The designs for the beginner classes in Ragnarok Online 2. The costumes are reminiscent of the job attires in the original Ragnarok Online 2.

Wow– It sure has been a while, hasn’t it? Yes, I have been busy with my own stuff in a brand new school. I must say that my reclusive behavior has been for the better though! I just finished my first year and I must say I did quite well. It pains me to not be as involved online as I once was, but it really is a critical time in my education… Sacrifices must be made unfortunately.

In my free time however, I still track the progress of Ragnarok Online 2. It’s not so much that I refuse to let go of the beta-staged game I became familiar with than the fact that the Ragnarok Online franchise holds a special place in my heart. It was my first MMO, you see? I had such a blast the first time around that I was eager to jump into Ragnarok Online 2 when I first heard of it, and eventually became very involved.

Well, as you know, the community and developers that I used to assit have long dispersed, even though there are a few promising projects (such as Ragnarok Online 1.5 at DiviniaRO) hanging around. There had been rumors for a while that Ragnarok Online 2 was being either canned or reworked; the game was even labelled as vaporware by some since so much money had been invested into it and nothing came to see the light of day. A few days ago, the Ragnarok Online 2 site relaunched with a completely new layout. Now there had been rumors earlier about Ragnarok Online 2 being redone, as well as a press release stating that the game engine had been switched from Unreal to Gamebryo. This new site confirms these hints– Ragnarok Online 2 has been redone to give gamers what they wanted (Official Website).

This image is among the many found on a developer's blog who designed a number of levels in the "Unreal" Ragnarok Online 2. It was originally thought to be a first look at the game with the Gamebryo engine, but it turned out to be a render in the developer's own sandbox.

The new Ragnarok Online 2 has been dubbed “Legend of Second,” hinting a true sequel to the events took take place in the original Ragnarok Online. Accordingly, a number of familiar monsters have been shown (thus far) rendered in full 3D, creating a more familiar environment worthy of the Ragnarok Online title. I recall a number of people calling the “old” Ragnarok Online 2 a mediocre MMO with the “Ragnarok Online” name slapped onto it for popularity. The art style has also been changed from the Unreal incarnation of the game. The characters look more sleek, older, and detailed than the previous models. I always considered Ragnarok Online a sort of “cute” anime-styled game– while the official artwork of the Kafra and Porings still retain this factor, the images of the character classes seem a little more “mature” to me. I’m sure we’ll be able to evaluate the overall artistic feel as more images (and videos!) roll out with time.

In short, I feel that Ragnarok Online 2 is finally taking off… This time as a game that fans expect. (I can’t tell you how many confused newbies there were in channel chat when the old Ragnarok Online 2 debuted since much of the “Ragnarok Online” system had vanished!) I am glad for this, but I probably will not play it for a very long time. I’m sure that many of the developers that invested lots of time into the first game would be in the same boat as me in that the “scene” is feels a little tired. I have lots of work at school and overall, I am pretty busy.

…And yet I am here posting this. Strange isn’t it? For me at least, it’s the allure of adventure again.

A screencap from the updated website, showcasing the 3d version of the monster "seal."

There was a certain magic feel when I used to GM for RO2. There was a certain anticipation for what Gravity had in store and the tiny hints in the programming that would lead to speculation. No doubt that this incarnation of Ragnarok Online 2 will follow the same trend as the other two and become widely emulated with private servers. While I can’t imagine being on a flagship team again (such as Saga), I will hang around the emerging communities and admire their progress. If its not demanding, hey I might even apply for a Forum Moderator position somewhere and hope for the best ^.~

PS: Too bad, I just checked (and even went through the ridiculous process of installing the AhnLabs Web Security plugin) and my KR beta account no longer works! Oh well. This time I’ll rely on you guys… keep me posted ^^ Good thing I archived a bunch of images from the old game huh?