Common Sense Media Review
By Carolyn Koh
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
While free to play, game uses microtransactions.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
FLYFF is short for \"Fly for Fun\" – and this is something that players can do in this massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). A full 3-D game, FLYFF easily engages kids with its cute anime style cartoon graphics. Players start off as a \"vagrant\" and have to reach level 15 to choose a job of either Acrobat to Magician. All descriptions can be found on the gpotato website, and reading those descriptions will help a player who is starting out in the game.
Players kill monsters and go on quests. The game offers an additional layer of depth in player duels, raising pets, and character customization. Dueling is consensual and does not kill a character – the loser adopts a submissive stance. However, players can die when fighting monsters and will collapse on the ground, but will re-appear in the closest town to rest and regain their health and magic powers. Pets are obtained from eggs that are dropped randomly by monsters. If you take an egg to a Pet Trainer, he will give you a quest to hatch the egg. The pets that hatch are random and range from Rabbits to Dragons. Once players reach the 20th level, they can fly if they purchase the flying equipment – either a boogie board or a broomstick. Fighting controls change at this time and players will find that it is rather difficult to fly and fight at the same time unless your character is a magic user.
Is It Any Good?
Because this online game has been around since 2005, the game is mature and has the advantage of always having high level players that can cast various spells of protection on the lower level player to give him or her more strength, health, and etc. – all character stats that will assist the new player in killing creatures and gaining experience. A negative in the game play mechanic is that kids will have to grind through repetitive activities to achieve a desired goal.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the fantasy of flying and why men have always wanted to fly, including the Greeks and Romans. Because players can raise a pet in-game, families can also talk about the responsibility of raising a pet, even a virtual pet. They can also discuss dueling – as players in the game can challenge another to a duel. Should you accept every challenge you receive? What if you lose? Will you feel bad about it? Why shouldn't you challenge players many levels lower than you? Is it a form of bullying?
Game Details
- Platform : Windows
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : gPotato
- Release date : December 5, 2005
- Genre : Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG)
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : March 21, 2019
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