MapleStory

MapleStory (Korean: 메이플스토리) is an online computer game first developed by the South Korean company Wizet in 2003. It is a side-scrolling, 2D MMORPG. It is client-based, which means that you must download the software in order to play the game. The software can be downloaded at the official MapleStory website. However, at almost 1GB, it is advisable to use a download manager to download the game. MapleStory is completely free to register and play, although there is a "Cash Shop" where players can use real-world money to buy items that aren't available through the in-game currency, Mesos.

The game does not contain any gore, excessive violence, or extremely frightening monsters. Beginners find that the game is not dark or violent, and that the environment is actually a sunny, friendly place with small snails and mushrooms as some of the monsters. Overall, gameplay is fairly simple: attack monsters, gain levels, attack stronger monsters. As players spend time in game level up, they can equip new weapons and clothes, gain more Mesos, and interact with others. Participants can also receive tasks, known as quests, from NPCs (Non-Player Characters) to earn additional rewards. MapleStory is noted for its statistic intensive planning, where one wrong allocation can set your character back a few levels, or infinitely at higher levels (the wrong choice in a skill, for example, can be completely wasted). Fortunately there are Cash Shop items to help undo the damage, but it comes with a price.

Several versions of the game are available for specific countries or regions, and each is published by various companies. There are localized versions for South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, South East Asia, Europe, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Vietnam. All other players play on the Global version. Within each version are various "worlds" that characters exist in. Players may create up to three characters in each world. In most versions, characters, items, and Mesos are not transferable between worlds, but Global added the ability to transfer characters between worlds with a Cash Shop item.

Although beginners may at first think the game is all about leveling up and hunting monsters, MapleStory is also a place to socialize. With the Maple Messenger, buddy lists, and guilds, MapleStory is a typical MMORPG, where users don't always have to hunt monsters and level up; they can take a break and chat whenever and to whomever they like.