Parents' Guide to

MapleStory

By Carolyn Koh, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Cute online role-playing game can get pricey.

Game Windows 2005
MapleStory Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Suki Z.
Suki Z. Adult
February 25, 2023
age 18+

Recommendation -100/10

Player population: average 25 years old, but a lot are 30s-40s. Be careful with your kids being on there. Don't be fooled by player rankings, the smallest world most likely only has maximum 100 active players (you see a lot of players because every character they make is listed in the rankings, and they can make up to 40 characters per world per account!) I know someone who had 3 different accounts (3 x 40) characters, and 3 of his characters from 1 account were in the top 100 rankings. Additionally, after getting to know them and meeting them in person, about 30-40% smoke cigarettes or vape, and others at least use marijuana, but LSD and ecstasy (and other hard drugs) are not uncommon. They're not just addicted to maple! There are even guilds named after drugs! Most of them keep spending money on the game because they're so addicted, even when they are in severe debt - talking millions of dollars. If they can't take your money, they will take your time. Consider it a full time job, where you will have no social life outside the game. Additionally, the game worsens this by putting urgency in players with expiring items so in a way they force you to play everyday. Sometimes they make you stay in the game for 3 months before you can see a decent reward! Or else you can never obtain certain achievements/items again! It is teeming with shrills that smega constantly, who pretend the game is enjoyable, disillusioning any new players (if there actually are any). Recommendation -100/10
2 people found this helpful.
exmapler
exmapler Parent of 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18+-year-old
August 17, 2022
age 18+

Lose your money, life savings and house to this game and get 0 returns

Veteran ms gamer here. I've watched people lose their lives to this game. The game holds you hostage with unreasonable expiry dates to force you to play even though it's the most boring game BY FAR compared to the newer ones. Literally you will fall asleep. Customer service is irresponsive and irresponsible, even if it's their fault, forget screen shots or recordings- they will do everything they can to NOT help you!!! When they say refunds they mean in-game currency, never real refunds because they are SO DESPERATE for your money. If you want to play a bad and boring game while losing your money, happiness, and social skills, play This game! Don't say I didn't warn you.

This title has:

Too much consumerism
2 people found this helpful.
See all 9 parent reviews

What’s It About?

MAPLESTORY is a 2-D, side-scrolling MMORPG that looks and feels like a \"platformer\" -- a type of video game where players have to get their characters onto platforms. Cute and colorful in an anime style, it's a game that's easy to get into and play. The entry is easy and the PC requirements are low. Like most MMORPGs, gameplay centers around exploring dungeons (maze-like environments) and killing monsters with swords or magic to earn gold -- called \"mesos.\"

Gameplay is simple as you move forward and backward with the arrow keys, jump with the Alt key, and perform combat with the Ctrl key. Aside from exploring dungeons and killing monsters, there are mini-games that are found in the game and on special quests. Most of the quests are of the \"Kill X creatures and bring me Y pelts\" variety. Mini-games can be played solo as well as multiplayer and include a tic-tac-toe variant, a matching cards memory game, rock-paper-scissors, and pachinko (a variant of pinball).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (37 ):

Pets provide another layer of depth in this game, but must be bought from the cash or item shop with real money, and like any items purchased from the cash shop, they last only 90 days, whereupon the owner must buy a "water of life" and perform a quest to revive it. The cash shop also provides "fluff" avatar customization items and it's easy to get in a never-ending cycle of buying items with real cash. Platform gameplay can be very engaging and the large community a draw into this game.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why games like these can be addictive. Parents can also discuss social etiquette online. What's OK and what's not? Have you ever noticed bad online behavior? What did you do about it? Also, how is teamwork an asset in this game?

Game Details

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