game. You won’t find better combat in a side-scrolling Anime-inspired MMO.
The game has tens of thousands of active players as well, so there’s always someone to play with.
And yes, I’m aware Steam lists a mere 500 concurrent players, so before claiming I don’t know what I’m talking about, note that I’m referring to the players that don’t play through Steam as well.
MABINOGI
Mabinogi was once the “king” of the Anime MMO genre. It used a graphical style that I hadn’t seen present in other MMOs. It offered players the option of playing the game in an unconventional way: Living your life.
You could fight monsters, level, craft, farm, fish, quest, explore, just socialize, age up.. like, I’m still of the opinion that Mabinogi is still unrivaled in the freedom it gives you.
I’ve seen other games like Black Desert try and do something similar but nothing comes close to offering what Mabinogi did- or, still does, rather.
The combat is very dated, granted, and uses a very.. I guess confusing for first-time players system. The population is also on the lower end of the spectrum, unfortunately.
If you’ve never played Mabinogi.. I recommend you try it out if solely to experience what the game has to offer that no other game does.
CODE CLOSERS
If Blade and Soul were to take place in an instanced, hub-based side-scrolling reality, then Code Closers would be it.
They’re both comprised of mostly.. tits. So if you’re a prepubescent boy, a closet perv, or.. just, generally interested in titties, then Closers is one of the few MMOs for you.
Again, Code Closers is actually a private server – a more densely populated, more actively updated and further ahead in content alternative to En Masse’s version.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: En Masse Entertainment aren’t a bad publisher. Quite the contrary. They’re actually one of the better ones out there.. one of the only decent Western ones.
I mean no company is infallible so naturally people will find fault with them but Code Closers is just.. further ahead, has less content in the cash shop and more available to obtain in-game, and has custom content and events that go on every month.
This, coupled with a more free-to-play friendly playstyle makes it the go-to for me and hopefully anyone that wants to level the characters faster than on the official server.
It’s one of the more beautiful Anime MMOs out there – especially if, once again.. you like titties, and the combat is pretty good, to boot!
TREE OF SAVIOR
I know I’m gonna get some mixed feelings on this one as I’ll be honest here.. there are some issues with Tree of Savior. But, in the grand scheme of things, Tree of Savior is probably the only good Ragnarok-like MMO alive right now.
It has some of the best sprite graphics and offers some of the highest quality spell effects I’ve seen on a mage, as that is what I play, but I’ll tell you now.. people either love the game, or have an almost unparalleled hatred for it.
The combat is fantastic – it’s fast, feels great and the classes have varied enough playstyles to warrant playing.
The world is perhaps one of the most aesthetically beautiful Anime worlds I’ve seen in an MMO and that’s saying something.
Unfortunately the population isn’t nearly as high as most of the other games in this list but who knows.. maybe this will.. change some people’s opinions and they’ll give it a solid try.
NOSTALE VENDETTA
I never had the opportunity to play NosTale when it was still technically considered “popular,” so I didn’t have very high hopes going into NosTale Vendetta – the private server based on the same game.
I tried NosTale out over a year ago and the game.. was dead. NosTale Vendetta though – I have to give them credit here for revitalizing the population of a dead game.
NosTale Vendetta had what I can only explain as one of the most densely populated towns I’ve ever seen. Outside of Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft – back before they begun cross-server instancing.
The game had a very traditional “point-and-click” to move and fight system in place but at the same time.. it didn’t feel clunky at all. Instead, it felt pretty damn good.
A little slower than I’m used to but still good. Graphically, it is probably one of the more adorable looking games in the list, and we need those. There aren’t enough cute MMOs – and especially cute Anime MMOs left.
Again, the player population is.. absurdly high. You’re missing out not trying this out.
KURTZPEL
KurtzPel has yet to actually release officially but they recently held a small beta for us Westerner’s to try out.
Although I didn’t get to participate personally, as I had honestly been too busy to, a friend of mine did and he spent hours recording content for us.
If you’ve ever played a game like.. Vindictus or Dragon Nest, then you’ll know exactly what kind of game this is. I mean, Closers and Soul Worker are more or less the same as well but KurtzPel seems a little.. smaller? Perhaps.
