How Bless Unleashed is Different from Bless Online

This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Xbox Wire.

We recently debuted Bless Unleashed at PAX West, where we showed off the game for the first time to the public. It was so exciting to see first impressions of our upcoming free-to-play MMORPG! While we were at PAX, we noticed some confusion between Bless Unleashed and an existing game Bless Online. We’re here to explain what’s different!

To learn more, check out this video from PAX West of Jason Park, Head of Development at Round 8 Studio. Round 8’s goal was to make a fantastic console MMO built in the same universe as Bless Online. To do this, they took some key elements but completely re-worked the game systems from the ground up.

One of the most significant differences is that the core gameplay is entirely new. Bless Unleashed uses a dynamic skill combo system with blocking and dodging mechanics. When you’re in combat, it plays out like an action game where you must be aware of your positioning and react accordingly. It’s both engaging and fun. Bless Online uses a traditional MMORPG hot bar combat system with built-in combos and tab-targeting.

Our game exists in the same universe as Bless Online and uses some of the base art assets, but we’ve incorporated a ton of changes so that it feels totally brand-new.

But wait, there’s more! Bless Unleashed features visually stunning graphics since it’s built using Unreal Engine 4 and supports 4K HDR displays. This is fully taken advantage of by the powerful Xbox One X. Bless Online was built on Unreal Engine 3.

We are so excited that Bless Unleashed will release next year first on Xbox One. Become an Xbox Insider for a chance to play in the upcoming betas. And, stay up-to-date on the latest Bless Unleashed news here!