Although RPGs are ostensibly about playing a particular role, a fundamental requirement is that you continually become stronger. It doesn’t matter whether you play Dragon Age Origins, Baldur’s Gate 3, or even Disco Elysium, the idea that eventually you will be stronger or more capable than you currently are is a tenet of the fantasies they embody. . Brighter shoresthe new RPG from RuneScape creator Andrew Gower, dares to do it differently, and it’s fair to say that it hasn’t been very well received by fans. In response, the developer took to Steam to justify its decision in the face of this backlash, begging players to “please give it a chance.”

The problem comes from the episodic structure in place in Brighter shores. When you start in this field RPG you’ll choose a class and level up throughout the first episode, as is normal for a game of this type. The problem for fans is what happens when you reach the second episode, and every episode thereafter. Instead of continuing to level up, you choose a new class and begin your journey again. You can continue with your previous class, but only by returning to the chapter related to that particular one – progress earned there won’t necessarily carry over to the rest of the game.

It’s fair to say that this structure is controversial, with fans expressing dismay at the idea of ​​starting over when progressing through the game. Developer Fen Research Ltd is aware of this, however, and has taken to Steam to explain its reasoning. “I would just like to reassure you that your hard work to improve your professions is definitely NOT erased, reset, or rendered useless when you watch a new episode!” Gower’s studio writes. “Your existing professions from Episode 1 remain intact and are still useful whenever you are in Hopeport. You will find that you are still returning to Hopeport regularly and using and progressing further in these professions.

“It is NOT intended that you first ‘finish’ episode 1, then move on to episode 2, and never return to episode 1 again. Instead, it is relatively easy to progress to each new episode, but even when you’ve reached the last episode, you’re far from done. Instead, you can choose one of the episodes you have unlocked at any time and continue progressing through that episode,” the developer continues.

“The episodes are also strongly linked to each other, so you’ll regularly find yourself jumping back and forth between them. For example: you can use your fight from Episode 3 to kill monsters to obtain potion reagents. You can then take these reagents back to Episode 1 to make potions, which you will then use in Episode 4. Once you reach Episode 3, you can also start crafting your own weapons that you can ” set” to use them in ALL episodes 1. through 4, further linking the back and forth between episodes and allowing you to quickly prepare in episode 4.”

The developer also appeals to fans to “please give it a chance”, stating that “all of our testing has shown that once you get used to it, unlocking a new profession of Fighting every now and then actually gets quite fun.”

Despite its robust defense, the Brighter Shores developer is also promising some changes. The first is already active, with player levels now showing both individual episodic progression as well as a combined total. New challenges will also arrive in the future, which will require progress over several episodes, and the information in the game will be modified to be clearer.

Brighter Shores is now available for free in Early Access. So if you want to form your own opinion on this episodic system, it won’t cost you anything to try it. You can keep up to date with the game with the latest blog post, here here.

If you prefer to try something else, our guides best fantasy games and the best MMORPGs will help you find your perfect play accompaniment.

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