Eternal Love is available on the Play Store, but you can’t play it yet

Ragnarok M: Eternal Love is the latest mobile adaptation of the famous Korean MMORPG Ragnarok Online, and the English version just went live on the Play Store. This is a title that’s been available in Asia for some time, and it’s only just now making its way to the Play Store for Western users. The catch is that today’s release isn’t actually the official launch since the servers aren’t live yet. So think of today’s availability as an optional pre-load for those eager to download the 5.07GB install before the servers go live tomorrow.

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Just like the original PC release, Ragnarok M: Eternal Love is supposed to offer an open-world mobile MMORPG. This is not the first attempt to capture the magic of the original on mobile, but it’s regarded as something that gets a little closer than what we previously received. What separates this release from the majority of mobile MMORPGs on the Play Store is that auto-questing isn’t included. There are a few options to auto-attack, but you’re still going to have to actually control your character as you grind your quests, which is refreshing to see.

This still doesn’t mean the game isn’t free-to-play since you can expect to find in-app purchases that range up to $99.99 per item. It’s also worth noting that the Asian version recently had some unpleasant coverage when an in-game item was sold for almost $60,000. So yeah, Ragnarok M: Eternal Love is definitely a cash grab, which is something we will all have to put up with. The question is, how well is the gameplay balanced when factoring in these IAPs? I suppose we will all have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

For any fan of the original Ragnarok Online, Ragnarok M: Eternal Love should offer a good bit of nostalgia thanks to its non-linear gameplay, pet system, and inevitable fashion wars. The new art also adds a bit of polish to the aging franchise, and since this will be the first HD mobile release, it’s going to look great on high-res displays. Like most MMOs, the monetization may get in the way, but at the very least it sounds like there’s still enough to like about this release to give it a proper look when the servers go live tomorrow at 06:00 AM (UTC-6).