*Image Credit: Fen Research LTD, Brighter Shores*

Brighter Shores, the latest MMO from RuneScape creator Andrew Gower and Fen Research LTD, brings a nostalgic, early-2000s art style and a relaxed, classic MMORPG feel. While some players enjoy its charm, others are pretty divided, especially over its unique episodic progression system which has sparked debate in the community. In this review we’ll go over it all in-depth!

The Pros: Nostalgia with a Relaxing Adventure

For those who miss the early days of RuneScape, Brighter Shores brings to us a similar feel. The exploration aspects of this game are designed to be cozy and slow-paced, with environments that encourage wandering around and lackadaisical discovery. Dialogue is laced with humor, just like in good ol’ RuneScape, which adds a light-hearted touch to quests and interactions that recall the quirky, slightly offbeat charm of earlier MMOs. The game’s art style and sound design have also received mostly positive notes from players with soothing background music and nice stylistic visuals.

Additionally, the game is free-to-play with a reasonably priced membership option of $5.99, making it accessible to just about anybody (whereas Jagex/RuneScape recently bumped up membership prices again and now costs nearly as much as a WoW subscription). Players who remember the early days of browser-based games seem to be keen on Brighter Shores’ simple interface and casual approach to gameplay.

The Cons: Progression Resets and Mobile-Oriented UI

The biggest point of contention, however, is Brighter Shores’ approach to progression. Unlike traditional MMOs where skills, combat levels, and gear build up over time, Brighter Shores resets these elements with each new chapter. This episodic structure means that time spent leveling up in one chapter doesn’t carry over, requiring players to start from scratch as they move through the game’s different zones. This design choice has left many players, including us, feeling like grinding was completely pointless, which is especially bad for an MMO.

Combat mechanics, too, have come under fire. Battles are largely automated, with hardly any input required beyond equipping the right gear and watching the action unfold. Some players describe combat as repetitive and devoid of the depth typical of modern MMOs, lacking the skill or planning usually expected in MMORPG encounters (not that OSRS has too much to it these days, either). Adding even more to the frustration, Brighter Shores does not support multi-target combat or large-group play which makes it feel like a largely single-player experience with minimal social interaction.

The user interface (UI) has also received criticism for being clunky and feeling more suited to a mobile device than a PC. Basic actions can sometimes require multiple clicks and there’s no option to remap keys or customize controls. For PC players, the lack of flexibility can make navigating the UI and executing even simple commands feel unnecessarily tedious.

Is Brighter Shores a Social MMO?

Brighter Shores markets itself as an MMO, yet several key multiplayer elements are either completely absent or sadly underdeveloped. Social interaction is limited as players must opt into seeing others in the world, and the lack of party mechanics or other common MMO social features makes it difficult to team up or frankly even communicate with others at all. While it’s possible to interact with other players through chat, the social component of Brighter Shores is pretty underwhelming. Sometimes it felt like the game is more of a single-player RPG with MMO elements layered on top rather than a true MMO.

In addition, the game’s basic world design separates players in what we would say is a horrible way. With each zone functioning almost like a self-contained area, the world lacks the vast and interconnected feel of more traditional MMOs, including RuneScape. After playing this we were left with a desire for larger maps and more seamless zones, as the current way that it works makes zones feel small and entirely disconnected.

Additional Issues: Quality-of-Life Concerns

Apart from progression and social limitations, there are several quality-of-life concerns worth noting. Simple conveniences—such as an auto-run or make-all option—do not exist, and adds unnecessary repetition to gameplay which is already repetitive in nature. Players who enjoy AFK (away-from-keyboard) skilling, common in other MMORPGs (AGAIN, especially in RuneScape), may find Brighter Shores quite lacking as the game demands constant interaction to make any progress. Additionally, resource gathering is similarly restricted by episodic progression, meaning that valuable items found in one chapter can’t be used in others.

There is also frustration with inventory management, as items and resources don’t carry between zones. These limitations may be intended to encourage exploration in each chapter, but the effect is a feeling of confinement and redundancy.

Final Thoughts: Potential with Big Caveats

Brighter Shores shows promise and it certainly captures the early wonder of Runescape’s open world and free exploration that we felt and loved so long ago at first until you begin to realize how the game works. Yet, even so, it’s clear that Brighter Shores is still finding its footing. The game’s progression, social limitations, and UI design is off-putting and makes it hard to want to continue as of now though.

For players who can look that and want a relaxing chill game, Brighter Shores may be a great side game or secondary MMO. But for those seeking a traditional and fully-developed MMO with rewarding progression and combat it might feel like a missed opportunity.

With everything said, there’s hope that the developers may address some of these core issues as they continue to develop the game. If they do, Brighter Shores could absolutely standout and we would hop right back in. Until then, it remains a charming game that we think will appeal to a niche community but won’t rise to be one of the greats.