Grand Chase

Grand Chase is a free, 3D Side-scrolling MMORPG developed by the Korean company KOG Studio. The story mainly centralizes on the Grand Chase team in their attempt to stop KazeAze, the dark queen's plan on destroying and recreating the world.

Gameplay
Gameplay in Grand Chase is primarily keyboard driven. Movement, including jumping, uses the arrow keys. Attacks, which include combos and special attacks, use the keys A, Z, X and space bar by default, but can be set by the player. Due to the combos and special attacks, the game has a feel that is similar to side-scrolling fighting games, such as Double Dragon. While it is an action game, the designers took care to not make a "button masher".

The game is free-to-play, but there are some items that can only be purchased with real-world currency. Unlike most role-playing games, you do not create a character; instead you play as one of three characters, with more to be added later. You may freely switch among the characters you have unlocked between missions, but their equipment and levels are separate.

Leveling up
After each trip into a dungeon, characters receive experience upon completing it. Experience is partly dependent on how well you did, but every player will get some experience. Completing a mission awards additional experience. Once sufficient experience is obtained, the character will advance to a level. Higher levels don't improve statistics directly, but grant access to better equipment that does.

Party
When entering dungeons it is advisable to form a party. The game's interface makes it easy to create a party or join one created by another player. Friends can lock their party with a password or make it open to newcomers. The items that are found in the dungeons are shared by the party. To encourage group play, there is a slight experience boost when working together. Because there are six specific characters that each player chooses among, there is a chance (particuarly at low levels) that two or more players will control characters that look the same; different equipment makes this unlikely however and player names always make it possible to tell them apart.

Player vs Player
Players can also compete against one another in combat. There are two modes of player versus player combat: three-on-three team battles and six-player free-for-all. Win/loss statistics are tracked for these matchs. Team matches encourage players to plan their attack strategies and experiment with various formations.

Characters
There are seven playable characters to play and players may switch characters between dungeons. Each character is leveled and equipped separately. Most equipment is character specific. Character choice is similar to class choice in most MMORPGs.


 * Elesis: Elesis is a Kanavan Knight and daughter of a Kanavan Tracker who never returned after he was dispatched to find KazeAze. Her reason for joining Grand Chase is to find her missing father who she loved. She uses powerful melee attacks. Easy to use combination attacks and average movement make this a good character choice for both beginners and experts. She is more notable for her ability to reflect arrows, which only one other advanced character, Arme, can do. Her alternate jobs are Spearman, Sword Master, and Savior.


 * Arme: Arme is a cheerful Mage from Serdin, the Kingdom of Magic. After hearing that KazeAze can dispatch powerful black magic, she joins Grand Chase in order to challenge her. She uses black magic as offense spell and white magic as defense spell. Most of her attacks are only effective as combos. She does have fast movement including a short-range teleport that is useful for getting behind her targets. Her alternate jobs are Alchemist, Warlock, and Battle Mage.


 * Lire: Lire is an Elf from Eryuell Island, a community famous for their combat skills, but they are naturally pacifistic and try to avoid becoming involved in Human conflicts. She is sent to join Grand Chase to prevent KazeAze's plan from happening, which threatens their island. She has the best jumping ability and a quick ranged attack, but her attack is difficult to aim for beginners. She is suitable for cancelling an enemy's combo or support from behind. Her alternate jobs are Crossbowman, Archranger, and Nova.


 * Lass: A mysterious young man who is possessed by KazeAze and is released from her grasp by Grand Chase. Upon recovery, his only memories are his name, and him being controlled by KazeAze. He joins the Grand Chase to atone for his sins caused by his hands under the control of KazeAze, which still lingers in his mind. Lass has the best mobility among all characters which allows swift and stealth attack, but is weak in terms of attack power and defense. His alternate jobs are Mercenary, Dark Assassin, and Striper. Lass is an extra character and must be unlocked by finishing a specific quest.


 * Ryan: A forest elf from Eryuell island living peacefully with animals, but after the war in Vermecia, most of the place has been destroyed and his beings are almost extinct. Hearing the calls of the nature, he trains with the spirit of his ancestors and joins Grand Chase to meet KazeAze and protect the forest with all his strength. Ryan is an extra character and must be unlocked by finishing a specific quest. Ryan is known for his ability to change into an animal and his brute force. Initially a Druid, his alternate jobs are Sentinel, Viken, and Xenocider. Currently available only to Korea, Taiwan, China, and Brazil servers.


 * Ronan: Ronan is the descendant of the Erudon Family, the legendary family of Spell Knights in Kanavan. He is sent on a secret mission by the queen of Kanavan to observe and assist the Grand Chase girls and attack KazeAze, but he is defeated and his soul is captured by KazeAze. After being released, he joins the Grand Chase. He uses knowledge of magic and his sword wielding attacks to quickly defeat foes. Ronan is an extra character and must be unlocked by finishing a specific quest. Ronan's only alternate job is Dragon Knight. The only server which does not have Ronan is the SEA server.


 * Amy: The seventh character of Grand Chase, she was recently released in the Korean server and little is known about her in the present moment. She uses a pair of Chakram and combines dancing with fighting.

Release
The game is in an Open Beta as of February 1st of 2008, but is completely playable. There are few known bugs and the designers seem to be focused on adding new content to bring the game to the full release that they desire.