Vortex Gaming

One of Nexon's flagship IPs, 'Mabinogi,' will be officially released as a new mobile MMORPG 'Mabinogi Mobile' at midnight from the 26th to the 27th.

Mabinogi Mobile is a re-imagining of the life in a fantasy world that the original Mabinogi pursued, tailored to the mobile environment. It inherits the unique romance and emotion of the original, while reinterpreting it in the style of 'Mabinogi Mobile,' embodying the ambition of developer DevCat to make it easy for even those who have never played online games to enjoy.

Mabinogi Mobile originates from the main storyline G1~G3 'Goddess Descent' of the original story, and also features places and characters from another work, Mabinogi Heroes. Basically, it is expected to be a parallel world version of the PC online version of Mabinogi. It will bring joy and memories to those who have experienced or remember the original, while also providing a new setting for newcomers to easily get started without prior knowledge.

Users will adventure through Erinn, the stage of the game, meet many people, and receive help. 'Nao,' the mascot character of the original, is the first friend you meet in Erinn, and in this work, she has become a traveler who journeys with the player to find her lost memories. In addition to Nao, there are many aspects that users who have played Mabinogi will find familiar. Of course, many completely new original characters will also appear so that those who do not know the original can immerse themselves in the world of Mabinogi Mobile.

To build a new world called Mabinogi Mobile, new efforts have been put into music and screen depiction. The soft graphics that directly reflect the concern to capture the lyrical sensibility of Mabinogi as much as possible, and the BGM that arranges the familiar melodies of the original to suit the mobile atmosphere are representative examples.

All of these changes have been made under the single goal of 'giving nostalgia to existing fans and fresh inspiration to new users.' If you have never played Mabinogi or Mabinogi Heroes before, Mabinogi Mobile is expected to be a good starting point to experience the grand worldview of Mabinogi that has continued for the past 20 years.

DevCat has prepared a variety of content filled with leisure and romance that players can immerse themselves in besides combat, so that they can feel like they are living as a member of Erinn in 'Mabinogi Mobile.' There is a huge story that is the axis of the work called 'Generation,' but you can also find small stories about ordinary life in Erinn.

Players can meet various people in various regions of Erinn and get a glimpse of as many different stories as there are people. In this process, various life contents that cannot be left out when talking about Mabinogi appear, and the life contents that can be found at the time of launch include campfire, part-time job, processing, fishing, gathering, Stella Dome, fashion, cooking, and musical instrument performance.

All life contents in Mabinogi are organically connected to each other, and are not limited to activities that are mechanically performed simply to fill the amount required by the quest. Life content in Mabinogi Mobile is also expected to play a role as a core base activity that makes the world of Erinn move like a truly living world.

In Mabinogi Mobile, you can feel the joy of being with others through life content, and at the same time, you can enjoy content that emphasizes your own personality. You can directly customize the age and appearance of your character to the appearance you want or want to be, and you can be reborn into the appearance you want to be at any time through reincarnation. The fashion and dyeing system, which is the core of the Mabinogi series, is also still in place.

'Stellagram' was introduced as another content that can show off the player's personality. Players can set their character's personality and preferences in advance through Stellagram and show them to others. This includes keywords such as keywords and behavior patterns that represent themselves, what they like and dislike, or MBTI.

DevCat CEO Kim Dong-geon said that he hopes that everyone who enjoys Mabinogi Mobile will be able to express themselves through Stellagram and have the fun of naturally meeting and becoming friends with users who have the same tastes, and that they will meet many people in Erinn and have a pleasant life.

When you first start Mabinogi Mobile, you will create a character by selecting one of the five apprentice classes: Warrior, Archer, Mage, Healer, and Bard. As with the original Mabinogi, you can freely change classes at any time by changing weapons, but it is advisable to focus on nurturing only one class at first. This is because there is a system of three advanced job change classes for each apprentice class, not just stopping at the apprentice class.

