Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG. It is a PC game released in 2007. It is a sword and sorcery type role playing game where the gamer starts by creating a character and proceeds to develop that character's skills, abilities and equipment up a series of levels, making their character wealthier and more powerful throughout the game. The game world, Telon, is an enormous world filled with non-player characters that interact with the player in a variety of ways. Vanguard is designed for many kinds of player groups, from two or three player parties that might disband after completing a certain quest to much larger guilds that can last as long as the game itself.

As an MMORPG, there will be thousands of players to be found online at any time of day. This game is strong in the educational category of people skills, because in order to develop most efficiently the player will need to form groups and join guilds of other players, trading with people around them, and just interacting with the people around them. The game world outside of cities is a dangerous place, and players will often need to rely on strength in numbers to succeed. The game's economy is driven by the players themselves finding and even creating items that can be sold to others, traded with others and even put up for auction in a cycle that that will create and distribute wealth.

Business skills are also heavily featured as the more wealthy a character is the easier it is to advance quickly. More pronounced than in other MMOs is the crafting system. Players can craft items and become extremely wealthy, often without entering battle at all. Problem solving is a strength of the game as well, as all methods of advancement are minigames of one sort or another, whether it's surviving battle using specific tactics or building diplomacy, done through a negotiation minigame.

The fantasy world of Vanguard leaves room for few classroom facts. The game often refers to real world items in generic ways. What might be referred to as a Clydesdale, for example, would simply be called a Brown Horse, and what in the real world might be Cypress or Teak Logs would be called, in the game, simply Dry Log or Thorn Log. Real-world names occasionally creep into the game, but they are an exception. Navigational tools are based on real world counterparts, including some navigational charts and a compass being displayed on screen.

By the Player:

There are a number of options that go into character design, including standard appearance, gender and race options. There are also fifteen classes to choose from, covering RPG standards from warrior to bard. There are also four spheres (adventuring, harvesting, crafting and diplomacy) that serve as the main ways to advance characters, and within each are special abilities and equipments that can be used to customize a character further. All of these options lead to character creation and development being a highly customizable process, with the player having hundreds of options to choose from. This even allows players to play in a totally non-violent fashion, crafting their way to fame and fortune.

Exploration is fun across the huge maps, but isn't really encouraged because there are few benefits to be had from adventuring in areas intended for higher level characters. The game encourages players to play in areas that offer challenges intended for a specific level.

By the Developer

The game world, Telon, is beautiful, with vast land areas and interesting structures and monuments that often have a distinct middle-eastern flavor. The visual tone is a bit more serious and dark than that of many other MMORPGs. Nighttime seems especially dark, perhaps by design, though there is brightness correction available. Telon tastefully combined pleasing melodic music and fantasy style visuals.

Business skills are a strong educational feature of the game, with buying and selling a huge number of items to other players as well as non-player characters being an important element in character advancement. The economy uses a clearly defined system of currency (bronze, silver and gold coins) and an intricate economy that has players harvesting, battling and crafting to find goods and make money. The auction house is worth mentioning, as it is a solid example of how supply and demand work in real-world economy. Because the number of items and pieces of equipment available is so large and there are always pieces available that will make any character more efficient, money will always be desirable. Wealth is naturally as important to an adventurer as it is even to a crafter, as better weapons and armor make advancing much simpler. In Telon, as in real life, there is always something to spend money on. The player may even purchase real estate, even a house, as the game progresses!

As with any MMORPG, interpersonal skills and player-to-player interactions will be a constant part of the gameplay experience if a player wishes to progress efficiently. The developers have said that a player can enjoy himself playing Vanguard alone, and while this is true the game really needs to be played in a more multiplayer spirit to really be experienced to its full potential, even if that just means adventuring with just one other player. Single player adventuring becomes quite difficult, as there are many higher-level adversaries that become literally impossible to defeat without a strong party. Crafting is much more single-player friendly as it is usually done in safe areas, although some travel might be necessary to obtain certain ingredients. Vanguard features social controls that make it easier to keep track of friends.

The real problem presented to the player in Vanguard is simply character development; that is, finding the most efficient ways to develop the player's character and become wealthier. Advancing in any area will require some type of problem solving, whether it is the crafting or diplomacy minigames or adventuring throughout the world battling adversaries to grow more powerful and completing quests. Forming groups and working with other players make much more rapid growth possible, though players arguing or fighting over certain decisions certainly happens.

Vanguard is not a simulation game, that there are a number of real-world items found in the game. Environments and equipment are made to look as realistic as possible, cities are made to be believable, and other features such as the day/night cycle and in-game economy are made to help Vanguard feel more like a real world. However there are a number of things in the game that break the real-world feel, such as horses that can run forever without getting tired.

Vanguard is received well by critics and players. There is a great deal to like in this game. The most heard criticism of the game is that it was released too early in development and has a number of glitches and bugs.

Vanguard earns extra credit for diversity, as the gamer can create their character in a number of different skin colors.

It can take a huge number of hours to reach the upper levels of Vanguard, potentially going into months of gameplay. Rude players can easily be blocked using an ignore list.

Vanguard requires a medium to high-end computer system. During loading the game seems to halt from time to time.

The game received a T from the ESRB with descriptors for Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol and Violence.