Life Beyond is an MMORPG currently in alpha version. It is published and developed by Darewise Entertainment. I had the chance to discuss with Vincent Marty who is product director, as well as with Robin Allard who is publishing project manager. I spoke with them for a little over an hour before I could touch the game. The game was under maintenance. This allowed me to focus on my questions and then on the gameplay.
Some questions
Life Beyond is an MMORPG that aims to be social and interactive with its community. That is to say that it will be the players who will decide the future of their environment. In the game you can be whoever you want. I'll talk about that a bit later. The game also incorporates NFTs. It is a unique and non-interchangeable digital certificate of authenticity, an asset that is also digital. I immediately wanted to know if it was mandatory. The answer is no, because it will only be cosmetic.
Players will also be able to create and integrate their own NFT. Brands too. But this will not make it possible to make pay to earn. I absolutely wanted to know this before testing the game. Because it would have simply cut off my desire to play. It would have been a shame, because on paper I really like it!
The object of the game is to colonize a planet and build a world. There will be only one for all players. It will therefore be necessary to live together. The game will have a political part. I let you imagine the possibilities that this can bring.
In Life Beyond there is no class. Your equipment will decide what you are. Same for trades, you can become what you want and change at any time. You can, if you wish, switch from farmer to taxi driver. On the other hand, what will be rewarded will be the farmers. The more you craft or harvest, for example, the more powerful your job will be. Just like in real life! I found this feature interesting because anyone who only wants to do a job will be rewarded in this way.
For the moment the game is in alpha, there will be 3 before the official release of the game;
- Alpha 1: Currently, ending in October. There will be two phases in 2023 with the addition of content. This alpha focuses on action and gameplay. Through expeditions that will help prepare the planet. Expeditions are done solo or in groups of up to four at the moment.
- Alpha 2: no date yet. It will add building construction and economy. Construction will be like in Valheim. There will be physics, materials, as well as terrain deformation. Remember when I was talking about trades? We are in there.
- Alpha 3: Who will add politics to the game. With voting systems to influence the future of the game. This is the most interesting part and I can't wait to experiment to see what players will do with the game !
The game will be easy to pick up. Even casual players will be able to play. You can even decide to do only your job or politics for example. However, what is certain is that it will be complicated to master! The game is currently under Unreal Engine 4, but it will move to 5.
Discovery of the game
Then comes the moment when I can put my hands on the game. I am accompanied by Vincent who is going to give me a guided tour. Many thanks again to him! So we come to the Boo, which is the hub of the game. We are part of a company, the Deep Agency which is, in Vincent's words, a mix between Microsoft and Space X. This company wanted to conquer Mars, but she found herself dragged into a black hole. And here they are, arrived on the planet on which we are.
The hub is divided into 3 areas:
- The "Exploration" zone: which allows you to launch the activities. There is a solo activity, one in duo and the rest in 4s.
- The "Shop" area: here you can buy equipment and improve your weapons.
- The "Bedroom" area: while waiting for construction, players have a bedroom that they can modify.
The activities are mainly objectives to achieve and then we can go to an area for extraction. At the moment it's quite repetitive but let's not forget that we are in an alpha. Three difficulty modes will allow you to win more prizes at the end of the game.
The equipment you buy in the shop is currently only cosmetic. Features will come later. And they will be important because there will be no levels in Life Beyond. Your equipment will decide your level. This means that you can play with anyone. Even someone just starting out.
And the room allows you to introduce housing into the game. You can even display your rewards and your NFTs there.
Conclusion
So I had the honor of chatting with two people from the team. I thank them again. I tested the game afterwards until the writing of this article. It's a game that I really like. So yes currently we are limited and it is quickly repetitive. But I like the idea and I'm going to follow this game very carefully. I can't wait to see what's next! Plus the game is smooth. I hardly had any bug apart from 1 or 2 disconnections. In short, I will follow the news of Life Beyond!
https://www.playlifebeyond.com/
