Brighter Shores is a beautiful new fantasy RPG from the creator of RuneScape

I love a good fantasy RPG. Whether it’s the dirty streets of Dragon Age: Origins’ Ferelden, or the vast emerald plains of World of Warcraft’s Elywnn Forest, there’s nothing like immersing yourself in a universe packed with magic, chaos and endless possibilities. For many, RuneScape is that universe, which is why, 23 years later, it still holds its own among a slew of competing MMORPGs. But we wouldn’t have RuneScape without Andrew Gower, its original creator, and he’s back with a brand new point-and-click RPG called Brighter shores.

This is Adothria, and you are the newest recruit of the Hopeport City Guard. As expected, you are tasked with saving the world and ridding the realm of all the nasty stuff, all the while taking care of the needs of your citizens. Brighter shoresThe action is episodic, with each new chapter unlocking a new region, several new professions and equipment, as well as new story content.

There is a big focus on professions, just like other fantasy RPGsyou can delve into specific crafts, such as fishing and woodcarving. While MMORPGs Just as Final Fantasy 14 requires you to level the listed skills in the game, Brighter Shores allows you to level your professions while doing nothing, meaning you don’t have to spend hours and hours of your time.

Saving time is one of Brighter Shores’ core principles. As someone who loves World of Warcraft and FF14, but often feels let down because I can’t squeeze in another twelve hours (sometimes I miss lockdown), this is a huge selling point for me. You can complete the Brighter Shores story in your own time, level your gear naturally, and approach the whole experience in a relatively relaxed manner without the panic of being stuck in traffic when the new raid launches (I’m over that, that I promise).

But if you’re looking for a new forever game, Fen Resources says the game’s breath of stories, professions, and discoveries will be more than enough to keep you busy. The team is committed to releasing new episodes “for years to come,” and that sounds pretty good to me.

Brighter Shores is now available in Early Access. It is completely free to play and you can try it out here.

Please note that the game includes a Premium Pass, which unlocks all current content, gives you exclusive armor dyes, allows you to change your in-game name at any time, and unlocks player trading when it becomes available. Similar to World of Warcraft, the Bright Shores Premium Pass is sold in monthly increments: 30 days costs $5.99, 90 days costs $23.99, and a full year costs $74.99.

If, like me, you love all things magical, we have a list of all things magical best fantasy games here. If you’re looking for something as massively multiplayer as RuneScape, check out our list of them all best free MMORPGs.

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