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Two rival factions who claim to watch over Atys, the Kami and the Karavan, offer their assistance to the four homin races. Members of the Karavan claim to be the messengers of the goddess Jena and use technology that is as yet unknown on Atys. The Kamis are mysterious creatures who possess great magical powers. The Fyros, Matis, Trykers and Zoraпs must choose their side.

The Matis and The Trykers decided upon The Followers of Jena, while The Zoraпs and The Fyros follow The Kami Alliance. The difference in races cannot be noticed until higher levels, currently. In future patches/updates there will be more customization done. Basically the difference is the area of the world you are placed into (vastly different environments) and slightly different Stanza's (skill tree).

The world, Atys, is one of the most visually impressive I've seen. Amazing detail has gone into the creation and the scenery. Each race has an entirely different looking home and that's a big statement seeing as the world is gigantic.

The approach to the game is different than any I've played before. Although combat can be all you do (very difficult to advance in the game without knowing a little bit of everything) it is most certainly not the basis, which is refreshing. In my opinion though, Magic and Fight are both oddly worked. I really like the idea of the Stanza's, it adds a sense of control and is the opposite of cookie-cutter. However, combat seems too repetitive and doesn't contain much fun from the very beginning. The idea of actually creating your own attacks out of the Stanza's you buy is amazing but difficult to learn.

Yes, I am glad there is an MMO out that doesn't force you to fight in order to progress, but at the same time without the focus on combat it seems very needy. Customizable spells and attacks are a big plus. Combat that makes you want to giggle; it's that disappointing. This game is a huge exploring game and should be enjoyable but when you come upon an aggressive enemy, normally in packs, you're a goner. There are skills that can help, like a speed skill that doubles your speed for 10 seconds. Yet, when you get higher up in the Stanza you become very frugal with skills, as they are slow going.

The graphics are excellent - with the settings on high they really push my system. This is one of those of games where you wander around just to find that place to sit and drool. One thing I found very creative is the racial lands, they're so diverse. You've got everything from towns built into trees in the forest lands to the desert, marshlands, canyons, ridges, hill lands and nearly any other type of environment you can think of. Best of all, it looks like much research and detail have been put into it.

The interface to the game is one of my favorites. They have mastered the art of transparency. UI often falls short in my opinion, way too much on screen at once and no where to put it. In Saga of Ryzom however, you have the unique ability to have as many windows open at once and your able to switch back at any time.

I will warn you, this game is very deep. If you aren't bamboozled by all the unusual names, buttons and keyboard settings then I salute you. I, for one, had a hard time getting used to everything. Probably the most difficult thing I encountered is the monster identifying process. There isn't any "level 22" or "easy, medium, difficult" - not even the colored names. The way it goes is by the surname the name of the enemy. For instance you have the yuba's, wimpy yuba is more difficult than puny. Also when you click on the monster it has a star and a color, it could have a multiplier like x4. But it is very difficult to determine if you can face a certain creature or not. There have been many times that a creature that id's less than another one is actually far more difficult.

For once the sound doesn't tire me, woohoo! I am very happy with the audio, it even has an MP3 player built in!!! One really cool thing is the weather system. Right now it's winter so snow comes and goes. I thought my video card was rendering improperly at first but then I found out it was the season.

The game is easy going at first, I made the mistake of leaving the beginner island a little early with my main character and that was a mistake. I left somewhere in the teen levels of fight and around 10 of magic and harvesting. I didn't even start crafting until I got to the mainland and that cost me a lot of dappers (currency). The levels go to 250 in all four skills but personally I hit a level grind at around 20. I suggest creating a test character and play it for a week or two. Learn all the skills and how you like to play. I say that because it's really best not getting all the skills, at least until later levels. Some may disagree but I say that because with the points it takes to learn a new skill you could have gotten five different Stanza's in your skill.

The game is very fun but sometimes all of the detail can hinder the fun level. I suggest reading the game manual and reading all the info you can on fan sites. That way when you get into the game you're not overwhelmed.

For anyone looking for an "alternative" MMORPG then I would suggest The Saga of Ryzom to you. It can be a lot of fun. The community is active and friendly and I never got the feeling of another MMO clone. This is a game to keep your eye on - the devs seem like they have a lot planned in the near future.