Blue Protocol has potential to be an excellent MMORPG

Alongside yesterday's trailer drop for Amazon Games and Bandai Namco's upcoming Blue Protocol, the embargo for those of who had a chance to play an English build of the game at last month's Summer Game Fest also dropped; and while I was fairly ambivalent about how I felt about Throne & Liberty, I must admit that what I had a chance to demo of Blue Protocol has me considerably excited for a chance to play more.

Really, part and parcel of it all was Blue Protocol's demo had much better pacing; not only did we get a (brief) introduction to the story, some of the game's characters, and more - but outside of the standard character-building that you would expect to get our hands-on with, but after the opening 15 minutes we shifted gears to a selection of pre-made characters for the games various classes - Blade Warden, Twin Striker, Keen Strider, Spell Weaver and Foe Breaker - to explore some of the game's open zones, and then queue into a 6-player dungeon with other press and influencers present at the event.

For my session, I chose to focus on Keen Strider - an Archer, that can also focus as a support class - and getting to grips with the combat was fascinating. While it still has its standard slew of MMO cooldowns, Blue Protocol is absolutely more of an action-oriented affair. Having 6 players for a dungeon also felt hectic in a way I wasn't expecting - not a bad feeling, mind, but absolutely different from other titles on the market that I've played.

One thing that might be a bit notable about Blue Protocol, is that it's scheduled to only release on PC and current-generation consoles - and to its credit, it certainly is a looker as far as MMOs are concerned. It's got a striking cell-shaded artstyle to the characters, and all of the environments that I had a chance to visit were more than pleasing to the eye.

Much like I said last time, writing previews on an MMO is tough; but as far as Blue Protocol is concerned, I'd say Amazon's take at showcasing the game's strengths was a hit. Clearly we'll still have to wait to see how the bigger picture feels come the game's launch next year, but consider me excited to take that next dip into the game's world. Blue Protocol launches on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 next year.