Amongst the well-defined conventions of the MMORPG, Luminary stands out for being the exception to the norm. Instead of adopting the familiar war-torn fantasy setting made famous by World of Warcraft and other such titles, Luminary goes for a more child-friendly, and indeed user-friendly feel. Upon glancing at the game, the first thing that immediately jumps out is just how welcoming the world looks. The Lush green countryside and towns, all filled with friendly locals and cute animals, demonstrate that this is a game just begging to be enjoyed and explored. While hardcore MMORPG gamers might baulk at this notion of laid back gameplay through graphics, Luminary is a surprisingly versatile game that caters to the needs of all kinds of players.

For example, there’s less of an emphasis placed on levelling up, or as its known in MMO circles, ‘grinding’. Rather than merely engage in endless combat against CPU-controlled enemies, the path to improving your character can come about in multiple, non-violent ways. Luminary gives weight to the power of social interaction: where decisions between players can affect the whole world, rather than just the few making these choices for themselves. For example, the whole political ‘GoonZu’ element of Luminary allows players who work hard enough to earn said mythical title, the ability to set the market bonus for trading custom items. This is a choice which could affect the wealth and power of gamers playing in a mercantile role, who rely on making weapons, items and armour for sale, rather than using them for themselves to defeat enemies in battle. While there are combat bonuses in Luminary to be gained, the core gameplay is entirely inclusive, granting bonuses which benefit all types of playing styles. For example, you might consider logging onto the game to relax amongst the colourful scenery, rather than for a more concentrated session of levelling up or to engage in some competitive play against other players. Because it’s a free downloadable title without monthly subscription fees, there’s less of an incentive to push your character to the limits of their level, and less of a need to spend such time with them in order to justify the payment the MMO normally requires of its players. As such, Luminary encourages this more casual -that’s casual with a small ‘c’, see?- gameplay. The environment, with its attention to the detail of the natural and mythical Japanese landscape, certainly encourages this more social play, taking the MMORPG into new territory and gradually encouraging new kinds of players into what is perhaps the most daunting and devotional of genres.