Milmo on Facebook: Opening a whole new world of social gaming

Flying in Milmo
Let's forget the fancy introductions and just come out and say it: Milmo for Facebook is a sprawling, vibrant world that exists in your browser. A full 3D MMO developed by Swedish studio Junebud, Milmo is exactly what we were referring to when we predicted the trend of genre blending for 2011. And this game released in 2010!

Making use of the Unity Engine (another prediction for 2011), this game transports players into a living, breathing world even more so than existing Facebook MMOs like Godswar Online. Obviously, the game is designed to have more widespread appeal through somewhat childish graphics, a frame of a plot and simplistic combat (click to swing weapon, click again... and again). But where Milmo shines is in the sense of awe it draws from you--you'll find yourself saying yourself after a few minutes of play, "Whoa, this is on my Facebook?"

Find more of our impressions after the break.
The world of Milmo
This game is more about the experience of exploration than any of its other features. Everything from the combat to the quests are tools to drive players to see every nook and cranny of over 12 islands. In fact, there are even reward for collecting all eight Exploration Tokens in each level, which are normally found hiding in areas you wouldn't normally journey to. This encourages you to simply run around and take everything in, but with a purpose.

Of course, the common MMO tropes are all in place. However, there seem to be no levels in Milmo like most MMOs, which could serve to encourage play with other users of all experience levels, regardless of where they've been. But players do gain Gems from defeating enemies ranging from crabs to snails and strange bouncing heads of snowmen. (Hey, this is a fantasy.) These gems are used to buy items like health potions and new weapons. There are quests in the game, but they're rather simplistic in that they've yet to go beyond the range of "Hey you, kill these critters for me."

Sunlight
While flaws like this are noticeable to the jaded average gamer, Junebud's target demographic will think nothing of it, soaking in every quest and piece of uncharted land. In fact, even I found myself ignoring the quests for a time and simply running and jumping around, testing the limits of where I could reach. But these limits are easily broken by cannons strewn across islands that players can jump into for easy transport. Ever wanted to fly in a Facebook game? Now is your chance. As you progress, you'll be given the choice to tackle an overarching quest through divergent paths, giving you options on where to travel next. Again, this reinforces open discovery.

You'd think that a Facebook MMO would forget about using the network's normal channels of communication, choosing to use solely an in-game chat room or something (which it does include), but nearly everything can be shared on Facebook. Receive a new Title to show off that you collected over one thousand gems? You'll be automatically given the option to post that to your News Feed. You can also invite your Facebook friends to play directly, but what you will not find any of here is gifting or requests for help from friends.

Floating Islands
Alas, Milmo never forgets that it is, in fact, on Facebook. The game is littered with tutorials that update as you progress, revealing new features to you. This is mainly for players who have yet to try an MMO and can become tiresome for seasoned gamers. Also, there is a premium shop in Milmo for virtual goods purchases using cold hard cash, another Facebook staple. All in all, Milmo signifies a major leap forward for Facebook games in that it advances what's possible on the platform while retaining its roots.