Bless Unleashed is the new MMORPG released by Bandai Namco exclusively for Xbox One and in a free to play format. A great game which, although it has a lot of room for improvement, will dazzle fans of the genre thanks to its graphics and great gameplay.
As an MMO, Bless Unleashed it perfectly serviceable, but those that want to make rapid progression are going to be sorely disappointed and frustrated with many of its draconic design choices. MMO’s are hard to review, as they are constantly evolving, being updated and changing with what the community and developers want. As of this point in time, I can certainly recommend giving Bless Unleashed a shot since I still find myself logging on every day, and given that it’s completely free to play, there’s no real reason not to. Be warned, as you’re in for a long and arduous grind if you stick with it, and it’s incredibly challenging when it comes to combat in the later dungeons, but I only expect Bless to improve in many facets in the future.
Its a great game . You can customize your character class to suit your playstyle .there are no class limits .you can make your priest a dps or a healer or a well rounded tank . So many things to do in the game .i love it
Don't listen to the nay sayers. Its a great game! Love it. Sure its got some issues but its still new and its a fantastic old school mmo mixed with some new concepts. The combat feels impactful, tactical and provides a lot of room for mastering it's mechanics. Free to play but not pay to win.
Bless Unleashed is a decent enough free-to-play MMORPG that should keep players looking for something they don't have to shell cash out entertained. And luckily, there isn't anything in the cash shop that screams "pay to win," which is something that so many other free-to-play titles have unfortunately succumbed to. There are quite a lot of technical problems, from slow loading textures to combat that really needs some tweaking. but for being one of the first MMO games to exclusively launch on Xbox One, well, it could have been a lot worse.
The world building, cities and some of the characters are instantly memorable and made me want to learn more. But when coupled with an unpolished backdrop, laggy and uninspired combat and a boring, frustrating grind, it makes it hard to recommend to anyone who is looking for a good free-to-play MMO to check out, especially when alternatives like Warframe and Phantasy Star Online 2 exist on the same platform. Hopefully time brings Bless Unleashed to the level we were all hoping for – but right now it’s just not there. It honestly feels like it needed more time to bake before being released – feeling rushed out to hit a deadline, and it definitely shows in the final result.
Bless Unleashed, when it’s not completely broken, is a boring, unfun disaster. Everything about the game has too many issues to even recommend at the very low price of free.
(70 Hours Played So Far- Adressing The Main Issues People Have)
Community
It's an mmo. It's the internet. There will always be toxic people in these parts. Bring a thicker skin if you're gonna be playing this game. From my experience everyone has been friendly and helpful. Join a guild so you meet people that are a bit more inclined to being nice to you.
Classes
5 Classes at release, go check them out someplace else. IMO ranged characters have an easier time than melee characters. You can try them all at their max level during the tutorial to get a feel for the classes. Character creation system reminds me of monster hunter style creation system. A fair amount of customization. You can make cute tiny ippins or extremely tall vargs!
Combat
If you're the type of person to mindlessly tap buttons when attacking then this combat system will not be for you. Combat is great! It makes you really think about what attacks you should be using and where you are positioned. The wrong move being used will lock you in an animation that will most likely get you hit. Once you master when to use your moves, the combat is just so smooth and extremely rewarding.
PVP
When traveling to "Disputed Areas" which are PVP enabled zones, most of the time people will just leave you alone. (A low level alt account, that is low level, but has end game weapons and armor equipped makes PvPer's think twice about openly attacking). If you kill people too much and gain notoriety level, you will get stunlocked by guards and can't really go to many places where your quests are because the guards will instantly kill you. This gradually goes away via in game time. At this moment, players who kill have a lot of drawbacks to them.
Power Progression
Enhancing items will lead to better gear score. Getting higher lettered gear will too. GS means how strong a character is. Enhancing items using gold will eventually be risky and can lead to the gear breaking or get weaker. You can repair using a toolkit or a copy of the same item to repait it. Using starseeds, which you get daily, can be used to safely enhance gear without it breaking. Using starseeds can fail the enhancement at a lower rate that gold, but WILL NEVER LOWER the gear's enchancment level, but using gold can.
Guilds
Guilds are pretty lackluster atm. Just a place to talk and do events with people who are inclined to be nicer to you because you all are in the same guild. Certainly a better way to get a response to a question, meet new people, and group up with more people unless your guild is not really great. I highly recommend guilds to have a discord because guild chat is lame and can get flooded.
Map Size
I traveled to the places ahead of where my level should be and I was so amazed with how big the map was! The environment is gorgeous as well.
Economy
No player trading atm, but there is a well functioning action house where you can use starseeds to buy things.
Cosmetics
You can tame animals! For mounts! or so they can provide resources in your estate.
Factions
There are currently 3 factions you can join and leave, which give you various boosts and perks to help you. Sentinels are the PvE faction. Court of Ravens are the PvP faction. Ardell Traders are the merchant faction.
Game Master
I've never seen a console MMO have fairly active game masters be online. They will sometimes miss your concern or question. Or may direct you to make a ticket... People need to understand that the GMs will not always have a solution for your issue.
Overall
Give this game a shot! If you like mindlessly repeating attack buttons from close or far away as the bosses aggro on your tank then this is not the mmo for you. You will have to be actively thinking about your next move in combat! Progression really starts to kick in at around level 23+ where everything you have been doing to get to that point just really weaves in together smoothly. It's an mmo with a hint of monster hunter and dark souls. In my opinion, best MMO for consoles atm. Better than Elder Scrolls Online and way better than Black Desert Online. Graphics are nice too!
Decent MMO that has lots of detailed progression and character customisation all in a very pretty open world that appears seamless.
Combat system and mechanics are interesting but flawed. A system that doesnt allow you to regenerate out of combat without using potions or other time-consuming feature should make sure the systems to mitigate damage taken work properly. Unfortunately the combat frequently lags behind input, meaning dodges etc are just wasted.
While there is plenty to do in game none of it is groundbreaking or new.. In fact it overly relies on the old ‘kill 10 rats’ go back and kill 15 more style of quest.
The dialogue is more akin to first generation MMOs and its mostly textual with minor comments like ‘Hello hero I’ve got a task for you ‘ dubbed over the top. Coming from the likes of ESO which came out for PC originally in 2014 the lack of voice dialogue here is quite jarring, and I feel quite poor for a modern title.
TEXTBOOK example of Pay to Win. No level requirements or anything for top tier equipment. Buy inventory slots and sell them on the market. Instant top-tier gear.
Level increase is a GRIND. I mean take your worst experience in an MMO and take that grind and multiply it by 100 (this is not an exaggeration).
There isn't enough content to get a character to level 30 w/o spamming the same 6? dungeons dozens of time. I gave up leveling past 35 - its just too tedious (max is 45)...
Character Builds - there really aren't any. Everyone uses the same setup and rotation by class.
Economy - being Pay to Win has broken the economy. There is no way to make money unless you luck up with a "Fashion Item" in a dungeon drop. I would guess these are between .1-1% chance.
There are lots of other issues with the game but they are just too numerous to mention...
SummaryBless Unleashed is the premier next-generation MMORPG, coming first to Xbox One.
Built for mature audiences, Bless Unleashed takes players on an epic multiplayer journey across a vibrant persistent world, and tasks the brave with battling – and surviving –vicious, lethal monsters that inhabit this untamed landscape.
Ancient betraya...