Land of Chaos Online (LOCO) is a Tactical, Action MMORPG that combines real time strategy, action role playing, and third-person shooting to create a unique hybrid MMO. The most important thing to note in LOCO is that it follows the ‘Aeon of Strife’ (much like Defence of the Ancients [DotA], Heroes of Newerth [HoN] and League of Legends [LoL])style of gameplay, but with a twist: you play from a third-person perspective.

In the case that some of you haven’t actually heard of DotA, HoN and LoL, let’s go over a few core gameplay elements first. The idea behind the Aeon of Strife style of play is simple, but in order to get a picture for it, I’m going to need some help from you. First, I need to you picture a Warcraft III map with two large bases at either end, and three long lanes connecting them. In each of the bases are various structures, some that heal you when you stand near them, others that sell items that can be combined together to create more powerful ones; the lanes are lined with defensive towers that attack when you approach. Now, imagine that the game has just begun. You’ve been asked to select a hero from a long list of possibilities, each with their own specific playstyle, pros and cons; you select your hero and appear in your base. Small groups of NPC allies are charging down the lanes to meet in glorious battle with your opponents NPC allies; and your job is to help them. You kill the NPC enemies, destroy the towers, and eventually, after levelling up, gaining new abilities, purchasing new items and killing enemy heroes, you destroy your opponent’s base and win the game. That is, unless the enemy heroes kill you first, thereby making them stronger, in which case they destroy your base and you lose. Either way, that’s more-or-less how you play DotA, HoN and LoL. And it’s more-or-less how you play LOCO, too.

When you first begin playing you’ll be offered a choice between one of 12 heroes. Each of them is entirely different, and as such, caters to entirely different playstyles. Some are ranged, some melee, others are spellcasters and the like; all of them are cool, and all of them look like they were plucked out of an Anime. Radness. Of course, there are more than 12, but in order to access them you’ll need to win a few games and earn some cash… or buy it from the in-game store. Either way, once you’ve chosen it’s time to learn the rules.

The tutorial in LOCO is, in a word, magnificent. It covers every detail, from basic movement, combat and skills to the rules of the game and item creation, and it does it quickly and with minimal errors in grammar. It’s also fully voiced, which is a nice touch, and it ends by allowing you to play a mock-game against the AI that ensures you’ll be more than ready when your first game arrives. And when it does, they’ll continue to help. Should you choose it, the computer will automatically choose your skills and purchase items for you, so that in the first few games you can focus solely on combat and gameplay. Pretty cool, huh? I thought so.

And with that, you know the basics. There’s more to it, such as additional game modes, the intricate details surrounding the lobby system and the in-game shop -- but if you need me to tell you how that works, then you’re not playing enough MMOs. I will, however, briefly mention levelling, as if you hadn’t already guessed it, you begin each game at level 1. During the game, you level, you get new skills, you die (in my case, a lot), and then you finish and return to level 1 again. But there’s still an element of overall progression: weapons and armour. Depending on your skill level (which acts as an experience level like it would in an MMO), you’ll be able to equip new weapons and armour that can be obtained either by winning games and bidding your gold, or by purchasing them in the shop. It’s not much, but it does allow you a slight advantage as you progress, and better yet, it makes you look much cooler. Everything else is up to you. Go give it a crack; you really have nothing to lose with this one. 

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