While still in development, Gran Saga: Unlimited is shaping up to be a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for PC gamers that rivals other blockchain titles of the genre with its appealing fantasy world, anime-style characters, and robust questing system.
Inspired by Npixel’s Gran Saga franchise that’s popular in South Korea and Japan, Gran Saga: Unlimited (GSU) from Korean studio Metapixel is an alternate-reality version of its predecessor. While Gran Saga itself has not yet been released globally, GSU is available to playtest in the Americas but is restricted in a few regions (i.e. China and South Korea) due to its status as a blockchain game.
GSU’s premise is rather self-aware, as the overarching lore sees your character help the game’s AI—who takes the form of a small girl named Lillith—to find and destroy various errors or “bugs” in the world. Like glitches in the game’s “Matrix,” players will have to discover said bugs over time.
Watch GG's Gran Saga: Unlimited video preview below:
After sinking hours into GSU, it’s clear that the game is a true MMORPG designed to be played for endless hours, whether you’re solo questing, socializing in the main town square, or taking down high-powered enemy bosses with friends. The game world already feels vast, and the enemies range from cute foxes and poisonous mushrooms to giant spiders and behemoth-sized knights.
In this version of the unreleased game, players that reach level 30 will be able to participate in an intense dungeon for 16 players that Metapixel estimates will take at least half an hour to complete. The studio is also promising successful raiders a custom, IRL hoodie as a gift for their achievement.
GSU has a visual aesthetic that’s a bit like Genshin Impact meets World of Warcraft. Gamers can choose to play as one of five base characters that are either damage dealers, protective tanks, or healers.
In GSU’s early game, without any crypto elements, there isn’t much room for character customization at lower levels. But I found the game combat very appealing and generally immersive, even if it does sometimes feel like a grind—common in top-tier RPGs and MMOs.
NFTs on Aptos
As is common with early access games, Metapixel says that character levels, XP, non-blockchain cosmetics, and progression will be reset after its current community test, which ends on July 20. While I did not buy or use any Aptos NFTs while playing the game, GSU’s horse mounts and other NFTs will be the only items that do not disappear when the test ends.
GSU players that reach level 30 will also get “Squeezies” (or special food items) as rewards, which can be used to upgrade the yet-to-be-released Metapixel membership NFT called the “Catcha” NFT.
Earlier this year, a Metapixel representative reportedly told YouTuber Chaotik that GSU is not a “play-to-earn” game, meaning players will not play for small sums of crypto. It will also not implement any NFTs that offer “pay-to-win” mechanics. This likely means that all of its NFTs will be cosmetic or designed for quality-of-life improvements, such as a character skin or a horse mount, respectively.
Compared to other NFT-optional MMORPGs like Mirandus and Big Time, Gran Saga: Unlimited offers its own simplified, yet satisfying take on the genre for fans of titles like Final Fantasy XIV and Genshin Impact.