Hello, everyone.

This time, the theme is Happy Birthday, with a look at how birthdays are celebrated in the game.

MapleStory celebrated its birthday on April 29 with an event to mark the occasion. Alongside a look at the event itself, I have explored the memories of MapleStory’s residents that its quests indirectly referenced.

MapleStory’s 23rd Birthday Event: [Spring Scenery, Maple Memories]

Held to celebrate MapleStory’s 23rd birthday, Spring Scenery, Maple Memories took place on the Seokchon Lake event map, where players fulfilled photography requests for residents of Maple World who were too busy to visit in person.

Players used this portable camera to photograph the places the residents requested.

First Client: Mrs. Ming Ming

The first client, Mrs. Ming Ming, asked for a photograph of the toy clock tower, explaining that housework and preparations for the Henesys town festival left her with no time to visit.

As a resident of Henesys, Mrs. Ming Ming is a familiar face to many players. I remember naturally picking up her quests back when Henesys was an unavoidable stop during early leveling, and her mention of children helping her seems to refer to those quests.

Estelle is also mentioned in the World Archive, so it was interesting to find a reference to her in an older quest as well.

Second Client: Kriel the Fairy

The second client, Kriel the Fairy, asked for a photograph of the wooden horse because she could not believe that a flying wooden toy horse actually existed.

The photo album Kriel the Fairy mentions was an important item in the older quest shown below.

Both her attitude and her use of polite language have changed since then, which makes me wonder whether her dialogue simply took a different direction over time or whether these experiences were meant to have taught her to treat humans with a little more respect. Either way, she is noticeably more considerate when making her request now.

Third Client: Kriel the Fairy

The third client, Tigun the Advisor, was curious about what the purple toy carriage looked like and asked for a photograph.

The “important book” mentioned here appeared in the old book delivery quest once available from Jay. That quest had stayed with me, so it was a welcome reference.

The first volume could be found in a box in the Orbis ship cabin, the second in a box in the Ellinia Magic Library, and the third could be obtained from a Chronos. Searching for these old books, with the quest itself emphasizing their discovery, gave the experience a stronger sense of adventure for me.

The reward item had some significance of its own, too, which I think made the quest all the more memorable.

Fourth Client: Muse

The fourth client, Muse, was curious about cotton candy and asked for a photograph.

The snow crystal mentioned here appeared in Kriel the Fairy’s quest shown above, where it was the item Muse asked for.

Back then, she described it as a gift she would never forget, so hearing that it is still her most treasured possession gives that memory a new sense of significance.

Final Client: Chief Tatamo

The final client, Chief Tatamo, asked for a photograph of the glowing red maple leaf for the young Halflings.

The old friend Chief Tatamo mentions is Grendel the Really Old of Ellinia. Looking back through the older quests, I found that their close friendship had been emphasized throughout. The letter also appears to have been a quest item delivered to Tatamo at Grendel the Really Old’s request.

Players then took a photograph with the three signature mascots, bringing the birthday event to a close.

Closing Thoughts

MapleStory has built up a wealth of stories over its many years, and I was impressed by the subtle way this event drew on that history. There is something meaningful about being able to evoke the characters’ pasts through little more than item names and situations mentioned in passing, making this a worthwhile birthday celebration without needing to be particularly grand.

Finally, reaching the level corresponding to that year on MapleStory’s birthday, April 29, unlocks the relevant achievement. Creating a character at level 30 by skipping the story during character creation also counts, so this is worth keeping in mind if you take part in the future.

Thank you for reading.