Brighter Shores, the upcoming MMO from Fen Research, is delaying its Early Access release on Steam by a single day, until Wednesday, November 6. Because? Well, all US elections will take place on Tuesday, November 5, so Andrew Gower, one of the founders of Fen Research, announced yesterday a one-day delay to his X account (formally Twitter).
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Andrew Gower is best known for being one of the creators of RuneScape, having developed the long-running MMO alongside his brother Ian and Paul. RuneScape remains a popular title in the MMO scene since its release in 2001. It even got a sister title in 2013 with Old School RuneScape, where players can enjoy the traditional RS game from 2007. (The XP grind will never die.) However, he left Jagex in 2010 and founded Fen Research shortly after his departure, with development on Brighter Shores beginning in September 2016.
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From the graphics to what we know about the gameplay, Brighter Shores definitely has a RuneScape vibe. I would know: I've been playing RuneScape for about 18 years. (Honestly, it could be longer. I've started to lose count a little. Let's just say Lottie has been playing a lot of RuneScape for a long time.) Combat is divided into melee, range, and magic across three classes: Cryoknight (melee), Guardian (range), and Hammermage (magic). Meanwhile, Brighter Shore's professions, such as fisherman, chef, and lumberjack, have a similar flavor to RuneScape's selection of skills, such as fishing, cooking, and chopping wood.
Still, just because a cabbage looks the same doesn't mean it tastes the same and the difference is always revealed when eating it. (Cabbage is a RuneScape joke. Sorry, I couldn't help it.) Brighter Shores promises to have an ongoing story released in episodic format; beginning with the player beginning his new job as a city guard in Hopeport. Each episode will then add additional features to the MMO, such as new areas and side quests. There will also be no microtransactions in Brighter Shores, instead the MMO will be divided into two tiers: a free one and a Premium Pass, which will include additional locations and features, such as trading between players.
Gower has stated, again on This means everyone is free to venture to Hopeport on November 6th without worrying about losing any progress further down the development line. However, you may be able to experience Brighter Shores a little sooner if you're part of its closed beta that begins Tuesday, October 22.