Iris Online: Interview with Tara Einis Marketing Manager at Gala-Net

October 29, 2010 9:16 ( Interviews ) 0

We have interviewed Tara Einis, Marketing Manager at Gala-Net. And we have spoken about Iris Online, its new MMO title.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to interview you about Iris Online. This new title promises to be a very good one. First of all, could you introduce yourself to our readers?

Answer: My name is Tara Einis and I’m the Marketing Manager at Gala-Net. I personally love Iris Online and am excited to give you guys the low down on why Everyone Loves Iris!

How would you describe Iris Online in a few words?

Iris Online is a gypsy-themed fantasy MMORPG. It was developed by Eyasoft, developers of another one of my favorite gPotato games, Luna Online. The cheerful anime art style is similar to Luna, but Iris has a number of totally unique features. In addition to the 1000 quests and 22 themed instance dungeons, Iris has an incredibly intricate and exciting card system.

Enhancement Cards can be used to enhance weapons and armor, and Tarot Cards can be used to customize items and carve special abilities. Players can also go to a fortune-telling NPC to get their fortunes told daily, and can try to collect all 78 Tarot Cards for endless character customization. Lastly, but certainly not least, are the Monster Cards, which allow players to morph into one of the game’s hundreds of monsters, gaining special skills and powers unique to that monster!

Why the name ‘Iris Online’?

In Greek mythology, Iris is a messenger god that travels between worlds; she is also the personification of rainbows. Iris Online is set in the fantasy world of Arcana where two mythical races, elves and hybrids, join humans as they adventure through beautiful environments in a rainbow of rich hues.

What do you expect from the game? Do you think it will be a great hit?

We are very optimistic about this title. When we were play testing it in our offices every person loved it. When we put together our video trailer, everyone couldn’t stop smiling. That’s how we came up with our tagline “Everyone Loves Iris.” From the in-depth Tarot Card system, to the Monster Cards and themed dungeons, and the amazing mounts and great PvP, Iris has plenty to offer. We think that anyone that tries Iris will agree – Everyone Loves Iris!

Talk us about its story. What is there in the magic world of Arcana?

The magnificent world of Arcana gave birth to a king, Archane, from its tree of life. King Archane had a natural talent for magic but in his unquenchable thirst for knowledge in this craft, he was led down a path into darker and darker arts. One day the king came across a magic rune and using black magic wielded its powers to create a sword of unimaginable strength. Upon creating the Sword of Shadows, the king, once good and noble, transformed into an evil and greedy ruler, with a continual lust for power. King Archane was fully consumed by the black magic and began slicing rifts between mensions, letting evil enter the once peaceful land. As the king fell further from reason and sank into madness he began summoning monsters and creatures from the dark. Thus the old king was lost, and in his place the Monarch of Darkness remained to wreaked havoc on Arcana.

It took the power of Arcana’s 22 most talented magicians to seal the Monarch of Darkness behind a dimensional rift. However, in this struggle, they were struck by a tremendous curse, preventing them from ever doing magic again. In the final moments before all of their magic was lost, the magicians used their remaining strength to place each of their magic and secrets into a card, thus the 22 Major Arcana Tarot Cards came into being. However, in the momentary gap where the magicians turned their focus to the Tarot Cards, evil pushed forth in 22 places, and thus 22 themed dungeons were formed.

Could you go deeper on the Divination System? What could we do with tarot cards?

The game consists of 22 Major Cards and 56 Minor Cards which can be collected and used to customize your character and weapons. Tarot Cards can be attached to weapons or armor for increased abilities or can even be attached directly to your character for increased stats and buffs. Additionally, the Tarot Cards can be used for special physical or magical attacks or can be used to upgrade and customize items to create a unique inventory. Tarot Cards also allow players to carve special abilities and are sometimes required in order to enter a dungeon.

What are themed instance dungeons exactly? Would you say that they are a new kind of dungeons on the MMO games genre?

As explained in the story of Arcana, the 22 uniquely themed instance dungeons are inspired by the 22 Major Arcana Tarot Cards. Each dungeon has different requirements to enter and has different effects on the players. In The Wheel of Fortune dungeon everything is a gamble, whereas in The Lovers dungeon players are required to enter and complete the raid in a male/female pair.

I’d say that this level of detail in addition to the connection to the rich lore and storyline makes our dungeons both incredibly unique and fascinatingly fun!

Can you tell us something about the monster transformation?

The Monster Card system is another original aspect to the gameplay. Almost every monster in the game is collectable and usable as your character, even the Bosses! When you get a Monster Card, you can morph into that monster and receive the special skills or buffs associated with it. Ghosts may allow you to sneak past canons unnoticed and becoming a tree may allow you to travel through the dangerous forest in a safe disguise!

Are we going to find any kind of PvP in Iris?

Yes! Although there is extensive PvE and questing, Iris Online also boasts three robust PvP modes in addition to three PvP zones: Dueling, an adorable homage to traditional fighting games, is refereed by a reindeer and the one versus one matchup comes complete with a special user interface. For larger scale PvP, Iris has giant floating platforms dedicated to the cause! Flagmatch give players all the fun of their favorite grade-school game, but has its own dash of Iris magic, while Deathmatch is an all out team versus team fight to the death!

In addition to these playing modes, Iris has three zones specifically for PvP, where players can complete PvP based quests, and create raid parties for guild wars!

What can you say about the system requirements?

MINIMUM
Intel Pentium 4 / 2.0 GHz
1 GB or more
128 MB video card or better
Windows XP / Vista / W-7
DirectX DirectX 9.0c and latest video drivers
DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability

RECOMMENDED
Intel Pentium 4 / 3.0 GHz
2 GB or more
256 MB video card or better
Windows XP / Vista / W-7
DirectX 9.0c and latest video drivers
DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability

Finally, do you have something to say to your players directly?

We are currently in Closed Beta are very excited by the positive player feedback. We can’t wait for Open Beta in November, and we look forward to seeing you all in the magical world Arcana!

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