(Photo : Fen Research / Screenshot taken from Steam)
RuneScape creator Andrew Gower said that his new cozy MMO game, Brighter Shores, will not have any microtransactions whatsoever.
The announcement comes as the upcoming game will have a closed beta later this month. Furthermore, Brighter Shores is targeting a November 2024 launch. More specifically, the game's early access is set to arrive on Steam on Nov. 6, 2024.
Brighter Shores Early Access
The base game will be free and it will have a premium pass available for players to purchase. The upcoming cozy MMO takes a lot of inspiration from RuneScape as both titles have an isometric perspective.
Additionally, the two games feature various life skills, such as fishing and woodcutting. They both have a generally freewheeling adventure vibe. In Brighter Shores, players will start out as humble guards in the town of Hopeport which is found in the fantasy world of Adothria, according to Games Radar.
Gower leaned into a tabletop RPG aesthetic for Brighter Shores and features point-and-click interactions. It also moves away from RuneScape's tick-based mechanics that some players found to be somewhat annoying.
All of these features combine to give the cozy MMO a smoother look than its cousin. The game also features more MMO-like combat classes, such as Cryoknight, Guardian, and Hammermage.
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Developer Fen Research described Brighter Shores as a free-to-play adventure that will transport players to a fantastical medieval world. Here they will be able to fight fearsome creatures and develop a range of professions to better themselves, MassivelyOP said.
Another thing that is worth noting about Brighter Shores is that it will feature what the studio called "idle leveling." Fen Research added that the game will have a mix of "daring adventures" and the lifeskilling of "cozier" titles.
Bringing Adventures and Cozy Lifestyles Together
The premium pass in Brighter Shores that replaces microtransactions includes a variety of things that free players will not have access to. These include additional areas as well as player-to-player trading.
Brighter Shores' cozy part includes a variety of activities such as cooking, crafting, fishing, and harvesting resources. If you don't have a lot of time to play the game, you can also sit and let your character level their professions idly.
Gower said back in the summer that Brighter Shores will have optional player-versus-player combat. Fen Research also plans to consistently provide updates to the game over time and will release new narrative episodes as well as new features that aim to keep it fresh and exciting, according to MMORPG.
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