MapleStory is a constantly evolving game, full of heroes, villains, and everything in between. But none of them are as important to us as you, our players who make Maple World what it is! The history of MapleStory is a long and winding one, but now we'd like to turn the attention to you, and hear more about your own journeys that you've taken as MapleStory has grown over the years. The question we'd like to ask you all is: What's Your MapleStory? If you'd like to submit your story, you can do so via this form.
For today's edition of What's Your MapleStory, we spoke to JoaoVictorMB, who shares a story about their adventure as an Evan main and how MapleStory has grown in their heart!
How were you first introduced to MapleStory?
I was introduced to MapleStory through my brother in 2005, when I was only 7 years old and barely knew English at the time. We had to share the computer at home or go to the Internet Cafe to play and, as the younger one, of course I would have less playtime in any of these situations. I remember watching him play Orbis PQ and Ludibrium Maze PQ while being amazed by how high everyone's level was. I also remember cheering when he completed 3rd Job Advancement at Lv. 70 as a Cleric when I've only reached Lv. 24 on my archer.
Which aspect of MapleStory stood out to you?
As I'm getting a Degree in Game Design, I can clearly see that I'm heavily influenced by MapleStory's mechanics, music, lore, and dynamics... I have so many strong memories of the game but none would be as impactful as the background music (BGM) when I think of it. I could be with my eyes closed and have a perfect picture of the map and monsters with songs like Nightmare, Sleepy Wood, Ancient Move-Down To The Cave, Highland Star, Moonlight Shadow, Missing You, Upon The Sky, Warm Regard, Come With Me, Flying In A Blue Dream, Fantasia and so many others. The music portrays the maps so well that when I ask friends and family that never played the game "How would the place be like for this song?", their answers were very close to the actual map the music belonged to. I only get jealous of MapleStory BGM when I'm making music for my games at college.
What is your favorite class in MapleStory?
"It has a Dragon!" Yes, that was me 10 years ago and since then, Evan has been my favorite class. The longer I spent playing the class, the more I enjoyed its uniqueness and its hardships... Each achieved goal felt like such a long journey had passed, that I've really accomplished something with my own effort and the more I loved not just the class, but in a way, the character itself. As an old Evan, I can say that to love this character for this long, you must be strong and dedicated because it was really tough after his nerf. However, I loved all the effort spent on this class, making it my favorite by far due to remembering old times with the slow grinding, well, until a friend introduced me to Von Leon's Castle.
Any memorable moments you had while playing the game?
My favorite memory would be joining my previous guild. It was one of the pioneer and biggest Brazilian guilds in MapleStory. In there, I made a lot of friends and helped others. In my most desperate time, long after I already had started my main, Evan, I was weak and repeatedly died to Pirates at Lv. 111. One of my guildmates noticed, grabbed my hand, and led me to Lion Heart Castle. He made me hit all monsters once and then he would defeat them while also protecting me. If I didn't have this savior, I may have stopped playing MapleStory a long time ago. Especially after my brother stopped playing, the companionship I got from the guild was irreplaceable and it soon became a place where I belonged.
What do you enjoy about MapleStory today?
Undoubtedly, MapleStory has its piece in my heart after all these years. However, enjoying MapleStory has been a little bit different than what it was before. I still do spend some time with my friends, chat with random Maplers, or get to know amazing people. I love discovering all the new Lv. 200 and above maps but the true "Seek for Adventure" element of the game hasn't been there for a while. MapleStory became, to me, a "Safe Place" where I can watch Cartoons/Anime/Movies, work on homework, or be in a voice chat while being completely stress free. MapleStory has been comfortable to play most of the time. It also helped me by being a space where I could spend time during my long distance relationship with my girlfriend. I hope new players can have similar, nice experiences just as I had with the game. I love playing MapleStory and I hope it doesn't derail itself too much from all the good steps it has taken so far. Of course sometimes I take breaks but MapleStory has a special place in my heart and it will never leave. Friendships, histories... They will always be a part of me.
Check out JoaoVictorMB's Twitter here!
