EverQuest And Vanguard Creator Announces Pantheon

Have you been looking for an MMO to round out the less massive, woefully lonely aspects of your life? And not just any MMO, but The MMO, one that can be summed up using a checklist of vague yet overwhelmingly familiar elements? Well then, have I got a game for you (to Kickstart, naturally). Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has the pedigree of EverQuest and Vanguard developer Brad McQuaid behind it, but so far it doesn't have many other aces up its long, wizardly sleeves. Fast-ish-paced combat, teamwork, and old-school difficulty seem to be the big selling points. So it's a fantasy MMO with some slight tweaks to a withered and ancient formula. All well and good, but worth $800,000? Hmmmm.

Pantheon's definitely trending in a more old-school direction than, say, EverQuest Next or even The Elder Scrolls Online. It sounds like grouping will be necessary pretty much everywhere - even if you're just out adventuring. Solo play might be a viable path, but don't expect an exclamation-point-paved golden brick cakewalk. So kinda like EverQuest back in its early days. I remember those times rather fondly, though I'm not sure if that's what I want out of an MMO anymore. But to each their own, I suppose.

And the rest? Well, McQuaid and co summed it up in a list that could honestly apply to just about any MMO out there.

• An MMO developed by gamers who aren't afraid to target an audience of like-minded gamers.
• A fantasy themed Massively Multiplayer Role Playing game (MMO) with a heavy focus on character development, an immersive world, and teamwork.
• An MMO for players wanting a challenging and rewarding experience.
• An open world in which you explore to obtain not only more powerful items but also new spells and abilities.
• Travel where and when you want to in a non-linear world.
• A huge world to explore, trade, and adventure in.
• A complex back-story that players may gradually discover as they grow in power and explore the world.
• A constantly expanding and evolving world.
• Group-focused social gameplay using a class based system to encourage teamwork.
• Customize your class by bonding with the spirits of fallen warriors.
• Reactive combat where you can determine what the NPC is doing and react to it. (move, counter, deflect, etc.) .
• Combat will be challenging and involved - your decisions will matter and directly affect the battle's outcome.
• Travel the world and profit from selling exotic items collected from distant realms. Different cities and outposts may have local Bazaars.
• Limited and class based teleportation may get you close, but in order to reach many destinations you will have to traverse the planar scarred lands of Terminus through the use of your own two feet or on the back of your mighty steed.
• Earning experience is only part of what it takes to level up. Exploring the world you will gain knowledge and power allowing you to overcome more powerful enemies.

Yep. I can safely say that Pantheon will be a massively multiplayer role-playing videogame.

The game's deity-driven world of cataclysmic culture shock could be interesting, but it's not really looking that way yet. Pantheon just ascended to Kickstarter's hallowed halls, though. It's hardly in its home stretch. The best is surely yet to come, if it gets funding that is.

I can't say this one is doing much to win me over, but maybe it's different for some of you. Will Pantheon get any of your precious pennies?