Hello

This time, the keyword is birthday celebration, and the focus is on how birthdays are celebrated in-game.

MapleStory’s birthday fell on April 29, and there was a commemorative event for it, so I decided to cover that here. Along with that, I also noted the memories of MapleStory residents that were indirectly referenced through the quests.

MapleStory's 23rd Birthday Celebration Event: [Spring Scenery, Autumn Memories]

Held to celebrate MapleStory’s 23rd birthday, Spring Scenery, Autumn Memories took place against the backdrop of Seokchon Lake. The event was built around taking photos on behalf of busy Maple World residents who did not have time to visit themselves.

Using this portable camera, you could take pictures of the locations requested by the residents.

First Client: Mrs. Ming Ming

The first client, Mrs. Ming Ming, said she was too busy with housework and preparations for the Henesys village festival to go out, so she asked for a photo of the Ludibrium Clocktower.

Mrs. Ming Ming is a fairly recognizable character, being based in Henesys. I remember that, back in the early leveling sections, it was hard to avoid passing through Henesys, so her quest came up naturally as well. The quest she mentions, where children helped her, also seems to be referring to that.

Estelle is also mentioned in the World Archive, so it was interesting to see her come up in an older quest as well.

Second Client: Fairy Kriel

The second client, Fairy Kriel, said she could not quite believe a flying rocking horse toy really existed, and asked for a photo of it.

The photo album Fairy Kriel mentions appeared in the quest below, where it served as an important item in an older quest.

Compared to now, not just her attitude but even her use of polite speech was different, which makes me wonder whether her tone simply changed somewhere along the way, or whether this was meant to show that these experiences led her to treat humans with a bit more respect. Either way, it is noticeable that the way she asks for help now is much better than before.

Third Client: Fairy Kriel

The third client, Aide T-Goon, said he was curious what the purple toy carriage looked like and asked for a photo of it.

The “important book” mentioned here refers to the one that appeared in the old Ancient Book Delivery quest accepted from Jay. I was glad to see it again, since it was one of the quests that stayed with me.

Here, Volume 1 could be obtained from the box in the Orbis ship cabin, Volume 2 from the box in the Ellinia Magic Library, and Volume 3 from Chronos. With the quest itself emphasizing the process of finding the ancient book, I think that helped give it more of an adventurous feel.

That feeling was probably helped further by the fact that the reward item from this quest was fairly meaningful in its own way.

Fourth Client: Muse

The fourth client, Muse, said she was curious about cotton candy and asked for a photo of it.

The Snow Crystal mentioned here is an item that appears during Fairy Kriel’s quest shown above, and it was something Muse asked for at the time.

At the time, the dialogue described it as an unforgettable gift, and now hearing that it is still her most precious possession feels a bit special.

Final Client: Chief Tatamo

The final client, Chief Tatamo, asked for a photo of the Shining Red Maple Leaf for the young Halflings.

The old friend Chief Tatamo mentions is Grendel in Ellinia, and looking into it, their close friendship has been emphasized consistently since older quests. That letter also seems to have been an item delivered to Tatamo at Grendel’s request during one of those quests.

After that, you also take photos with the three representative mascots, and the birthday celebration event comes to an end.

Closing Thoughts

MapleStory has built up a great deal of story over its long service life, and I found it impressive that this event made subtle use of that. Just by having characters casually mention item names and past situations, the event was able to sketch out their histories, which felt quite meaningful. Even if it was not something especially grand, I think it still worked well as a birthday celebration event.

Lastly, on April 29, MapleStory’s actual birthday, reaching the level that matches that year will complete the related achievement. This also counts even if you create a character that starts at level 30 through story skip, so that may be useful to keep in mind if you take part later.

Thank you for reading.