8-exciting-indie-mmorpgs-to-watch

We love the ingenuity of independent studios, check out our hotlist of the most promising indie MMORPGs.

In case you hadn't noticed, the writing team at MMO Games has a deep-seated love for indie MMORPGs. In 2020, we introduced a monthly Indie Spotlight feature wherein we introduce either an existing or upcoming indie MMORPG that we believe is worthy of your attention. The format has proven so popular that our competitors have been *ahem* inspired by it.

The 8 Most Promising Indie MMORPGs

Fractured Online

Status: In development

While global publishers Gamigo have now lent their full force to Fractured Online, the developers are the small Italian team, Dynamight Studios. We've interviewed Co-founder and CEO Jacopo Gallelli about their upcoming SpatialOS title, and we believe there's a lot to be excited about.

Marketed as "the first truly dynamic MMORPG", the Fractured team's vision is a world that is truly malleable in players' hands. Their original plans were to allow for flexible control of the environment – such as wizards manipulating rivers to flood the battlefield. While they have put this, arguably their most exciting feature, on the backburner, there is still plenty that distinguishes Fractured Online from the other indie MMORPGs vying for your attention. There are the sieges, player-built cities, procedurally generated asteroid events rich with powerful resources, and an extreme weather system that will be as much of a threat as the monsters.

We are particularly enthused about their planetary solution to PvPvE. Race, in Fractured Online, is highly meaningful. The choice between the three races (Humans, Wildfolk, and Demons) not only determines the planet on which a player resides, but the rules of their interactions with other players. The peace-loving animalistic Wildfolk have all but consensual PvP turned off, Demons have full loot hardcore PvP, and Humans can choose their own destiny but may pay a tall price for their actions.

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen

Status: In development

Crowdfunded MMORPGs have fallen from grace almost as fast as their Kickstarter funding once soared. Countless scams, broken promises, and disappointments have made the MMO gaming community cynical to their plight. One project that distinguishes itself from the rest in our opinion is Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, the passion project of the late, great MMO legend Brad McQuaid.

So excited are we by the game, that we launched The Pantheon Series last year wherein we published guest posts by their biggest Fantheons, feature deep dives, and an interview with their CEO that proved to be MMO Games' most popular piece of content from 2021.

What makes Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen so exceptional is the originality of its ideas, ranging from its diabolical weather and climate systems, to its focus on community, to its climbable world, to its decidedly PvE focus. The world of Terminus requires deep strategising just to get around. The studio might be moving slowly, but we're encouraged by their regular updates and determination to create a social game inspired by the golden age of the MMO.

Mortal Online 2 (MO2)

Status: Live

You wouldn't think it's an indie MMORPG from its impressive beauty, but Mortal Online 2 "the most hardcore MMORPG" was put together by a tiny team. Driven by an impressive work effort (CEO Henrik Nystrom often takes part in Q&As that last up to four hours) and a vision for a hardcore PvP offering that breaks from the safety of the status quo.

In our recent brutal review of New World, we argued that the game's downfall was the decision to switch away from hardcore PvP. The Mortal Online 2 team knowingly refused to back away from the same decision, intentionally risking turning MO2 into a niche game. We've been following MO2's speedy development since early beta; Henryk recently conceded that they'd rushed aspects of the game development and their immediate focus is now on bug fixes, but don't let that deter you.

Unforgiving gameplay and highly challenging combat mean that Mortal Online 2 is not for everyone. But if you truly want to test your mettle (and metal), give the game a spin and persevere past the initial challenges. What you will find is a devilishly rewarding, complex, player-driven world which we suspect will only improve with time.

Wagadu Chronicles

Status: In development

Talking of breaking out of the mould, afro-fantasy MMO Wagadu Chronicles ditches the western medieval landscape in its entirety instead opting for a brave new setting inspired by African folklore and mythology - a criminally untapped resource for inspiration.

In our MMO Games Awards 2022, we bestowed Wagadu Chronicles with the award for best upcoming indie MMORPG; we haven't changed our mind. The setting of Wagadu Chronicles is a purgatory of sorts, formed from various archipelagos of "The Fallen". Players must inhabit a world of limbo, navigating the desires of powerful spirits of fallen ancestors.

