Introduction

Aeria Games is one of the few free-to-play MMORPG publishers that consistently pushes out solid title after solid title. If you're unfamiliar with the studio, then just know that they've put out gems such as Elsword, A.V.A., Grad Fantasia and Battlefield Heroes, just to name a few. Needless to say, their track record speaks volumes within the F2P community, and thus, when they announced Aura Kingdom was their next big project, fans were quite pleased with what they would have to offer with the forthcoming anime-esque massively multiplayer roleplaying game.

Aura Kingdom is a game that is said to appeal to both genre vets and newbies alike. With a colorful aesthetic, heavenly inspired by Japanese manga and animation, the game is bright, fluid and rich in visual fidelity. Yet, an MMO has to be more than just a fancy window dressing; it has to keep players logging in day after day. Therefore, gameplay is what's of the most importance with this category of games. To that end, Aura Kingdom is said to have us covered: its combat is traditional yet balanced, comes with eight classes upon launch and allows for dual-spec'ing, enabling players to essentially learn two classes and use both sets of skills to forge their own path within the game's world.

As a potential heavyweight contender for F2P championship, we here at Hardcore Gamer wanted to let our readers in on what to expect from the title when it goes into open beta. As of just yesterday, the game is in, what Aeria is calling, "Founder's Beta," which can only be bought into. While we have our own thoughts about essentially buying in to play a game that isn't fully tested, it nevertheless is becoming a trend within the community. So, right now the game is only open to those willing to drop at least $50; however, the Founder's Beta is said to only last a short period and will be followed up by a closed beta. From there, it will go into open beta at which time anyone will be eligible to download and play.

But we know that people are busy -- especially this time a year. And as a result, we don't want you to waste your time on a game that isn't worthwhile. So, we will be liveblogging out time with Aura Kingdom, to bring you the full scoop on what you can expect if you're wanting to get down on the newest free-to-play hotness.

So, without any further ado, sit back, relax and enjoy the sweet serenades of my intoxicating words about my time within the world of Aura Kingdom.


[liveblog]