It offers some fantastic character creation options – one of the most extensive, actually, for an Anime MMO.
However, I did notice some of the movements were a little.. off. Which is fine. It was a beta after all and they have room to improve.
Combat though looks like it could actually be even better than Soul Worker’s when it finally launches, being comparable to Black Desert if Black Desert were an Anime MMO.
POKEMON REVOLUTION ONLINE
Pokemon Revolution Online isn’t an official game by any means. It was created by fans, just like every other Pokemon MMO out there.
However it provides us the ability to play Pokemon games like never before: With other people. A large group of other people. Together. Something Game Freak never did and still has yet to do.
It is probably the most complete, closest thing you’ll ever get to an official Pokemon MMO so honestly.. if you’re in the mood to be the very best, like no-one ever was and feel like enslaving adorable little Pokemon to murder one another.. look no further.
It looks like Pokemon, it feels like Pokemon. I still play it and still love it, even with other, visually superior alternatives like PokeOne.
Maybe with more work PokeOne will end up superior but right now.. nuh-uh.
VOID ELSWORD
I know this might come as a surprise to some of you because Elsword is still pretty popular. But KOG Games ruined Elsword and ruined any chance for people to enjoy it.
I’ve played through quite a few hours of the official Elsword game and Void Elsword both. Void Elsword is Elsword’s private server alternative, if you hadn’t caught on yet, by the way.
Although they don’t differ terribly in regards to content, Void offers much of what KOG gate behind their cash shop, are less pay to win and overall more up to date with the Korean version of the game.
And while Elsword’s population continues to dip.. Void’s stays strong. But I feel like this is a common theme amongst private servers. They seem to continue to go on and long outlive the game they were spun off from.
Elsword itself is a little older than some of the games in this list but that is by no means a drawback. The game is actually more complete than most of the other Anime titles here merely because it’s been around so long.
Similarly to how World of Warcraft is so much more complete than other, newer MMOs in the genre.
Combat and graphics still look and feel great, but they’re noticeably less polished than games like Dungeon Fighter and Soul Worker.
KRITIKA ONLINE
Kritika is a unique one. It’s pretty much a carbon copy of Soul Worker, but it was released before Soul Worker was.
So if kawaii teenagers in a post-apocalyptic world aren’t your thing, maybe Kritika will be. It’s got a more mature, adult theme going for it and like Blade and Soul.. has quite an emphasis on boobs.
But I feel like every “mature” themed game does.
Combat is noticeably worse than Soul Worker but still better than most other action games of its kind. Graphically though, the game is good. The environments are okay but the character models are fantastic.
And let’s be real here.. you all know that dressing up your character is part of every game you play, so character models matter!
Population.. probably sits at around a thousand or so concurrent players. Definitely worth trying if you haven’t yet!
FINAL FANTASY XIV
I was kinda.. on the fence about including Final Fantasy XIV in this list. Why? Because it doesn’t fit the traditional look of an Anime MMO. It looks like a 3D fantasy MMORPG, but, everyone refers to it as an Anime MMO so here it is.
Final Fantasy XIV – the king of the Anime genre. If any game deserved that title, it would definitely be it. Or PSO2. But Final Fantasy XIV because it’s released in English, is more polished and plays in an open world as opposed to quest hub.
At later levels the combat is actually pretty good – think Rift or WoW. Graphically, the game is one of the most beautiful MMOs I’ve ever seen, especially the further you progress through the game.
And its story? Man. If you were to try any game, once, then it should be Final Fantasy XIV.
Population is huge, numbering in the hundreds of thousands of active players still, and with their new expansion on the horizon, you can expect that number to increase back into the millions.
So.. that is pretty much my list of Anime MMOs and MMORPGs to play throughout the year of 2019. Yes, I opted not to include MapleStory 2 because it has had a plethora of complaints and I found myself bored, not having anything to do the further I got.
I know some of you enjoy MapleStory 2 and it’s a good game. But the population has dropped by 80% in a few months and a lack of content is why.
Regardless, hopefully this list helps you find that special “Anime MMO” that you’ve been looking for.