Wind Slayer, the new MMORPG, released and distributed by Game and Game is, at first glance, just another Maple Story Mesos clone in the guise of other games such as Ghost online. Yet, don’t be so quick to judge, I mean any game which has you beating up smiling turds with a lump of wood has to be something a little unique… or obscure to say the least. However, like the other side scrolling MMORPG games such as Maple Story Mesos, Ghost online and Pi Story, wind player does feature bright Anime influenced graphics, happy looking characters, strange stereotypical NPC characters and an array of some of the strangest, unreal monsters I have ever seen in a game.

When you first log in, you create a character, choosing between either male or female and a range of facial expressions and hair colours. Yet, for some reason, this game seems to offer fewer options for players in the fields of customisation of their avatars. Nevertheless, as you progress in the game, you will be able to deck out your character as you see fit. So don’t worry too much, you will only feel like a sheep for the first 10 levels or so. Beyond that, once you’re in the game itself, like with both Ghost and Maple Story Mesos, you begin your adventure in a beginner’s field, which sees you having to complete some painfully simple quests. Nevertheless, for those not familiar with games like this, these little tutorials are very important in allowing players to get the feel for the game and to gain an understanding of the basic controls.

Similar to other games of this style and genre, you control your character through the arrow keys. Yet, setting itself apart slightly, the up arrow allows you to jump and by tapping it a second time in mid air you are able to perform a double jump, giving you quick access to higher platforms. The S key is used for your basic attack; A for defence and in later levels D becomes your Strong or Strength Attack. As you progress, you are also able to dash by double tapping the direction key and to mine, gather materials and fish by equipping the specific item or equipment required to your hot keys which are, of course, numbers 1 – 9. You should, however, keep in mind that these hotkeys will also need to be shared with your class specific skills. Yet, with the game allowing you to have more than one set of hot keys, I guess it is of little concern.