Sticking to the main theme of the Game Developers Conference 2009, developer MindFuse Games and public relations company TriplePoint introduced to GamersInfo.net Gatheryn, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game that blends rich storytelling, adventuring and socializing primarily via in-game casual games and — of course — microtransactions and subscription capabilities.

The most interesting aspect of Gatheryn is its theme: The game takes place in a world of Victorian Steampunk. If you’re unfamiliar with Steampunk, it refers to works set in a world or time when steam power was widely used but was supplemented with technologies or capabilities of today. Wild Wild West — the TV show or movie — and many works of H.G. Wells are examples of Steampunk.

Gatheryn is a downloadable game that starts with you creating your character, an OutWorlder that goes to Elymia Island to prosper and thrive in its advanced steam-technology world. The character creation system is what developers used to create non-player characters, so there is a lot of customizability. The tutorial for Gatheryn takes place on an airship as you fly to Elymia. Once you’re there, you also can get your own house and a pet — either a real animal or a robotic/clockwork mechanical animal that requires care — and both also are customizable. Once you’ve progressed further in the game or have gained (or used real money to buy) enough in-game currency, the customization options rival those of any virtual world.

However, Gatheryn is not a virtual world. It’s an MMORPG with casual games scattered throughout. The developers all have backgrounds in casual gaming, and that’s why Gatheryn is loaded with casual games, which all help progress the story and gain you more experience or in-game currency. Many of the games are flash games in the game, but some are not. The developers will be adding at least one new game per month. The few games I saw were rather standardish casual games, and it seems as though they start easy and get harder the further you progress.

Besides the casual games, Gatheryn also has campaigns and quests that help further the storyline. There is an overarching plot that ties everything together and will eventually let the player in on how Elymia Island came about with its technological advances and seemingly marvelous way of life. You’ll just have to play to discover what that plot is. Tossed throughout the world are collectibles and hidden objects for players to pick up and use in other casual games or for selling/creating.

Currently Gatheryn has only Elymia Island, but MindFuse says it wants to expand and eventually have an archipelago with many connected islands. About one-third of Elymia are cities; the rest include beaches, farmland, vineyards, orchards, etc. The game also has varying weather, which is randomized daily according to particular events in the game. For example, during an Independence Day celebration, MindFuse would make sure it doesn’t rain. And if it does rain on other days, there may be an abundance of or sales on umbrellas.

The look of Gatheryn is interesting. It has mail kiosks that have vacuum-based delivery (much like the tubes at bank drive-thrus), and you’ll see a lot of other technologically advanced items with a backdrop of a 19th century world — or a Steampunk theme. The characters can be customized a lot, and their faces show a lot of detail and emotion. You can even string together various dances and have your character perform them in the street.

I didn’t particularly like sounds and graphics of Gatheryn. Or rather, I was unimpressed. I can’t remember the sounds that well, but the graphics were definitely, in my opinion, not up to par with even browser-based games today. I think that with the downloadable game, the developers could have a spent a bit more time polishing the graphics. Free-to-play games don’t need to look weak. There are a lot I saw at GDC that looked good.

Despite the unimpressive sounds and graphics, I think Gatheryn will do well. It’s the only game set in an era of Steampunk — which people are trying to taut as a culture. The minigame-based gameplay in an MMORPG that looks like a virtual world also is an interesting concept. The developers are hoping the game will appeal to a wider audience. I hope Gatheryn isn’t spread too thin.