A not entirely offensive game - in terms of locked off content (compared to a certain other game submitted to the portal in the last week).
A nice online RPG, but unfortunately, most of the quests I've come up against so far involve either killing X numbers of beasts or killing X numbers of beasts and then picking up Y amounts of loot that they drop.
In terms of enforced playtime, there is a mechanic whereby after exerting yourself for too long, you lose stamina and need to rest. Again, you can choose to purchase credits that will allow you to continue playing, but to be honest, I've never experienced such an event, and have been able to play for a protracted length of time - at least to be able to get a handle on the game itself.
I very much doubt it's a game I'd want to play though, because as I said, those quests can get pretty tedious.
But taking a step back and explaining how the game works, beginning on an island completely in the buff, you explore your surroundings and meet up with NPCs and take on quests. Partaking in said quests reward you with a trickle of cash (at my point in the game, about 15 gold per enemy) and various drops that you can equip, sell or trade (presumably in an intergrated player market). Completing quests reward you with various items or a sum of cash.
Combat is a matter of clicking an enemy to highlight it and then clicking again to engage it. Both parties beat each other until the other one dies or either retreats. With movement being point and click based, there are often moments where you might find yourself walking right up to your target instead of atacking. Skills can be obtained and either applied to grant various buffs and boosts or an in battle skill, such as heal techniques or an attack in exchange for a small amount of "TP" or energy.
As is to be expected with an MMO, there are a variety of shops and services your character can visit. These shops stock the usual fare - shields, canes and greaves, along with various, more desirable items only obtainable with the game's currency - gems. You begin with 5 single gems, but that from what I've played so far, that won't get you anything at all. Least of all a "standard pickaxe" that will allow you to raise gold coins the good old fashioned way.
Gems can be obtained in the usual manner - paying for them with real world cash, or interestingly, by paying a player through the player market for a "Gem Note" that can be redeemed. These notes are priced at around 500,000 gold coins for 20 gems and 2,500,000 gold coins for 100. Needless to say, they are a bit beyond my budget at the moment, and this can only get worse as players seek to profit from the need for gems. The current gem per dollar ratio ranges from 21 gems per dollar to 25 gems per dollar (approx). The touted "best value" deal comes with various presumably expensive in game items. That pickaxe mentioned earlier costs 10 Gems (though you start with a complimentary 5).
And that's pretty much it. You explore the world (divided up into several areas - areas which are locked off until you achieve a certain level), take on quests, battle monsters, pick up loot and sell it to the shops for more coin. I haven't found anything that resembles a main quest line yet, but the game does a pretty good job of leading you around the map as you take on the many tasks for the locals.
As for the presentation, the game is styled like a SNES RPG with simple but well done sprites, and the UI is relatively intuitive and complete, although the peaceful music that plays throughout my entire experience (there is no other incidental or battle music mind you or even sound effects) fits very well.
While this game is still supposedly in BETA, and you can expect to see marked improvements to the aformentioned areas, in it's current state (and from what I can bear to play at them moment - please prove me wrong in the reviews section if this is not the case), it seems relatively shallow. Nethertheless, it's a well made game, an acceptable example of a p2p game that a scrooge like myself can still enjoy.