[Participating in the NEXON PEAK Post Challenge]

Mabinogi has been running for over 20 years.

From the original Mabinogi on PC to Vindictus and Mabinogi Mobile, the series has explored a range of directions, and I seem to have given each new release at least one substantial playthrough.

If someone asked me to recommend just one game from the Mabinogi series, which would I choose? Until I tried Mabinogi Mobile recently, my answer would have been Mabinogi on PC, but after spending time with Mabinogi Mobile, I have come to feel that it would be the better recommendation.

Today, I would like to briefly explain why Mabinogi Mobile would be my recommendation from the Mabinogi series.

Mabinogi’s experiments were bold, but had considerable drawbacks

Looking back, Mabinogi has taken quite a varied approach to expanding the series. Setting aside the original Mabinogi on PC, the lineup includes Vindictus, Mabinogi Duel, 마비노기 나의 기사단 (linked to Mabinogi on PC for earning AP), and now Mabinogi Mobile—a fairly diverse collection of games.

As I recall, Mabinogi Duel shared Mabinogi’s setting, but its focus on card-based gameplay left me feeling that it could not quite capture the full range of what makes Mabinogi enjoyable. In a sense, fitting the scope of an RPG into a TCG felt like too much to ask.

Vindictus, meanwhile, leaned heavily into stylish combat without capturing the sense of a “Fantasy Life” that defines Mabinogi. I played from the early days of Vindictus through Vella’s release, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the combat, I missed the pleasures of Mabinogi’s life skills and simply gathering with other players for a friendly conversation.

“So, was Mabinogi Mobile any different?”

To be honest, I did not have particularly high expectations when Mabinogi Mobile launched. I had attended G-STAR 2 times and played it on both of those 2 visits, and it had not seemed to change much. Playing the live version of Mabinogi Mobile, however, changed my impression considerably. Here is what stood out to me.

Combat with a satisfying sense of impact

Anyone who experienced combat in the early days of Mabinogi on PC will likely remember how clunky and strangely awkward it felt. Continued improvements over the years have brought it to a reasonably acceptable state, but to someone unfamiliar with Mabinogi, the combat still looks frustratingly sluggish.

In Mabinogi Mobile, however, combat feels considerably different. Setting aside the automatic combat system that comes with its mobile format, Mabinogi’s clunky combat has been modernized into something with a satisfying sense of impact, and that alone feels like a remarkable transformation.

Bringing the worlds together

Mabinogi has plenty of enjoyable stories of its own, but I also particularly enjoyed playing through the first story in Vindictus. The other characters’ stories, unfolding around the relationship between Morrighan and Cichol, were especially compelling, so some familiar faces caught my attention as I played Mabinogi Mobile.

The classes you can choose in Vindictus appear as characters, while monsters also return, including the “Gnoll Chieftain.” These were unexpectedly welcome sights, and they made me think, “This is why expanding an IP matters…”

A cartoon-style character of my own

Realistic graphics can be appealing, but even slightly mismatched proportions or colors can make them look noticeably awkward. By contrast, I think Mabinogi Mobile’s cartoon-style graphics offer several ways around the limitations of realism.

While waiting to meet an NPC named Eavan, I noticed so many lovely characters around me that I found myself unexpectedly motivated: “Once there are more outfits available, I’ll make an even prettier character!”

Mabinogi on PC frequently features collaborations, so I imagine Mabinogi Mobile will eventually offer a variety of its own, but even now, preserving the full enjoyment of dressing up your character—a defining part of Mabinogi—in the mobile game feels to me like an effective showcase for one of the series’ strengths.

Attention to detail in the presentation

Unlike earlier entries in the Mabinogi series, Mabinogi Mobile features plenty of charming little touches that give it a more modern sense of presentation.

In earlier games, chests would open automatically, while barrels were broken using combat animations. Mabinogi Mobile gives these interactions more attention, with details such as dedicated animations for opening treasure chests and kicking a door open when entering a dungeon, both of which I appreciated.

I particularly enjoyed seeing touches such as gathering around a campfire before the boss room or scooping up water to drink upon finding a fountain—small details characteristic of modern games—woven into Mabinogi’s existing concept.

Mabinogi Mobile feels like it addresses the shortcomings of the individual entries while bringing Mabinogi’s many pleasures together in one place, so if someone asked me to recommend a single game from the series, it would be my choice.