(C) FIAA GmbH
Rumours of a Bible MMO have been greatly exaggerated. The Bible Online: Chapter 1 – The Heroes looks to be less than its source material might promise. Players assume the role of Abraham and (somehow) his descendants; this last being perhaps the most interesting feature mentioned. I’m not sure how they could incorporate that into the MMO-sphere, but I’d be interested to see how they did (the screenshot above may give some small clue).
I had initially hoped for a Sword and Sandal epic in glorious 3D, but so far we have what looks like a particularly insipid RTS. I get that you can play it online, but I’m not sure that makes it Massively Multiplayer. Apparently RPG elements will also feature, but these are not yet represented on the rather barren website.
One should not imagine The Bible Online to inhabit the same space as juggernauts such as World of Warcraft, or even smaller residents such as Warhammer Online; rather, it belongs to the surprisingly large but still unexplored (by me) world of free, browser-based MMO’s. Publisher FIAA have two other games on the market: FPS Operation 7 and traditional, fantasy RPG Kalos War. FIAA are situated in Germany, so perhaps the information on their website holds up better in their native tongue, but descriptions of Kalos War – itself incorporating Judaeo-Christian history and mythology in an interesting manner – include the following:
The elders of the Presbyterian Vanadin El Lathir of the Elf lost the Holy Sword that was kept in a secret place. Worried that this may break the current truce, Vanadin and his companions began to trace the whereabouts of the secret mark.
The Bible Online‘s site contains much less information at the moment, although it appears news bureaus were issued with a press release of some sort. This garnered attention from the boys at Penny Arcade, who (although they seem to have mistaken Genesis for Exodus) responded in the expected manner.
via Jerry “Tycho Brahe” Holkins ‘Remove Sandals 0/2‘, Penny Arcade (30/8/10)