The job change classes included in the open build are Swordsman, Greatsword Warrior, and Swordsman in the Warrior line. Archer, Longbowman, and Crossbowman in the Archer line. Mage, Ice Mage, and Fire Mage in the Mage line. Healer, Priest, and Monk in the Healer line. Finally, you can change jobs to Bard, Dancer, and Musician in the Bard line. The job change class of Mabinogi Mobile is characterized by being designed to have different charms and concepts so that players can feel the fun of choosing according to their individual play styles.

📒- Starting Class 'Apprentice Warrior': A vanguard class that uses a sword and shield. Balanced offense and defense are characteristic
- Job Change Class ① Warrior: A higher-level warrior class that uses a sword and shield. Strong defense using a shield is characteristic
- Job Change Class ② Greatsword Warrior: A class that wields a greatsword to defeat multiple enemies at once. Powerful strike with weight is characteristic
- Job Change Class ③ Swordsman: A class that uses one sword. Specialized in attack, but faster and more agile swordsmanship than a greatsword is characteristic

📒- Starting Class 'Apprentice Archer': A ranged dealer that uses a bow and arrow. Relatively safe combat is possible by keeping a distance from the enemy.
- Job Change Class ① Archer: A higher-level class that uses a bow and arrow. Agile movement and brisk combat that changes the aiming position are characteristic
- Job Change Class ② Crossbowman: A dealer who quickly switches between diffusion and concentrated attacks using a crossbow. Firepower-oriented combat is characteristic
- Job Change Class ③ Longbowman: An ultra-long-range dealer that uses a longbow. Combat style that snipes targets from a distance

📒- Starting Class 'Apprentice Mage': A caster class that embodies the flow of mana with a wand. Flexible response is possible depending on the situation.
- Job Change Class ① Mage: A higher-level class that uses a wand. Amplifies the air currents of mana to use various elemental magic.
- Job Change Class ② Fire Mage: A fire mage that uses a cane. Uses powerful fire magic that deals damage over a wide area.
- Job Change Class ③ Ice Mage: An ice mage that uses an orb. Characterized by solid ice magic and magic that neutralizes the enemy's movements

📒- Starting Class 'Apprentice Healer': A class that protects allies by putting prayers on a wand. Can block enemy approaches and restore health.
- Job Change Class ① Healer: A higher-level class that uses a wand. A balanced healer that can perform both healing and dealing
- Job Change Class ② Priest: Uses a staff and is an aggressive healer who can burn enemies with pillars of light summoned by the grace of God
- Job Change Class ③ Monk: A tanker-type healer who wears a quarterstaff and heavy armor and steps to the front to deploy a shield.

📒- Starting Class 'Apprentice Bard': A support class that assists the party by playing songs with a lute.
- Job Change Class ① Bard: A higher-level class that utilizes the lute. A balanced class that participates in both performance and direct combat.
- Job Change Class ② Dancer: A melee combat class that constantly roams the battlefield and attacks enemies with dances using fans
- Job Change Class ③ Musician: A buff and debuff-oriented ranged class that controls multiple enemies with sweet harp playing

DevCat explained that the method of selecting one of the apprentice classes is a reinterpretation of the fun of free growth in the original to suit the mobile environment. When you first create a character, you start by selecting one of the five apprentice classes, but even after selecting a specific job change class, you can freely switch classes at any time by wearing different weapons. At this time, if you use an item called 'Rune', you can change the effect or visual of a specific skill, so players can feel the fun of various battles according to their individual tastes and play styles.

I emphasized life content first, but the fun of combat is also a key content of Mabinogi Mobile that cannot be left out. Combat in Mabinogi Mobile is largely divided into two types: dungeons and hunting grounds. Dungeons are spaces where you can feel the fun of defeating each stage and defeating bosses, and hunting grounds are planned as wide-ranging fields designed to match the unique environment of each region. Players can freely travel through these different spaces and do various activities such as hunting, gathering materials, and exploring treasures.

First of all, dungeons were created with a unique atmosphere and concept to capture the feeling of going on an adventure. Alby Dungeon, which also appears in the original, is a dark cave inhabited by ratmen and spiders, and Kia Dungeon shows the appearance of a natural cave rich in vegetation such as moss and mushrooms. In the map that implements the ruins dungeon in Mabinogi Heroes, Nol Chieftain appears, etc., and each dungeon is expected to add to the immersion in combat with a clear concept.

