Hello, everyone.

The keyword this time is freeze-drying: a look back at elements of Nexon games that were fun or memorable enough to make me wish I could freeze-dry them and keep them just as they were.

With that in mind, I have picked out a few examples from MapleStory's past content that fit the theme, based on my own preferences.

Mini-Game: Crazy Splash

Crazy Splash was a mini-game featured in the Newtro-themed anniversary event. As you can see above, it only ran once, back in 2019—quite a while ago now.

As the name suggests, this mini-game brought Crazy Arcade straight into MapleStory, recreating everything from the gameplay to the items and effects.

The controls inevitably felt a little different from the original, and between that and the game's particular brand of lag, quite a few players were disappointed. Personally, though, I enjoyed it, and I remember playing quite a bit even after meeting the requirements for all the event rewards. It was a divisive game: plenty of players would simply blow themselves up as soon as they entered.

The rewards were items based on Crazy Arcade's mascots. If there was one last opportunity to bring this mini-game back, I imagine it would have been alongside the various official collaborations celebrating Nexon's 30th anniversary. It did not return then, either, so I suspect we are unlikely to see it again.

Another detail worth noting is that Bazzi and Dao, the event's hosts, have the 아잉 and 슈가 faces, respectively. At the time, players treated the two faces as something of a rivalry, and that made its way into the event. It is not often that a player meme finds its way into official content like this, and even now, it is an interesting detail to look back on.

창공의 심판자

창공의 심판자 is a mini-game that returns occasionally, most recently in last year's 22nd anniversary event.

You earn points by swinging a squeaky hammer to drain your opponents' HP or knock them off the clouds.

To me, though, the more important part of the game is the 2 items you can pick up on the field. Hold on to them until the right moment,

then put them to use around the golden squeaky hammer, which awards a lot of points when destroyed. There is quite a bit of fun in activating a barrier and charging in to knock other players off, or throwing a bomb to score the last hit on the golden squeaky hammer.

This game is also currently available at any time once your Guild Castle reaches a certain level. If you are interested, playing a few rounds with your guildmates could be a nice way to spend some time together.

The One-Punch Man Version of Special World

Special World first appeared as Pink Bean World and has returned from time to time since then. Over the years, various benefits have made leveling considerably easier, with the most recent Special World—the One-Punch Man collaboration—taking that further than ever.

Most notably, the 2 benefits shown above were active throughout the event. Combined with Saitama's satisfyingly sweeping AoE skills, they made for some impressive synergy.

Clearing maps packed with monsters and watching the levels climb so quickly was genuinely satisfying. I also remember making short work of the boss missions with the level 5 special skill rings provided by default.

Back in a much earlier Pink Bean World, there was even the fiasco of dozens of Pink Beans waiting for Dodo, all trying to get through the Temple of Time prerequisite quests to complete their Step Up missions. Looking at how much things have improved since then, it really does feel like a different era.

With Special Worlds released for the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba collaboration in November 2024 and the One-Punch Man collaboration in November 2025, I wonder if we might see a collaboration Special World once a year, just before the winter update. I hope the next one takes the same approach and lets us enjoy that rapid progression again.

Event Benefits That Will Soon Be Gone

Unlike the content above, there is one thing I think everyone would want to keep permanently, regardless of personal taste: the event skills commonly nicknamed “tonics.” The current events are nearing their end, and the groaning has already begun.

The hunting benefits from the Haste event and the Ancient Power effects earned by raising 엘라노스 will expire on March 18 at 23:59.

Thankfully, the Illusion Magic benefits earned through attendance checks will last 1 week longer, expiring on March 25 at 23:59.

Events like these left a particularly strong impression on players with the Alliance skills introduced in The Black update several years ago. Given the remarkably generous benefits available then, as shown above, I imagine losing them must have left an even bigger gap than it does now.

Thank you for reading.