Project BBQ Looks So Good!

2020 is shaping up to be a pretty decent looking year for Anime MMOs. We have Blue Protocol coming out of Japan and Project BBQ coming out of Korea.
Granted it could be 2021 or 2022 before we get either of them over here in the West but man.
I know, I know. I probably should’ve done a video on this sooner but I’ve been a busy Byte. I guess it’s better late than never, though, right?
So I’ve known about Project BBQ for months. I first saw the trailer when the game was announced way back in December 2018. I was excited and included a mention of it in a news video but never took the time to do a dedicated video.

Project BBQ is a fully 3D rendered Anime MMORPG. Not an MMO, but an MMORPG by Neople, the team behind the popular Dungeon Fighter Online MMO.
See how Dungeon Fighter Online is referred to as an MMO and Project BBQ as an MMORPG?
That’s because Neople announced that although Project BBQ will share a connected world with Dungeon Fighter Online, instead of being a hub-based MMO like its predecessor where you occupy a town, take quests, then run instanced dungeons, Project BBQ will occupy a “seamless world” with large, open-field maps and instanced dungeons.
Pretty much like your standard MMO.
Project BBQ will be a PC exclusive MMO developed using Unreal Engine 4 and as stated earlier, shares a connection with Dungeon Fighter Online. Not just the world, though.
Not only are areas and locales shared between games, but there are other elements such as the lore, various characters and also classes. So who knows exactly what or whom you’ll find while adventuring.

If you’ve ever played Dungeon Fighter Online, then you’ll know just how crazy the combat can get. You have so many different classes, all with their very own intricate playstyles, strengths and weaknesses.
While no definitive confirmation has been given as to how well they went about replicating that in Project BBQ, it’s safe to say that after seeing the combat – if that’s truly how well it plays out, then it could go down as having the best combat in a PC MMO.
Yes, people will likely argue that Blade & Soul or Black Desert will still have better combat, and that might be the case.
They might have better class-development, or better combos, or people might prefer the realistic 3D style as opposed to the Anime style Project BBQ has.
Regardless, disregarding non Anime inspired MMOs Blue Protocol is probably the only Anime MMO to compete with. Yes, the market is really that stale right now. Maybe Peria Chronicles whenever that releases, too.

Exactly how many classes will be present when the game officially launches is unknown but it was revealed that there are currently around 7 to 8 planned.
Whether that’s 7 to 8 actual classes, or 7 to 8 characters remains to be seen as Dungeon Fighter Online has 16 unique characters, with over 60 advancement classes total.
Worth noting however is that if Project BBQ opts to go the “character-route” as opposed to “class-route,” then that means the classes will be gender-locked.
As it stands in Dungeon Fighter, we have classes like Thief and Demonic Lancer that are locked to males only, and classes like the Knight that are locked to female.
Granted, a vast selection like Slayer, Fighter, Gunner, Mage and Priest are all accessible regardless of gender but this is something I believe is worth making note of as I know a lot of you guys hate gender-locking classes.

When Neople were asked how Project BBQ compares to other South Korean MMOs like Kritika or Vindictus, they went on to claim that instead of “pursuing their own unique style” they opted to focus on “making a great game.”
This is music to my ears. If you weren’t aware, Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most popular MMORPGs out right now.
Instead of creating a brand new style of MMO, instead, they went with the tried-and-true traditional format that World of Warcraft was already successfully using, and have found great success with it.
Why? Because they focused on making a good game in an already established style instead of making a new game with a completely unique style.
Developers these days are so obsessed, so blinded by trying to do something “original,” something “truly innovative,” something that will “change the genre as we know it.”
But all they’re doing is setting an unattainable goal and expecting us to wait while they fail to achieve it.
While Project BBQ may not be the “next big MMORPG,” surely, I’m glad that at least they have the right mindset going in: A good game doesn’t necessarily have to be original.
But then again, since Neople is a subsidiary of Nexon, they might end up royally screwing the game up all together since Nexon ruins all the games they publish with IP blocks and pay to win.

Regardless, I’m excited that we’re getting another Anime inspired MMORPG with large open areas and instanced dungeons. Not a hub-based MMO, but an actual, full-fledged MMORPG.
However it turns out, I’m glad I’ll at the very least get to spend some time having fun in some sweet as hell looking combat set in a gorgeous world.