Lost Ark Reviews
Action-packed dungeons make Lost Ark's early stages a real romp, but without a convincing hook beyond the combat, things get a little stale.
With an outstanding variety of places to visit and a strong combat system, Lost Ark is an extremely generous free-to-play action-RPG-MMO that draws a lot from Diablo – including its well-worn story about humans and Heaven teaming up against demons.
Excellent combat and a stunning sense of scale help steer Lost Ark through its more tired MMO conventions.
Amazon Game’s second run at the MMO market is very impressive. The years of content already created for Lost Ark provide an enticing package filled to the brim with fun activities and exciting locals to explore. Each class is wonderfully unique, and the customization systems allow for an abundance of freedom to tailor to a variety of playstyles. I’ve had a great time with Lost Ark in these early days, and I’m looking to sink many more hours into it with friends over the coming weeks and months. Those looking to scratch an Action/RPG itch or sink time into an MMO won’t go wrong giving this adventure a fair shot.
And I haven't even mentioned naval travel, field bosses, or timed battles. In its sheer breadth of content, Lost Ark is gargantuan, and learning its intricate systems means being rewarded every step of the way, for a very long time. As it stands, after 90 hours, I have roughly 40% of each region completed, and have multiple characters well into the second tier of endgame content.
Excellent combat and an engaging endgame are undercut by Lost Ark's archaic MMO quest design and emphasis on microtransactions.
I am incredibly impressed with the size and scope of Lost Ark. Even some of the later storylines started to resonate with me a bit, albeit there’s a ton of throwaway sidequest content that exists just to fill space. I am less impressed with the game’s loot system so far, but I know I have not fully mastered all its finer details at this point. But in a game like this I wanted to get excited about new drops, but other than things looking cool, that never really happened in the first 40 hours here. Another complaint is that because this is such a well established game that already got a number of updates over the years, dumping everything here all at once can feel overwhelming. It’s just a whole lot of stuff and systems and things to sort through, and it’s easy to feel lost.
Lost Ark is the gold standard of Modern MMOs. Smilegate and Tripod deliver an incredibly polished experience that gives players dozens of dishes to choose from, all equally delicious. It hits on all those classic MMO beats, while injecting a fresh style and approach to all of it. Lost Ark has already proven to have some strong staying power in the east, and is now set up for a long and fruitful lifespan in the west.
A fun - if unoriginal - fantasy hack'n slash game both good for a single player experience and a multiplayer adventure- The free to play elements feel fair and the end game content is hard enough to pose as an interesting challenge.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Lost Ark is fantastic, but like all MMOARPGs, it demands a massive time investment and a ton of extra reading to get the most from it.
Lost Ark, at the end of the day, is a very good ARPG with MMO mechanics. The way the game funnels you through the initial content is like an amusement park ride with side quests. After that ride, though, you get dumped out at this giant, unexpected playground full of stuff to do. If sailing around the map, hunting giant monsters, and chasing upgrades sounds like a good time, then this might be the game for you.
Lost Ark is a Korean MMO action RPG, in the vein of Diablo or Path of Exile. It features a beautiful world and engaging gameplay, but it's held back by clunky animations, mediocre voice acting and an unoriginal story.
Excellent Diablo-like combat struggles to make up for a grind levelling process baked into a cookie-cutter MMORPG template.
There’s a lot to see and experience in Lost Ark, and the asking price to try it is just your time. It’s very clear that this game is a juggernaut, and even friends of mine who aren’t into the genre have had their interest piqued enough to give it a go. Here’s to hoping Smilegate, Amazon, and Tripod Studios can capitalize on an incredibly strong start and fulfill the promise buried under all these screens.
Overall, Lost Ark feels like a reward after so many hashed-out and rocky launches of new games. You know what you’re getting with Lost Ark, it’s an experience that has already been through the tests and tribulations of its first two years of content. Its story won’t speak to everyone, but the endgame experience is worth a few cutscenes here and there. Lost Ark is one of the most polished titles I’ve played for some time, especially an MMO. The game is free and will be hyped-up thanks to Amazon and Twitch. I can’t think of a reason why you shouldn’t try it.
It's beautiful, the gameplay is fun and nervous, the classes are varied, the lifespan is considerable...
Review in French | Read full review
If you want an MMORPG that respects the time of casual players, while also giving hardcore players plenty of content to keep them busy, then Lost Ark is worth considering. It's combat is wonderfully fun. The story is entertaining and packed with epic moments. Plus, there is a wide variety to the endgame content, including equalized arena PvP.
Lost Ark is a polished, solid, substantial, and engaging free-to-play MMORPG that is very solo-friendly and offers a vast amount of well-made content for just about everyone. The combat is exciting and fun, the classes are appealing and varied, and the world is colorful and lush, if not necessarily state-of-the-art. The story isn’t going to turn heads, but the number and range of quests and side activities will keep you happily entertained. I’ve only scratched the surface, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the end game has to offer and what kind of community coalesces around Lost Ark.
Lost Ark is light on the MMO, and heavy on the action- RPG, taking all the elements from MMOs that make them great, and a few that make them a bit dull to fans of the genre. It's easy to get lost in the customization before you even set foot in the fleshed out world. The five main classes are the big star, each feels and plays differently enough making me want to replay the game just to try them out. Being able to tackle this game with friends will make for a better overall time with the game, but it isn't required to have a good time. Lost Ark warrants a look if you like action-RPGs, MMOs, or both.
Lost Ark is a title that lives on ups and downs, but that manages to entertain the player thanks to a frenetic and rewarding combat system that is in fact the beating heart of this MMORPG.
Review in Italian | Read full review