Hello.

This time, the keyword is 마라톤 온라인, a chance to look at content that resonates a little more when you have been playing for a long time.

As a live-service game, MapleStory introduces new events through its regular monthly updates. While staples such as coin shops and attendance events follow a familiar framework, their themes and finer details change from one cycle to the next.

Longtime players will likely remember these events, however faintly, even as the years pass. One event draws on those familiar elements, giving me an opportunity to look back at what came before.

Tracing Past Events Through [Tower of Dimensions]

[Tower of Dimensions] first appeared in November 2024 and challenges players to navigate difficult obstacles on their way to the very top—or, in the newly added course, down to the very bottom.

With only a statless medal and title as rewards, many players have little interest in attempting it. I did give it a try myself, but eventually gave up.

Setting aside the obstacle course itself, though, what I find appealing is the way its maps turn elements from past events into obstacles, as mentioned above.

For players attempting the course, the frustrating challenge may make it hard to see these elements as anything more than obstacles. Viewed from the outside, however, they are quite striking, so I have gathered some background on the events they came from. This post focuses on Stage 2, which draws on more recent events.

2023 New Year Event [Wonstaurant]

The first elements you see at the very bottom come from [Wonstaurant], an event that cast Wonky the Fairy as a chef. The plump vegetables are monsters from [웨이브의 챌린지 위크], the Punch King event held at the time, and they still look just as full and appetizing now.

The events rotated once a week, with offerings including Gold Richie's Secret Safe, an event that provided the effects of an Extreme Growth Potion, and EXP minigames.

Of these, [요정 웡키의 그리팅 위크] probably drew the most attention. 30만 players needed to complete their attendance requirements to unlock a Magnificent Growth Potion as the final reward, but the target was never reached. There was considerable debate over whether the extra attendance step, rather than automatic completion, was to blame. Looking back at a Magnificent Growth Potion being offered as the final reward, I am struck by how much things have changed.

April 2023 Event [슈피겔라's Strawberry Farm]

This event introduced those now-familiar strawberries. What began as an ordinary strawberry farm has since become an established fixture through the Golden Strawberry Farm and Mechaberry Farm.

Back then, you collected Fertile Soil rather than tickets, using it in much the same way.

20th Anniversary Event [Mayple Island]

Set on Mayple Island, this 20th anniversary event left an impression on me for the way it wove elements from earlier anniversary celebrations into different parts of the setting.

One of its events, [Mayple Memoria], took the form of a museum, offering nostalgic rewards such as Maple weapons that had been distributed through events over the years.

The rewards went beyond basic equipment such as snowboards and ice bars—even items like these were all available through the event.

Zakum and Balrog, who appear in this section, were the bosses of [Dungeon Blast] and [Frozen Blast], respectively. These minigames were designed to capture the feel of old-school MapleStory and were fairly well received, perhaps in part because 메이플 랜드 had not yet officially launched.

June 2023 Event: [Identisk]

Identisk Island, a region in Grandis, was the setting for the New Age update's main event and the first event tied to the main story. From this point onward, events took a more active role in advancing that story.

The elements in this area come from [Iden Aqua Adventure] and the EXP minigame [Tisk Tropical Adventure]. These followed a format similar to [Dungeon Blast], discussed above, which would be used several more times afterward. This event also marked a change in MapleStory's director.

September 2023 Chuseok Event: [Minar Picnic]

Minar Picnic, the Chuseok event for 2023, centered on the residents of Leafre.

The red lunch boxes used here as platforms offered a chance at rewards, unlike the yellow lunch boxes, which guaranteed a reward. This choice even divided players into a yellow team that preferred the safe option and a red team chasing a dopamine rush.

The fierce-looking monsters here were bosses in [Forest Blast], another minigame with a format similar to those discussed earlier. As before, its 4 classes had different roles based on the type of dragon, and I remember cooperation being quite important.

You would normally choose one of the 4 dragons before entering, but there was a chance of appearing as a black dragon instead, giving you an opportunity to experience its considerable power. I never had that luck myself and only saw others use it.

2024 Main Winter Event: [Dreaming Lachelein]

[Dreaming Lachelein], the main event for the [DREAMER] update, placed Lucid at its center, though the timing of her appearance felt somewhat unexpected. Her pixel art from that event looks markedly different from the current Change Burning version.

The accompanying events were also filled with elements related to Lucid. In light of the later [A Page of Memories] event, this seems to have been an early step toward bringing the Commanders back to players' attention.

April 2024: 21st Anniversary Event [Victoria Cup]

The 21st anniversary event, [Victoria Cup], revolved around forming teams divided into Warriors/Magicians/Bowmen/Thieves/Pirates. Each team also had a nicely designed, cute uniform.

Nexon's 30th anniversary event ran alongside it, featuring minigame collaborations with other Nexon games.

There were 4 collaborations in total: [Squirrel Extermination Mission] with The Kingdom of the Winds / [Maple Soccer Online] with FC Online / [Maple Racing] with KartRider / [Fight! Return of the Legends] with DNF.

June 2024 Event: [A Page of Memories]

[A Page of Memories], the main summer event, stood out for expanding the backstories of Hilla/Arkarium/Von Leon/Lotus/Orchid/Will, members of the Black Mage's Commanders. With the exception of Magnus and Will, who will also appear in Grandis, these characters now have little reason to return to the main story, so I wonder whether the event was intended as a final farewell.

These backstories were fairly well received for giving the characters more depth. If you are interested, you can read them by clicking the Book of Commanders in the Grand Athenaeum.

June 2024 Event: [티르노그 설계도]

Finally, the main summer event from 2 years ago centered on 고브, who has also appeared in the recent story.

The red robot in the background served the same purpose as the red lunch boxes mentioned earlier.

If Tower of Dimensions returns for another season, I think details like these will be worth looking forward to again. Thank you for reading.