Mabinogi Mobile's dungeons are designed to provide various forms of fun in addition to combat. Through the 'Accidental Encounter' system, you can meet other users who are attacking the same dungeon at the same time and attack the dungeon together, or you can set up a campfire and share food to build friendships. In addition, you can also find various events such as the 'Golden Pig Room' where you can earn a lot of gold, the 'Treasure Imp' that drops expensive gems, and the 'Cat Merchant' that sells special items.

'Great Adventure', a 4-player cooperative content that focuses on users' encounters and adventures, which was not in the original, has also been announced. It is a content where four users become a team to solve various puzzles and gimmicks and fight against mysterious monsters. It is characterized by focusing on the core value of enjoying together, and dividing roles so that no one on the team is bored because they have nothing to do.

Exciting events also occur in hunting grounds outside the dungeon. Representative examples include 'Black Hole' and 'Ominous Summoning Barrier' that appear at random locations at certain times. First of all, the black hole is a kind of random instance dungeon where you don't know what will appear inside. Rewards are provided when the clear goal is achieved, and it is expected that you will be able to encounter various different experiences each time you enter.

The Ominous Summoning Barrier is a raid-concept content that demons summon to hunting grounds, and players around them work together to fight boss monsters. If you defeat the boss monster, bonus monsters will continue to appear during the remaining barrier maintenance time, and it is characterized by the fact that you can expect a lot of additional rewards by hunting here.

In Mabinogi Mobile, you can also find high-difficulty content for hardcore users who want to enjoy combat more intensively. The first is the field boss, which is a cooperative content where you enter the field boss area in the hunting ground and work with other users. If you succeed in defeating the boss, you can acquire the subjugation reward once a week, and even after that, you can acquire the basic reward than when you participate.

Alby, Kia, and Laby Dungeons, which are dungeon content, can be challenged again as 'Advanced Dungeons' with higher difficulty. Unlike normal dungeons, new types of monsters appear, and boss monsters also appear with new designs, so you can enjoy new gimmicks and combat patterns. In addition, the highest difficulty dungeon content 'Abyss', which can only be played in a party, and more diverse content that can be challenged on an individual basis will be updated sequentially after launch.

There is less than a day left until the official release of Mabinogi Mobile, but it is not too late to prepare for the fantasy life in Erinn that will unfold in Mabinogi Mobile from now on. Pre-character creation, which was held until noon on the 26th, has ended, but you can now download the game client to your PC or mobile device in advance before the official release, and pre-registration and 'Friend Invitation Event' are still in progress to obtain special titles and costumes.

First, pre-register on the website. Pre-registration will be held until 23:59 on the 26th, and a 'Layered Outfit Set' will be given as a pre-registration gift. If you have a friend who wants to play Mabinogi Mobile with you, it is a good idea to check the 'Friend Invitation Event' together. If you invite five friends, you can get the hat item 'Odd Eye Cat Beanie' and the title 'Pied Piper Cat', and friends who enter the friend code can acquire the title 'With Friends'.

If you want to start the game right at 0:00 on the 27th when the official service starts, you can download the game from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, or the Mabinogi Mobile official website. Even after installing the client, additional installation for running the game will take quite a long time, so prepare in advance with plenty of time.

In addition, various events are being held simultaneously on the Mabinogi Mobile website, such as 'Reincarnation Test by Name' and 'Mabinogi Mobile YouTube Subscription Event' where you can receive KakaoTalk emoticons. If you want to commemorate the official release of Mabinogi Mobile in more diverse ways, take a look at these side events.

Kim Dong-geon, CEO of DevCat, the developer of Mabinogi Mobile, said that the core of Mabinogi is 'the feeling of being a special me, the main character of the story', and that Mabinogi Mobile will not be just a simple game, but will be an opportunity to give memories to those who enjoyed Mabinogi in the past and new experiences to those who are new to it. The development team's determination to do their best to ensure that the Mabinogi IP will continue to be remembered 20 years from now will become clear through the official service coming at 0:00 on March 27.

Webzine Inven박광석 기자
2025-03-26