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http://c9.hangame.com/

Continent of the Ninth is a Korean MMORPG developed by NHN Games and published by Hangame. It is free to play (incredibly), however the game is only available in Korean at the moment. While it is likely that publisher Hangame will localize the title, an English version of the game cannot be expected any time soon.

What is obvious about C9 from the get-go is the title’s fantastic look. The graphical presentation is top notch, and the combat looks nothing short of stunning. There are three races/ classes in Continent of the Ninth, (and several sub-branches within each class), but as is the case with MMORPGs, more classes (and content) will be made available in future updates/patches.

• Fighters: They wield a sword and shield, fight at close-range, and have plenty of HPs. These are your standard MMORPG meat-shield.
• Hunters: Wield bows and daggers. A bit more nimble, they have both long range and close range attacks.
• Shaman: Fight with staffs. They have relatively low HPs compared to the previous two classes, but they deal good damage, and can fight from both long and close range.

http://c9.hangame.com/

Despite the combat videos which seem to suggest spectacular action-heavy solo play, adventurers can form parties of up to four people, which of course give them a significant advantage during combat. To remedy this, the game is designed to allow player parties to change dungeon difficulties, (there are four difficulties to choose from), which can make dungeons much harder to complete, but more rewarding should it be conquered.

Continent of the Ninth has been in development since 2006, meaning NHN has put about three years of work into this title. The results are clear, as the game is absolutely fantastic in motion. There is a great sense of speed and fluidity as player characters fight mobs and one another, and the flashy, over-the-top attacks and skills are heavily reminiscent of console action games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. Perhaps because C9 is an action MMORPG, a better comparison might be to Square-Enix’s Kingdom Hearts series, which incorporates many RPG conventions with flashy, over the top attacks and combos.

http://c9.hangame.com/

Perhaps C9’s only real flaw is what is called the stamina bar, which unfortunately prevents players from playing in dungeons when it is depleted. It is restored at 7 A.M. Korean time every day, but because there is no open world to fight in, (the game comprises mostly of instanced dungeons and the townships), the stamina system limits the gameplay and experience growth to an inconvenient degree.

Mind you, without stamina, players can still do PvPs, survival arenas, and invade other player’s dungeons, so player still have a few gameplay outlets.

Nonetheless, NHN definitely has an impressive title in its hands. We can only wait anxiously for Hangame to localize the title. Unless of course, players wish to live dangerously and attempt the seriously illegal act of obtaining a Korean Social Security Number. If you happen to have one (We won’t ask you where or how), check out the Continent of the Ninth fan-site forum for a run-down of how to sign up.

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