Something big is brewing at Citadel Studios today. The Legends of Aria developer has a big announcement about the final round of beta testing, and a massive graphics overhaul that changes everything about the visuals.
To add to the fun, the team is doing an internet scavenger hunt, where fans look for unique pieces of before and after art tucked away on gaming websites, or being shown by streamers in the first few minutes of a Legends of Aria stream. The first player to find the location of all of the hidden pieces will receive a top level Founders Pack, a $90 value. Also internet fame. Which is clearly the best kind of fame, and should not be confused with internet infamy, which is definitely something you don’t want.
At this point, we should probably note that Marooners’ Rock is a participant in this scavenger hunt. We can’t say exactly where the screenshot is hidden, of course. But perhaps our PAX East preview of Legends of Aria might be of interest?
All of this, including a major combat overhaul earlier this month, is leading up to the game’s open beta and Kickstarter early access launches later this summer. One final character wipe will precede these events, the final cycle of destruction and renewal presaging the birth of a new MMORPG. That’s just the appetizer though, as a Steam launch is tentatively scheduled for sometime in the fall. Citadel is generally scheduling this in a “When it’s done” manner, so some of those dates may slip.
We wish everyone the best of luck in their searches. Legends of Aria is definitely shaping up to occupy an interesting place in the MMO space, and we’re excited to see where it goes. In a gaming landscape filled with themeparks, it’s nice to see a new game emerging that truly embraces the big world approach of classic MMOs.
