One Nano might enable you to jump much higher than normal, allowing access to previously unreachable areas, another Nano might provide a stronger melée attack. Each Nano is a superdeformed aspect of a CN character that floats over your shoulder and provides gameplay support. A Nano is a tiny, hovering figurine that you purchase from NPCs around the world. Where FF innovates, however, is in its use of a system they call Nanos. The combat itself is solid - there is a ranged attack and a melée attack, and it's a simple keypress to switch between the two. These are the enemies you will have to defeat, each of which will help level your character and provide the currency used to buy upgrades to your weapons and clothing, which doubles as your armor. To do this, it bombards the surface of the planet with a green, radioactive-looking goo that has the side effect of animating ordinary objects, turning them into malevolent monsters. Is the built-in, cartoon-watching audience ready to see their favorite characters change so radically? Will they be frustrated by the inability to play as these characters? This hearkens back to the post on Marvel Universe Online recently written will it be fun enough for kids to play alongside their heroes?īack to the story: this world-eating living planet called Planet Fusion wants to consume CN Earth, but it needs to make the place more digestible to itself. Ironically, what could be FF's greatest asset potentially stands to be its downfall as well. As you visit the different zones playable, you'll come across the locations/headquarters of these characters, which should be fun for players and a great way for them to feel embedded in the story. Some of the more prominent characters include Max and Bloo, two of the Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, and Dexter and Dee Dee, among others. Note, however, that this isn't the Earth we currently inhabit, but a Cartoon Network-branded Earth, where the popular characters and shows of CN have been aged and updated - sort of anime-ized, if you will - to more closely hew to the overarching heroic storyline. We'll explore this, and show you the trailer, after the break.įirst of all, as the trailer makes plain, there's something nasty coming to Earth, what one of the development team called a ' Galactus-like threat', which immediately endeared him to me. This isn't to say they don't have a few challenges ahead of them, however. With so many experienced and creative people behind it, FusionFall definitely stands to make a splash in the 8 - 14 year old demographic that Cartoon Network is shooting for. Among the notable names on this project are Sam Lewis, former systems and content designer for Star Wars Galaxies Robert Knopf, recently of Ultima Online and Richard Weil, the community relations manager for many MMOs, including City of Heroes/ Villains, Lineage I and II, Tabula Rasa, and Auto Assault. Developed in part by Korea's Grigon Entertainment, makers of Seal Online, QRing, and Gambledon, this is a title with a great deal of pedigree under the hood. We were invited to check out Cartoon Network's upcoming kid-focused MMO FusionFall, and while clearly still in development, it shows a lot of potential.