Games worth discovering

Want to ride rhinos and visit magic libraries? Tarisland is a mobile MMO you don't want to miss

4K View2023-11-23

SHOULD I PLAY TARISLAND?

MMO fans will definitely want to keep an eye on Tarisland, especially if they’ve been looking for a game they can play on the go. During the closed beta, I had the chance to test the game on Android and PC, and both versions are shaping up to be really solid. From its vibrant open world to its simple but addictive gameplay, it’s easy to get lost in Tarisland.

Tarisland will have an open beta in the future, so if you want to try this fantasy MMO for yourself, make sure to pre-register on TapTap. To see more of the game, check out our video review.

TIME PLAYED

I played approximately nine hours of Tarisland, splitting my time between my phone and my PC. During that time, I got to test out three of the nine currently available classes. I also finished plenty of quests, battled all kinds of bosses, picked up a profession, and traveled all over the world. I even had the chance to ride a rhino! There’s already a ton to do in Tarisland, and it seems like the final version of the game will have even more content.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT TARISLAND?

• Switching from mobile to PC is a breeze. The best thing about Tarisland is that I never had to stop playing. I was able to seamlessly transition between playing on my PC to my phone, and that meant I could always take my game with me. I could finish a few quests while I was out with friends or challenge a dungeon while I was snuggled up in bed. There are minimal differences between the mobile and PC versions of the game, and that made me want to play on both devices.

• Fantastic selection of classes. Classes can make or break an MMO, so I’m pleased to report that Tarisland has tons to choose from. There’s a great range of options here, from tanks and damage dealers to support classes. Some classes, like Priest, can switch between different roles, like damage dealer and healer, which makes it easier to put together a balanced party.

I wasn’t able to test every class, but I did get to try out three of them: Mage, Priest, Phantom Priest. Even though I played with two types of priests, every class felt distinct. My favorite of the three was definitely Phantom Priest; it felt awesome to summon an army of shadow warriors in the heat of battle.

• Fun, varied gameplay. The combat in Tarisland is on the simplistic side, but since the game offers so much variety, I never had a chance to get bored. I was constantly traveling to new locations, which meant there were always different monsters for me to battle. Quests and dungeons can be completed quickly, so I never got sick of what I was doing.

What surprised me most about Tarisland was how much there was for me to do outside of combat. Sure, I fought plenty of monsters, but I also got to solve puzzles in a magic library and launch magic arrow sneak attacks on an unsuspecting army. At one point, I even got to take control of an entirely different character. Lots of MMOs make you do the same thing over and over again, but Tarisland was always switching things up.

WHAT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT IN TARISLAND?

• NPC animations don’t sync up with voice acting. There’s some solid voice acting in Tarisland, but it doesn’t always match up with what’s happening on screen. Characters would often finish a line, then silently move their mouth for a few seconds before moving on to the next line. This wound up being pretty distracting, especially during sections with a lot of dialogue.

• There’s no way to dodge attacks. While I was able to avoid attacks by moving out of an enemy’s range, Tarisland doesn’t have a dedicated dodge ability. This frequently made combat feel clunky, especially when I was running away from the same attacks over and over again. What’s especially frustrating is that I was frequently prompted to dodge during battles. I was constantly being reminded of a tool I didn’t have access to.

• The story has a few gaping holes. Tarisland felt fairly smooth for the first hour or two, but after that, it became increasingly obvious that the game just isn’t done yet. Cutscenes felt incredibly fragmented, and sometimes the plot would jump from one point to another with no explanation. This isn’t a huge deal—the game’s still in beta, after all—but I don’t have a good sense of what the finished narrative will feel like.