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MapleStory is a game of very few pancakes. In fact, the entire time I played MapleStory, I didn't see a single pancake, waffle or slice of French toast. I was confused. How can you have a story about maple, but not have breakfast food involved? You can imagine my shock when I discovered that maple syrup has nothing to do with this game! I was hurt, to say the least.

MapleStory is a 2D, side-scrolling MMORPG from Korean developer, Wizet. In it, you and other cutesy little players wander the Maple World fighting cutesy little monsters, learning new skills and leveling your cutesy little behind. It's all well worn territory for RPGs, only more... cute. Seriously. There were a few times I actually said "aww" out loud.

The most surprising aspect of MapleStory is how addictive it is. Before I realized it, I played for about 5 hours straight. There is a charm to the sprites and environments that is missing in a lot of today's games. The simplistic controls make it an easy game to learn. The real difficulty comes in knowing how to level your character properly and what areas to stay away from until you're ready. That's where the game falls short. It is entirely too easy to make a nearly useless character that struggles to keep up with other players. I had to use a guide to ensure my character wasn't a wimp. After about a week of playing, the game becomes boring from the endless grinding and the lack of any main story. I mean it. No story. At all. There is neither maple nor story in a game called MapleStory.

At times, your fellow Maplers will come off as a bit annoying or immature. That's because MapleStory is teeming with 13-15 year olds. You know your little brother that's entirely too adept at making various smiley faces with punctuation marks? He probably plays MapleStory. Your cousin that really wants to go to Anime Expo dressed as Tifa? She plays MapleStory. That 40 year old guy that also really wants your cousin to go to Anime Expo dressed as Tifa? He probably plays MapleStory. But he says he's a 15 year old girl from Virginia (I'm onto you, PixieFlame15).

MapleStory is fun. For a little while. Then it will most likely take up space on your hard drive, unused and lonely, like that copy of Gimp you refuse to get rid of. You pirated Photoshop months ago. You're not fooling anyone, Thiefy McStealinheimer.

RANKING: 6 OUT OF 10

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