I don't remember how, but I found this game a while ago and for some time I was quite addicted. Eventually the permadeath frustrated me to such an extent that I stopped playing, but just today I thought I'd try it again and I
do like it.
Basically, you make a character, level up for a while, and then kill some gods. Though it doesn't take more than a couple of hours to reach the maximum level of 20, it's really really easy to stupidly stray into a dangerous area and suddenly die. You can instantly teleport to safety at any time, but sometimes it just happens so fast - you have to do it before you're surrounded, because a bunch of tough monsters will kill even a maxed character very quickly.
The game is very strongly based around cooperative fighting. There's no PvP and everybody nearby when a monster is killed gets the EXP reward for it. People often form large parties and rape everything in their way, which is a very fast and safe way to level.
The aim of the game is to get strong, get some good equipment and then kill monsters until a certain quota is reached, at which point everyone online is warped to the chamber of Oryx the Mad God. While he's very tough, however, he's really just a simulacrum of the
real Oryx, who can be found in the wine cellar below. He's twice as strong and kills maxed characters in a single hit. He drops extremely good equipment, though.
Combat is very simple but fun. You run around, hold down the mouse button and aim at monsters. Basic attacks don't cost ammo or magic points, you just shoot. Each class (of which there are many to unlock) has a special ability requiring class-specific ability items, though, and these cost Mana to perform. Wizards, for example, have a blast attack, and Priests heal.
What annoys me, as I mentioned, is the permanent death. If you screw up and die, your character is erased. You lose your level and other players will pilfer your gear, unless you get back to it fast enough. You do have a small chest to store items in (and you can pay $$$ for more), but mostly you'll be using your best items. What you do get from dying, however, is persistent Fame. The more you do while you're alive - the higher your level, the more stats you max, the more gods you kill - the more Fame you're awarded when you die. You also get bonus fame for things like accuracy or not using your special ability.
There are a few useful things you can buy for small amounts of Fame, but the only thing I really care about is the Amulet of Resurrection, which costs 13,500. I earnt about 500 Fame in my first week of playing, so it's quite expensive. I want to play more and try to save up for it, but I'm a little anxious - I've got this nagging feeling it might be single-use. Which would be stupid at such a price, but I don't want to waste all that time if that's the case...
Anyway. I didn't mean to write such a long post, so:
tl;dr: this game's a bit frustrating but I really like it and if you don't gtfo.
http://realmofthemadgod.com
Realm of the Mad God
