Blue Protocol has all the buzz nowadays, being the newest MMORPG title being launched very soon. Developed and published by two highly renowned companies in the gaming industry, Bandai Namco and Amazon Games, players are eagerly anticipating its release. Despite the popularity of Blue Protocol, it might not be available in all regions in 2024. Additionally, its anime-themed gameplay might not appeal to everyone. Regardless, here are ten other games you could try as alternatives.
Related: Blue Protocol Is Similar to Final Fantasy XIV?
Final Fantasy XIV
Anyone who’s ever seriously entered the gaming community has at least heard about the Final Fantasy video game series. Final Fantasy XIV is a popular entry in this franchise, and with its MMORPG-inspired gameplay, it quickly rose to fame. In the game, you can create a character from scratch, customising their race, gender, facial features, and, of course, starting class.
Unlike the newer MMORPGs, however, you can only select one of two classes: Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic. Once your character is completed, you need to go out and start gaining experience through various quests and battles. Final Fantasy XIV will even be getting its fifth expansion pack, Dawntrail, next year, making it a great opportunity to try out this title.
Phantasy Star Online 2
Any gamers from the pre-PlayStation 2 era probably have some great memories with the gaming company Sega. From popular games like Tetris to Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star Online 2 is another great game from the company. It is an MMORPG just like Blue Protocol, where you build your character up from scratch and take them out adventuring. It also focuses a lot on the battling mechanics, where players have a large array of weapons to choose from.
Not only that but to make battles really interesting, Sega introduced tons of new interactions to the game. You can utilise these interactions to get the upper hand on your opponent and turn the tide in a battle. Other than the battling mechanics, the open-world setting really reminds us of games like Blue Protocol that don’t limit your adventurous spirit.
Eve Online
Eve Online is the third game on our list of games bearing similarity to Bandai Namco’s newest title, Blue Protocol. Eve Online isn’t your typical MMORPG, as it takes place in an entirely new setting: In space. In the game, Intergalactic warfare ensues when humans exhaust all the resources on Earth and set off to venture to new planets. With the capitalistic nature of humans, this soon turned into space warfare, where players tried to colonise different planets.
Now, Eve Online includes a battling aspect where you can build up your ship to go on the offensive or sit back and defend your own colony. But that’s not why the game is so popular. Eve Online has a plethora of in-game professions you can pursue, as well as 7,800 star systems players can visit. This is due to the entire player base being inside one server. So, if you’re thinking of trying something new, Eve Online just might be the game you’re looking for.
Ashes of Creation
One similarity that Ashes of Creation shares with Blue Protocol is that it hasn’t been released yet. Regardless of its release status, we just had to mention this game here due to the potential of it being one of the best MMORPGs out there next year.
The game will feature nine races to choose from, but that’s not all. You need to choose one of eight primary archetypes and combine it with a secondary archetype at level 25. Sticking to core MMORPG aspects, players will need to fight over nodes and defend their space against invaders. The more players in a region will mean a bigger node as well. So get ready to fight to the death to advance your character.
Also Read: The 5 Biggest Video Game Maps Ever
Lost Ark
Lost Ark is another amazing MMORPG that was launched initially in 2018. The game was first released in South Korea, where it was made, after which Smilegate launched it in Europe and America in 2022.
Lost Ark isn’t like your typical MMORPG, where you need to battle it out for almost everything. The game focuses more on the PvE aspect and exploration. The early levels are quite slow since they don’t allow a lot of customisation like Blue Protocol or Ashes of Creation, but the further you progress, the more options are opened up to mess around and have fun.
Albion Online
Albion Online is a fan-favourite MMORPG played by players all over the world on both mobile and PC. This game has frequently been mentioned as one of the best, if not the best, MMORPGs out there. With a player-driven economy and five different regions to explore, the game gives players another level of freedom to do as they please. Whether you want to go for global chests or gank other players for their hard-earned money, the way to progress is entirely up to you.
Albion Online is a sandbox MMORPG game, similar to Blue Protocol but not the same. It does not have any storyline or quests you need to complete to get ahead; It’s just a lot of grind. However, if you like Blue Protocol for the build customisations and class variety, you’re bound to love Albion Online as well.
Throne and Liberty
Moving on to our second-last MMORPG for the list, we have Throne and Liberty. It has been developed by NCSoft and was published in South Korea by them as well. However, just like Blue Protocol, it will be published in the Western regions by Amazon Games.
We don’t know much about the game yet since it has faced numerous delays over the years. The first South Korean closed beta was scheduled in November 2016. However, from the gameplay and trailers, it seems quite similar to Blue Protocol in gameplay mechanics and plot progression.
Tower of Fantasy
Tower of Fantasy is an open-world MMORPG that is definitely a must-play for anime lovers out there and bears the most resemblance to Blue Protocol. With its anime-themed characters to its MMORPG genre, it’s a great alternative for those who can’t get their hands on Blue Protocol just yet. It uses a hack-and-slash combat system, but the crux of the game is focused on exploring and gathering different items from NPCs.
Genshin Impact
Since not everyone likes Blue Protocol solely for the MMORPG aspect, we thought it fair to add some non-MMORPG titles as well. Everyone knows how similar Blue Protocol is to games from the HoYoverse, so what better game to play than Genshin Impact, one of the HoYoverse’s most successful titles? Genshin Impact is an ARPG developed by miHoYo and was released in 2021.
The game focuses on your party of four in the open-world setting where you traverse vast lands, levelling up your characters and gaining more potent abilities. The game also gives you frequent events and quests to earn rare items, which you can use to unlock premium content.
Also Read: The 10 Best Action RPGs of All Time
Honkai: Star Rail
For our last title, we have another mention from the HoYoverse, Honkai: Star Rail. This isn’t like your typical hack-and-slash, open-world RPG. Rather, it is a tactical role-playing game with an exciting storyline you need to follow. It also follows a party of four where each character has different strengths and weaknesses depending on their stats. This is also defined by the character class they’re from.
The game is definitely an excellent pick-up if you want something a bit toned-down and not too grindy as compared to Blue Protocol.
The Takeaway
While Blue Protocol stands out with its stunning visuals and gameplay, there are several other games you can try out that offer similar experiences. Whether you love the anime aspect of Blue Protocol or its MMORPG-style gameplay, there’s a game here that will captivate you for many hours while you wait for Blue Protocol to come out.