![]() Unfortunately, the sound assets in the game world are so sparse, and the alerts so non-existent, that exploring anywhere above our level would be nearly impossible without getting killed by random monsters we didn’t even know were there. Then he died.Īfter respawning at the starting point, and trying again, we found that Baerff had been killed by a passing giant. ![]() The desultory, flat plains flanking the roads were full of skeletons and bugs that were easily angered and nearly impossible to outrun, but Baerff managed to skate by them, getting to within sight of the desert entrance. If only we could get to them.īypassing the first hub city, Trist, Baerff set out down the road towards the Desert of Mohrum. But there are places with evocative names like The Cruel Cavern and The Temple of the Great Burning. Without the guidance of any other players, or developers to point out particularly interesting landmarks, we were left to wander Mirth in search of hidden wonders in a world that looks hopelessly stuck in a computer from the mid-2000s.Īccording to the game map, the world is pretty small with just two lightly marked continents and a couple of outlying islands. Left alone in an entire fantasy world designed for teamwork is surprisingly lonely. The global chat channel was completely empty, which likely meant that we were the only player character in all of Mirth at the time. To see what wonders may have been left behind, we downloaded the game and created a human hunter named Baerff (surprisingly, Baerf was already taken), and set about exploring. There do not seem to be active player forums, and Prairie Games declined to return any requests for interview or comment. It is alive, but abandoned and forgotten. Yet, somehow, it seems to have done neither. Games like Lord of the Rings Online brought an alternative to the long-dominant World of Warcraft, and the options for open, persistent, and most importantly, inhabited worlds, continue to grow.įaced with the rapid advancement of game technology-graphics user interface-and the increasing number of MMORPGs on the market, Minions of Mirth could have either grown or died. Many of them offer premium experiences under a free-to-play model. Since 2005 the number of MMORPGs has exploded. The graphics and animations were fairly simple, even for the time, but according to the developers, MoM managed to garner a healthy following anyway, thanks in part to the efforts to make the player community an integral piece of the experience.Ĭut to 10 years later. The user community was encouraged to delve into the source code and help improve and grow the world. Although MoM’s system was notably complicated thanks to the number of skills and crafting options. The gameplay was built over an existing third-party engine, and looked not unlike most MMORPGs with a field of windows and buttons for players to attack enemies and chat with friends. Players had 12 different fantasy races to choose from including classics like orcs, elves, and dwarves, as well as some more monstrous, and unique to the world of Mirth, such as the lizard-like drakken. The game was proudly independent and offered free of charge. Despite this, Prairie Games touted their new world as having 14 different regions complete with day and night cycles as well as weather effects. If this sounds familiar, it is because Mirth is essentially the generic prescription of fantasy worlds.Īccording to an article on Gamasutra from 2006, the game was created by Prairie in just a year, with a team of only 35 people. The game takes place in a fantasy world where light battles dark in an endless struggle for control of the land. MoM is a fantasy role-playing MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) released in December 2005 by small indie developer Prairie Games. Then there are digital worlds like the titular Mirth from Minions of Mirth (MoM), that seem almost entirely forgotten. There are digital worlds like World of Warcraft’s Azeroth, or EVE Online’s massive universe that are so big, some locations eventually become forgotten or less trafficked-but are still visited by nostalgic players from time to time. But what happens when we try to find a digital world that has been totally abandoned? In our continuing exploration of the hidden and unknown corners of digital spaces, we have delved into a number of high-profile game worlds that still see regular visits from devoted fans. ![]() This may be the end of the digital world of Minions of Mirth.
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