Rakion: Chaos Force/Gameplay

Rakion is an free-to-play, real-time, three-dimensional, fantasy action, room-based online game developed by the South Korean company Softnyx.

History
Rakion began with "closed" beta testing, which ran from August 11 to 25, 2005, in a limited group of countries (which included the United States, the UAE and, at a later date, Europe).

It switched from development to open beta testing on October 13, 2005; running to and releasing on December 1, 2005. At this point, the game began to follow a similar model to Softnyx's other MMOG, GunBound, where users could purchase "Softnyx Cash" with real-world currency and spend it on "Power User" status (which offers various benefits and unlocks further in-game purchases) or powerful, cash-only items.

On October 16th, 2008. The creators announced that they have gone gold and the game will be pay to play exclusively by the year 2009.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Rakion is similar to that of most third or first-person shooter games. Players use the WASD keys to move their character around the map, and the camera controls are third-person shooter style. The mouse is used for controlling the camera and attacking.

There are five different game modes: Stage, Team Deathmatch, Solo Deathmatch, Boss War, and Golem War. A level limit may be selected when making a game. There is also a "Basic Mode" option in games, which ignores added stats.

Each class has a melee set and ranged set of attacks.

Classes
In Rakion, a player may choose from five classes when creating a character: Warriors, Archers, Mages, Blacksmiths, and Ninjas. Characters can transform into "chaos mode," a temporary enhancement acquired after attaining a certain number of kills.

Warrior
Warriors use a longsword to deal melee damage and a throwing knife as a ranged attack. In chaos mode, warriors become blue humanoids with a double-sided sword that can be forcefully slashed in quick succession.

Archers
Archers use a gladius-like weapon to deal melee damage. However, the primary weapon for archers is their ranged weapon: a bow capable of firing arrows, the most effective projectiles in-game. In chaos mode, archers transform into a white, angelic figure that uses a bow with the capability of firing five powerful arrows at once that will throw the enemy a considerable distance upon impact.

Blacksmith
Blacksmiths use a war hammer as their melee attack and throwing axes as their ranged attack. In chaos mode, Blacksmiths become golem-like and carry a flail which can be swung in large arcs.

Ninja
Ninjas use a jitte, a weak but fast weapon, as their melee attack. They throw shurikens as their ranged attack. In chaos mode, ninjas become red, demonic figures with large amounts of splash damage.

Mage
Mages use a staff for their melee attacks. It can be used to cast a variety of spells. The ranged weapon is a short wand that can cast ranged spells. In chaos mode, the mage summons a giant puppet that it controls. The puppet has upgraded spells. The mage update that will take effect October 31, 2008 (part of the Hallow's Eve Scare-Fest) will allow the mage to summon a giant skeleton that is capable of throwing jack-o-lanterns as well as having fist fights with the golems in Golem Wars. After the update it is unknown whether he will keep this ability. Other class updates to be announced.

Game Modes
Excluding Stage mode, which puts all players on the same team, all of the game modes are PvP-based. Both the number of rounds and round-time-limits can be set. There are four types of PvP games in Rakion. The game will automatically balance the teams after a round. In both team and solo deathmatches, dead players respawn after 5 seconds. The Deathmatch modes have healing capsules and books that provide cell points; the other modes do not.


 *  Deathmatch (Solo): Solo Deathmatch is a free-for-all variation of team deathmatch. All players are on their own and the first player to achieve a specified amount of kills is declared the winner.


 *  Deathmatch (Teamplay): Almost the same as Solo Deathmatches, except that players are separated into teams.


 * Golem War: Players are assigned to a team in this mode. Each team has a Master Golem. Located somewhere in the map is the Golden Golem. The objective is to destroy the opponent's Master Golem, but only the person that kills the Gold Golem can do significant damage to the other team's Master Golem. To prevent teams "stealing" the Gold Golem from each other, it has separate health for each team. Unlike the other PvP modes, slain players do not respawn, and a team can also lose when everyone is killed. If the time runs out and both Master Golems are still alive, the team with the Golem with more health wins the round.


 * Boss War: This is a team-based headhunter fight. Each team has a player who's the "boss" that they must protect at all costs; if the boss dies the team loses the game.


 * Stage: A co-operative game mode for 1 to 4 players (depending on the stage) that lets you play a PvE mission. After completing a stage, you get a grade ranging from S to D, depending on how fast you completed the objective. They are a good source of experience among players. Stages can not be repeated for more rewards, but can be redone for a higher rank.


 * Basic Mode: A setting which can be assigned to any non-stage game. All players' stats are as if they were level 1 for the duration of the game. No cells can be summoned in this mode aside from the lowest level cell, the Nak. Stats from equipment still applies.

Items
Rakion operates an in-game store, through which players can purchase various items using Gold and Cash. Gold can be earned by playing stages and multiplayer games. Items available for purchase include equipment, cells, potions, and item-upgrading material.

Most equipment and cells have level restrictions. Players must achieve the correct level to be able to use them. Potions, which do not have level requirements, have various effects, such as: restore health, restore armor, knock enemies back, give chaos points, or restore Cell Points.

One of Rakion's main features include "cells." Cells are creatures that can be summoned in games. They also appear as enemies in stages. Cells are capable of leveling up, just like a player. To summon a cell, a player must attain Cell Points by killing other cells, players, golems, or using potions. Each cell requires a certain amount of Cell Points to summon; with each cell level-up, the Cell Points required to summon it increases. Players may summon a maximum of three cells in a game.

Profanity filter
Saying profanities in-game causes the chat system to automatically replace them with the word "LOVE." Many players, though, are able to bypass this filter and continue their use of profanities.