My honest review after 9 years.

[Konahri]

Warning:
This is going to be a long review, because well. - There is a lot to go through. 
I'm also not an easy person so.. it could be.. annoying? sorry in advance.

 

The review is separated in two parts, good and bad, classic.
each got their own points, you can scroll through and find them easily.

Positives:
The Community
-My perspective
The World
The Content
-Arcs
-Bosses
-Designs
The Endgame 
-My perspective

Negatives:
The overall Gameplay
-Daily Routine
-Road to 50
-Balance

Conclusion follows in the end.

The Community
I can't tell how much I love the community of NinOnline. It doesn't matter if veteran or fresh Player, the vibes are the same. (Have fun, enjoy the game and improve) 
This leads to the experience, that the game keeps staying lively even with a low amount of players being around at times. 
Kageship, Organizations, Chunin Exams, RP Sessions/Missions, PvP or Boss Fights are unique in their own, everytime! Every generation passing has it's own story shaped by the community being around at that time, which is why the game is amazing even with it's down sides. It's amazing.
 

The World
The Game offers a world with an environment that is simply breath taking. I remember the old days when Rory created Leaf on Stream before the public Alpha, everything is handmade and felt like a lot of work. Which reflects in the detail of the villages, I mean even now after so many years, tweaks are taken to improve the experience to walk inside that world.
For a 2D game, the experience is great. You can feel walking a long a forest, over an ocean, through a desert, ontop of a Mountain or plains, mystical frog villages or harsh environments. Everyone who played Nin, can tell, what I'm talking about.
Running from Leaf to Sand, Sand to Mist, Takumi to Tanzaku it always feels like a journey to an actual different country and you can tell, by just crossing the maps.
I don't think that experience can be easily recreated. 
 

The Content
I like how much the content has improved in Nin over the years, it is pretty fun to follow the Story in the Arcs, because it actually allows you to experience the life as a beginner, trying to help workers to finish their task in a fair environment, to more challenging and rewarding tasks. The environment grows with you and actually grants you something to look back to.

The Bosses across the World are well designed as well, you don't feel too overwhelmed or too bored fighting them. The drops they share just make them even more interesting and turn them into a goal to chase for. (At least for some) 
They're also a fun skillcheck, to see if you are good enough to challenge them yourself or, if you have to come back and bring some friends. 
Even better, if PvP is involved.

The design of character sprites, cosmetics and masteries are just perfectly designed to help you create the base of a Ninja you love to play and appear with. It doesn't feel like just a character, its actually some kind of "OC" no matter how you design it. (if you ignore the names given and beginner phase that is)
 

The Endgame
The endgame is by far the best experience of NinOnline.
It has multiple layers depending on the type of player you are, but doesn't really get you bored, if the population is fair.
You try to improve with your masteries to get better in PvP or to slay Bosses you aim for.
You try to reach your goals, no matter if you want to be a leader, a villain, a guardian, a tutor or rich trader. The foundation is given for everything.
PvP is the best part of the endgame in my opinion. It's fun to fight solo against one or multiple enemies, in group fights or even raids. If my friends are around and the population is fair, I could do it for countless hours.

The overall Gameplay
Daily Routine
Even if you are a new player, curious for all the things the game has to offer, it gets dry quickly. Depending on the mastery you select, your rotation most likely looks like this:
Ninjutsu User = You select a target, attack it, hold c and repeat.
Melee User = You select a target, you attack it until your hp drops low, stay semi afk - repeat.
This isn't too bad if you have people to do it with, because it can distract you from it, but after hours of the same routine, it will haunt you.  It really does. As I keep saying, the dynamic is destroyed by exactly that routine.
 

Monotone Gameplay up to 50
At first, the daily tasks seem super fun and are quite the challenge, but in most cases, the tasks are nothing but a bother. Now, with the recent update, even more. 
It doesn't matter if you're a level 13, told to slay 65 highly agressive Tigers with a single Jutsu and a cooldown of 18seconds, or a level 35, told to slay other players far above your skill level.
In the end, you look at the clock, the reward and ask yourself "was it worth it?" - The joy of progression is lacking. It might be there, but it shatters over time.

The same goes for grinding monsters for leveling. - You can do it for hours over hours and get small rewards such as scrolls, drops for a few ryo and some exp. - But, if you do it for days and you barely made any progress. - You really start questioning a lot of things. - Especially the purpose of it. Is the game trying to teach you something or is it just stretching the gameplay to make up for something? - In my opinion, NinOnline does not need hundreds of hours, grinding monsters with a boring routine to give you a journey. Because Nin's identity is found in Level 50. - The way to 50 should prepare you to it. Not make you quit before you actually did see it's glory.
 

Indecisive Balance
I know, a lot of people say, I don't have a word for it, because I don't PvP as much as they do. 
But! I actually love PvP just as much as PvE. - And I loved Nin for the freedom it offers to player in creation of their Ninja.
Sadly, that kind of freedom is long gone. - And it does feel like, the freedom is being taken away more and more. I don't expect everyone to relate, but I try to explain my thought about it.

The best example, is Medic. Since 9 years, I'm mostly focusing on Medic because it is what I love to do, support but still be a part of the action. (I'm not talking about hybrids)
You had 3 roads to choose from.
Be a fully supportive NInja that keeps your allies alive and maybe changes the outcoming of a battle.
Be a fully offensive Ninja with a focus on poison, cc's and an incredible cool cursed seal that boosts yourself for a little while. 
Or, be a mix of both.
Now, the balance forces you entirely into the "Be a free alternative for existing item's which can additionaly revive people or, be an offensive medic with 1-2 Jutsus" decision.
I tried so many times to adjust to the changes,  but.. the charme I felt in the mastery all the years, is completly dried out. I don't enjoy being a simple replacement of items that can revive on top of it. - I can't reset, because of the dry monotone gameplay that comes with it.

