Speaking of mouse clicks and key presses. You can play this game almost entirely on your keyboard which is pretty cool. The only time you really need to use the mouse is when you’re in the menuing system and on things like inventory, shopping etc. So that means less carpal tunnel and repetitive click syndrome (which my right index finger is currently suffering from, just not due to this title. The interface allows every button on a standard keyboard to be mapped to something. As the game is just getting ready for closed beta there are some things that seem like technical glitches (key configuration not working properly, menu windows not closable except by opening the menu and selecting the item again) but hey, it’s in beta like I said.

In regards to gaming areas there are plenty and the creatures that you run up against are diverse. But what does seem a little flat to me is the almost utter lack of mission variety. There are three standard missions that I saw: go kill some number of something and go collect some number of something (done by killing some number of something) and take item A to person/place B. I’m assured that when more people get into the game it will be more fun and diverse, but without more mission types I don’t really know how that could be. Perhaps they will have PvP, of course that only appeals to people who like that sort of thing and I’m not really one of them.

Since almost every mission requires you to fight we should talk about the fighting system. It is fairly robust and each of the major classes in the game has a fair variety of attacks that are available as you level your character up. Some of them are extremely cool including launching and enemy into the air and spinning to keep hitting them while they’re up there. You can continue this until you drop them or they die. Later, if you drop them you can relaunch them from the ground where they’re prone and do it all over again. Of course it might not work on all enemies and so you have to be sure to balance your attacks so you have other tricks up your sleeves.

The amount of armor and weapons in the game is also rather impressive but nothing compared to a game where users are generating new content at all times. Each class has specific items and most items have specific levels when you can use them. All common fare for these types of MMORPG games.

Looking back at an interview I did with Max Stolberg the producer I remember him saying that Dragonica would stand out because it was "un to play, fun to watch and just really rich in content." Well it is fun to play, but the richness of content seems to still be in the works and on the thin side. I’m sure that as the game moves forward through closed beta to open beta and then release the gameplay will surely expand what with marriages, housing, guilds and PvP contests all getting their own piece of the pie. Who knows, you might even see me fighting face-to-face with other players because I do quite enjoy the gameplay.

The Dragonica Closed Beta begina 13 May. GDN is giving away 400 keys starting this weekend. So be sure to get your entry in today as they’re sure to go fast when we open the flood gates.