Salem MMO Will Be Free To Play

If you’ve put your dragon to bed for the day and are tired of trawling the unknown reaches of space for any spare change that fell down the back of Alpha Centauri, then perhaps you are ready for an MMO with a difference?  Paradox Interactive have just announced an unusual entry into the MMO playground with a sort of historical based game set in the colonial days of Salem.  Colonists will be able to use a crafting, farming, and building system which is inspired by 17th century alchemy and have to carve out a life for themselves in the harsh reality of the New World.  Developed by Seatribe, the game will be free to play and, in a controversial move, includes a permanent death feature.  Yep, so if you’re burned at the stake for having a mole in the wrong place, expect tears at bedtime because there are no respawns.

The mechanic has been introduced to ramp up the risk element, and presumably add a sense of realism as you take control of towns and get stuck into the open PvP environment.  Some colonial style ultraviolence is certainly on the cards then and Tom Söderlund, Project Lead for Paradox Connect – the platform on which Salem will be released – had this to say:

“If your character is killed in the game, and believe me it can be dangerous in Salem, their descendant has the ability to pick up where your character left off. The concept of revenge and towns policing themselves and even sanctioning hits on griefers is going to be a really compelling aspect. We know we’ll see some interesting things when the community finally has a chance to play Salem later this year.”

It sounds pretty unforgiving but the permanent death feature will certainly add a sense of trepidation… although how well this will translate for new players who will presumably be at the mercy of sadistic fellow colonists is another matter.  Still, an intriguing choice of setting for the those who prefer their games on the historical side and the fact that it is free may encourage those resting from WoW and the like to take a holiday… albeit a dangerous sounding one.

More info can be found on the offical site and Facebook pages:

Website: http://www.paradoxplaza.com/games/salem
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SalemGame




Last five articles by GL News

  

9 Comments

  1. Edward Edward says:

    Sounds like a really interesting feature, actually. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

  2. Samuel Samuel says:

    Am I the only person looking at this and wondering who the hell thought that The Crucible was an awesome basis for an MMO?

    Spoiler: Everybody goes into hysterics and all the women die!

  3. Lorna Lorna says:

    It’ll all be going fine until someone sees Goody Proctor with the devil and then the shit will hit the fan. The game will be left with one player holding a burning torch, thinking, awww bugger.

  4. Samuel Samuel says:

    The follow up game is already in the works; The Grapes of Wrath Online.

  5. Samuel Samuel says:

    I just realised nobody outside of my English Literature class at college would get that joke… we did Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath the term after Miller’s Crucible.

    Why the hell do I even remember that still? That was nearly 11 years ago ffs.

  6. Mark R MarkuzR says:

    You’re clearly faaaar too young if you think that remembering something that trivial from 11 years ago is odd! I remember such ridiculously pointless things as being seven and a half years old in Primary 4 and our teacher giving out a load of unwanted library books to the class, as long as they were able to guess what they were from a few clues. I guessed “Quatermass” correctly and Linda Hogan, who was behind me playing with my hair, asked me what it was about and I had to explain to her… but I recall everything about it. I remember what the teacher was wearing, I remember who else was sitting directly around me and even remember the frieze that was on the wall at the time. It’s ridiculous really. Life’s like that though, but it’s not until you reach a certain age before you realise just how profound it is to remember such non events, with meticulous detail, as though they had just happened the previous day.

  7. Samuel Samuel says:

    I occasionally remember things from when I was two or three, but those memories are memorable for their violence. Random trips back in time to English Lit and spending long afternoons amusing my classmates by reading out the books and acting out the characters is something of an odd thing to find myself recalling. Seems like a lifetime ago.

    In some ways, the memories of the happier times are even more depressing than the memories of the crap times.

    Anyway! Back to Fleetwood Mac! Ennui be gone!

  8. FC360 says:

    Sounds like my kinda game, been after a game where if you die that’s it your dead for awhile I hate games that say their as close to real life as possible but yet if you die you just start from the last checkpoint.

  9. Vances says:

    I see that this game could well work, seeing as it is similar to Haven and Hearth (a very successful survival simulation mmorpg). Infact i think it might be made by the same company… but back to my point, played that and still am playing it and loving the new updates in it…looking forward to Salem too as I think the set time period is a step forward for any game of this genre.

Leave a Comment