I'm pretty sure, Medic is not the only mastery that experienced a similar change.
After years of a break, I hoped it has changed, but with the balance team changes in the past month, it just proved, it didn't. Which is sad.
 

Conclusion:
I'm forced to quit the game, I love more than any other game & enjoyed to come back to every time.

The game got a wonderful environment, but the road to 50 feels more draining than a full time job with overtime. - If it would be easier to reach level 50 and take part of the actual game, it would be a simple masterpiece. But in it's current state, it is simply blocking it's own potential by trying to be something, it can't be. Not in 2022.
If one would tell me to pay 50$ to get a token to boost an alt from 1 to 50, with the basic requirement to have at least 1 main at level 50. I'd throw my money at the screen and scream "take it!". - Because the way to 50 for the first time is priceless. But only wonderful in the first time.

I will have a look at the game on Steam release just to see how much it changed until then (since it was delayed again), and I'm very sorry if I offended anyone with this review.

 

 

Best wishes,
Konahri

[Sirch]

11 minutes ago, Konahri said:

The Endgame
The endgame is by far the best experience of NinOnline.
It has multiple layers depending on the type of player you are, but doesn't really get you bored, if the population is fair.
You try to improve with your masteries to get better in PvP or to slay Bosses you aim for.
You try to reach your goals, no matter if you want to be a leader, a villain, a guardian, a tutor or rich trader. The foundation is given for everything.
PvP is the best part of the endgame in my opinion. It's fun to fight solo against one or multiple enemies, in group fights or even raids. If my friends are around and the population is fair, I could do it for countless hours.

 

You really just described the gameplay here, not Nin Onlines endgame.

[Anna Primal]

ALL TRUE BUT THE COMMUNITY IS ANYTHING BUT NICE  MAYBE LEAF COMMUNITY .

[Cosbo]

1 hour ago, Sirch said:

 

You really just described the gameplay here, not Nin Onlines endgame.

x2
Game really lacks endgame content 

 

1 hour ago, Konahri said:

The Bosses across the World are well designed as well, you don't feel too overwhelmed or too bored fighting them. The drops they share just make them even more interesting and turn them into a goal to chase for. (At least for some) 

Idk bout this one tbh 
Most bosses have no new mechanics, they either:  * Flicker & hit hard.
                                                                                          * Use already existing jutsus.
                                                                                          * Barely do damage, but they have 9000k+ Hp

Saddest part is that most of the unique and very well designed bosses, are locked behind a level req ( Kumorui and Manda ), or they just impossible to kill ( Kraken )

And the fact you cant share the drops, just adds toxicity & extra grinding imo.

But anyway, best wishes to u too! /y

 

 

[Imhotep]

How exactly is Med replaced by items? The regen system changed back to what it was before, not having a Med is a nightmare right now. Pills don't replace meds, we had pills for a long time. Food is only usable in PvE, is expensive, and even then it's not as good as meds. Not sure what the issue is here.

Agree that the gameplay gets repetitive and road to 50 is kind of monotonous at a point. Implementing more village quests, revamping bosses and grinding can help with that.

Agreed on the other points as well, except maybe bosses which could use a serious rework imo. Put them more in line with what players expect from MMO bosses.

[Ueda]

Personally, I've never played any game for 9 years and don't expect anyone to.

In my own personal opinion, Nin Online is a 1/10 for anyone who doesn't like what the game entails and a 10/10 for the person exactly like myself who wanted the game I made to exist in 2013 to exist.

Really don't know what this post is meant to accomplish. It's not we're not already working full-time on this 24/7 for 9 years. If the game doesn't please you now, it never will, a Steam release won't change that. Nothing short of remaking the game from scratch and being able to afford a larger team will do that.

[Seifer]

This thread looks to be sourced at two primary issues: A balance one, and a PvE one

-----

Balance

- I think Kona meant that the pills being capable of 150+ heals and what not makes playing a medic feel obsolete since that is their one job. I think there is truth in this, that pills should not out perform medics.

- Medics should have 6 jutsus. I think a replenishing chakra to allies ability or an ability that temporarily remaps enemies movement keys is a great addition.

- At this point, I have seen the manipulation of hybrid classes (str/int wm, int/chak med, str/agi tai etc) always being the cause of balance issues and at this point Nin should really consider locking sub paths down completely (ex: only all chak or all int medic at a time).

-----

PvE

- I won't go too deep because I made the same suggestions a bunch in other posts, but: level parameters, story quests, repeatable quests (hunting/grinding for xp again), rotating events

- Rory's crafting system which will help a BUNCH once it's finally released for side hobbies and unique items

[Imhotep]

Not buying it. In what universe is a pill anywhere near as good as a Med? I really don't understand.

It's also hard to believe Kona as a 9-year player is just now quitting over leveling and pills. Just a year ago leveling was 10 times harder and it's not as if we haven't had Oils healing for 80 ticks.

Sounds like you're just tired of playing Med for so long, are finding reasons to justify why you're bored, and are too burned out to level another account to 50. Some of that may be the game's fault, most if it is probably that you've played a niche indie game for 9 years.

Though like I said, clearly Nin like anything will always have room for improvement.