14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Online Entertainment has released details on a new MMO it is planning to release, one aimed at the big crowd of kids that are not interested in killing orcs in World of Warcraft and that would rather play something tamer and, Sony thinks, more family friendly.
Free Realms is being developed with kids from 9 to 14 years of age in mind, but it is also aimed at their parents and siblings. There's almost no combat in the game, especially in the early portions that are now being polished, and Sony believes that this will be a refreshing change. The main activities that the player will undertake in the game are pet raising, housing and mini-games. Combat is only going to be featured rarely and when the game deems it appropriate.
As the player creates an account in the game, he will adopt a pet, which he will have to take care of, and will get a basic house. Much of the initial experience revolves around customizing that house with different objects and artifacts. Sony plans to create a variety of minigames in the game world, most of them resulting in something that can later be used in the house. There will be Cooking Mama like games, where the player can create an object by performing a few basic actions and there will also be challenges in which more players compete for the same piece of art or furniture. All the objects that a player gets will then be available for trading with other players and even for donation.
The game will also feature some rhythm-based mini-games that are connected through the idea of in-game bands. The players will associate to create a band and then they can compete against other bands for fame and prizes; in this respect, the developers are talking of creating more contests and activities than any other MMO game out there has.
And if that wasn't enough, the game is also going to feature a trading card game, based around the notion that players will be able to use a special gun to turn certain in-game animals into cards.
The only question left pending now is whether all this is enough to make Free Realms succeed where the likes of EA Land have failed, meaning, in making a MMO that is hugely attractive to kids and parents alike.