You can tell if a game is going to be good by looking at how well it performed in its native territory.
Oath of Peak’s record speaks for itself. During its initial launch in the Asia-Pacific region it was downloaded more than 500,000 times, as well as hitting the number one spot on both the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. In North America 500k players signed up for pre-registration too, with 200k taking part in the open beta.
And now you can get your hands on it wherever you happen to live, with the exception of East and Southeast Asia.
Developed by CANGMING NET, the studio behind a library of hit Xianxia games that includes the ultra-popular A Chinese Ghost Story, Oath of Peak is a sprawling, visually stunning MMORPG based on a Chinese text called The Classic of Mountains and Seas.
You may know that text as Shan Hai Jing, and Oath of Peak takes plenty of inspiration from this culturally important source material.
For one thing, it features the same weird and wonderful array of mythical creatures, including Baize, Zhulong, Qiongqi, and Qilin.
Gameplay-wise, Oath of Peak sees you playing as a Spirit Bender, exploring the Omnispirit Continent, getting into PvP and GvG battles, and catching, taming, and breeding Spirit Beasts in order to create an army of animal helpers.
As you’d expect from a mobile MMORPG, Oath of Peak features a robust class system made up of warriors, healers, tanks, assassins, and mages, all with their own skills and abilities.
This assortment of unit types creates the potential for some hard-fought tactical battles in which a balance of strengths can spell the difference between success and failure.
But Oath of Peak isn’t all about combat. When you’re not actively fighting or upgrading your heroes you can spend time on leisurely pursuits such as fishing, exploring, and tending to your sanctuary at Mount Huanming.
This is an area of the gameworld where you can buy, build, and furnish your very own home on the Omnispirit Continent.
Adding furniture gives you HP bonuses, and as you level-up you’ll add more furniture sockets to your home, increasing your advantage.
It gets better. Once you’ve got a home, you can use Magic Arrays to strengthen your character, and earn bonuses for your Spirit Bender and Spirit Beasts by adding more furniture and lavishing gifts upon your Kun – a kind of divine beast from the Spirit Land.
There’s another kind of home in Oath of Peak: your guild. And central to your experience of a guild is Shells, the game’s main currency.
You earn Shells by completing quests, collecting rewards, selling items, Spirit Beast mining, and so on, and you spend them on buying new equipment, crafting materials, resources, and upgrades.
Perhaps most importantly of all, you can spend Shells on upgrading your guild and topping up the Guild Fund. The reason this matters is that a guild that can’t pay its maintenance fees gets automatically disbanded.
Plus, upgrading your guild gives you a variety of perks, such as stat bonuses and higher stat ceilings.
Being part of a guild, meanwhile, gives you access to countless potential companions to join you in exploring the Omnispirit Continent and taking on the various monsters and human opponents you’re certain to encounter on your travels.
Basically, if you’re not an active member of a guild, you’re missing out big time.
Now would be a good time to get the ball rolling, since Oath of Peak is holding a Valentine’s Day event.
Starting at 5am on February 14th, the event will let you get your hands on a brand new Hare outfit to show off with. This exclusive item will be available at the in-game shop at a 30% discount for 4 days after the event begins.
If you want to learn more, you can read all about Oath of Peak on the game’s official website, Facebook page, and Twitter profile.
Or you can just get stuck right in. Oath of Peak is available for free on the App Store and the Google Play Store.
