I would consider myself a casual gamer, ever since I graduated from university and began working sometime in 2019.

Back in university, I used to play video games more regularly, with more time in between and after classes.

My childhood was somewhat filled with games - I started playing console games such as Pokemon at a pretty young age, whenever my relatives would lend me their GameBoys.

When I was 10, I started playing PC games too. There was this really popular MMO at the time that everyone was playing, and I was really obsessed with it. Had slimes and mushrooms in it.

What it was, I can’t seem to recall.

I received my first handheld console when I was 12 -- a Nintendo DS -- after PSLE was over. For a long time, handheld games became my new love, until my NDS stopped working a couple of years ago.

These days, I’ve been mostly playing console games on my Nintendo Switch when I’m at home.

While it’s technically a handheld console as well, I don’t really bring it outside as it’s pretty bulky.

I became a mobile game-hopper a while back, having tried a few games but was never able to settle down on one.

When a coworker suggested that I try out MapleStoryM for work, I hopped onto the opportunity and offered to play and review it. After all, the game’s been out for two years and I’ve always thought about trying it out but never really did.

Plus, getting paid to play a game? Sign me up.

Also, the game looked pretty familiar for some reason. Wonder why.

Trying out MapleStoryM for the first time

As the game was downloading, there was a little mini-game that I could play while waiting.

Had a lot to do with jumping around the map and collecting things, like an obstacle course, or a jump quest.

It came to me naturally, like I had done this hundreds of times in the past. Hmm.

When it came to character creation and job selection, there were probably more options to choose from than the university courses I could pick after receiving my A-level results.

In fact, MapleStoryM Global has just launched a new job, the Demon Avenger, which is under the Demon class.

While I’ve not had the chance to try out the new character, it looks pretty promising, according to players on the South Korean server.

Players can also obtain in-game rewards by participating in the ongoing Demon Avenger Growth Support Event, ending on Jan. 12, 2021.

Gameplay

I picked an archer, a class that I was most familiar with, having played as one in other MMOs.

It didn’t take me long to get the hang of things, thanks to the tutorial at the start of the game.

Auto-quest and Auto-battle are also options that players could use at times.

As there are many servers and channels available, it seemed rare to meet other players in-game. However, there were occasions when I ended up sharing maps with others as we were on the same quest.

There are also raids for parties and solo players available, but playing a couple hours for a week hasn’t gotten me far enough to get to those yet.

The storyline has been pretty interesting though, as I’ve been following the quest line most of the time.

Thoughts

Before I knew it, I was subconsciously launching the app minutes after waking up, to get in a few minutes of gameplay and setting up the auto-play function before I got on with my life for the day.

Being a mobile game, it’s much easier to play the game in small, short windows of free time that I have throughout the day compared to PC and console games, where I normally have to devote at least a couple of hours in a single sitting to make decent progress.

If I was still a student with lots of free time, perhaps I may prefer PC and console games, which are often more elaborate and sophisticated.

However, as a working adult with much less time but still wanting to play games, perhaps mobile games are more sustainable and less taxing.

Of course, with the mobile games market booming, it’s a paradise for consumers like us with a wide array of well-developed games to pick from.

Entertaining, easy to learn

Having tried out a few other mobile games, MapleStoryM may not be the most sophisticated or entertaining one out there, but I’m likely to keep playing it for a pretty long time.

While the game mechanics are relatively simple compared to many other games, the game gets gradually more challenging as players start to gear up for late-game bosses.

Compared to other mobile games, such as MOBAs, MapleStoryM itself relies less on its multiplayer functions, allowing players to immerse themselves in the game without needing to rely on other players to progress.

Multiplayer, but less toxic

One challenge I faced while playing MOBAs was dealing with toxic players who would rage quit during matches, or perhaps, have terrible Internet connection.

That said, the multiplayer function is still pretty cool if you have friends to do raids with.

Another feature about MapleStoryM is its old-school, 2D-scrolling graphics.

While many mobile games these days are highly sophisticated with their 3D graphics and whatnot, such games consume a lot more energy than you may like.

Such games do crash and lag at times due to bugs as well, more than I’d have liked them to. (I’m looking at you, G*****n I****t.)

On the other hand, while MapleStoryM’s graphics may not be as beautiful or immersive as some games, I’ve never experienced any lag or crashing issue in my week-long experience with it. I can’t speak for everyone, but the gameplay has been much smoother than I expected it to be.

Also, the graphics remind me of my childhood for some reason. It’s like I’ve played it years ago, but I can’t seem to put my finger on it.

Oh well. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go grind some more.

If you’d like to try out MapleStoryM too, click here for more information about the game.

This sponsored article has made this writer suddenly suffer from childhood amnesia for commercial reasons.