While Wagadu Chronicles has an original setting, they're not throwing out the rulebook entirely. Instead, they've opted for mechanics based on another of our favourite things – 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. We recently put together a list of the best D&D MMOs, and we suspect there will be a strong new contender on the horizon when Wagadu Chronicles gets its release.

Project Gorgon

Status: Live (early access)

While there are a few single developer lifetime project MMOs out there (Kisnard Online, anyone?), it's hard to get much more indie than a husband-and-wife duo. And the Kickstarted Project Gorgon has been praised again and again for its originality and creativity.

Much like Mortal Online 2, Project Gorgon forgoes handholding, instead opting to make finding one's place in the world a crucial part of the adventure. And finding one's place is what Project Gorgon is all about. With inter-related skills ranging from swordsmanship to vampirism, your every decision will determine your fate and the mark you leave on the world.

One of the reasons that we love Project Gorgon is the number of secrets scattered around its world. The devs actively dissuade players from looking up hidden loot locations online. Their focus is on creating a world so intriguing and explorable that players step boldly into the unknown and write their own great adventure stories. If only AAA studios would realise how much MMO magic lies in the discovery secrets.

Mist Legacy

Status: In development

Turn-based combat, skill-based progression, a factional reputation system, a world that transforms from night-to-day, an immersive storyline, personal domains for base-building, ancient ruins, colourful companions, and a "mistery" that's just dying to be solved. Those are just a few of the things that get us excited about French-Canadian studio Virtys's upcoming fantasy MMORPG, Mist Legacy.

With a top-down world view and combat that allows you to take your time, Mist Legacy provides all of the RPG delights that we love but allows you to enjoy them at your own pace.

It has a charming art style that has helped draw in almost 50,000 playtesters. That art style only adds to the intrigue of a land filled with myths as well as mists. United, these factors create an enchanting storybook tale with a little French flavour. It's clear the developers have a passion for the RPG. Indie MMORPG fans only need to wait until September 13th for its release.

Untamed Isles

Status: In development

We're not ones to drink the NFT Cool Aid here at MMOGames.com, but that doesn't mean that all NFT games are shams. Case in point, Untamed Isles, a gorgeous anime-style monster-hunting MMORPG.

There are two aspects of Untamed Isles that particularly appeal to us:

Firstly, there's the Pokémon-esque monster-catching and breeding mechanics. We've been part of the chorus calling for a true Pokémon MMO since forever – and while Untamed Isles isn't quite that, it looks set to be pretty darn close. Creative and fantastical creatures abound. After, taming them, you take your party of six into turn-based combat to see who the ultimate tamer will be. Gotta tame 'em all.

Secondly, they're basing their world off Untamed Isles: The Path Awakens, a novel by professional fantasy writer and NYTimes best seller Aaron Hodges. Narrative in MMOs is all too often overlooked, and shoddy writing is often the result. We're delighted to see more indie MMORPGs splash out on professional writers and can't wait to dive into Aaron's world. With a release date sometime this year, we shouldn't have to wait long.

Ethyrial: Echoes of Yore

Status: In development

"Echoes of yore" is an apt title for this indie MMORPG selling itself as a nostalgic evolution of classic MMOs. With a planned release of April 2023, MMORPG buffs have a little longer to wait for this one. But there's plenty of reasons to hold out hope. Inspired by golden-age MMORPGs like Tibia, Ethyrial: Echoes of Yore takes place in the dangerous world of Irumesa.

It's looks set to be a fresh take on the retro format, adding in fascinating mechanics designed to make decisions matter. Should you deal with demonic entities, don't then go expecting to be accepted into the ranks of the Church of the Holy Flame. Throw in dynamic events, non-instanced player-owned houses and farmland, and a world subtly and unpredictably shaped by player actions, then you start to see why we're getting excited about Ethyrial.

If none of our indie hotlist takes your fancy, fear not – there are plenty of other indie MMORPGs in various stage of development. We recommend looking into Cinderstone Online, Mad World, Perpetuum, Infinite Fleet, and BitCraft to name a few. For more indie MMORPGs to watch, check out our list of last year's indie spotlights which contains links to each of their game pages. And be sure to bookmark MMO Games so you catch our monthly Indie Spotlights.