• Afterglow has entered open beta testing on iOS and Android
  • It's an MMORPG that promises to respect your time
  • You can dip in to set things in motion before going about your day

Back when we first wrote about Afterglow, its premise immediately intrigued me. Oh, not the 1980s-themed post-apocalyptic world. I'm all for that. It's cool, even if it's hardly ground-breaking set dressing. But no, it was the promise of being a deep MMORPG with all the social trimmings while respecting those with busy lives. Now, we can find out if it delivers on that front since it's available in open beta on iOS (you'll need TestFlight) and Android.

For me, I never had time for MMOs, even before I became busy. Grinding for hours and hours for a crumb of progression has never truly appealed to me. However, here, the idle elements mean I should be able to poke my head around the door, push a few buttons, bark an order or two, then go about my day knowing that progress is happening in the background.

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Time to get back into MMORPGs

It's a great idea, frankly. While it's commonplace for some to scoff at the concept of the idle RPG, it actually suits people with children, demanding jobs or even a thriving social life. However, they sometimes lack a bit of the depth that hardcore gamers crave, and it's those people that developer Shadow Council is after.

It boasts turn-based combat, a player-driven economy and all progression remains skill-based. For any MMO fans out there, I'm sure that ticks more than a few boxes. There's even PvP for those interested in the social aspect of the genre, with tiered zones determining the level of interaction you can have with other players.

Afterglow very much sounds like a project where the developer's hearts are in the right place. They're trying to slot MMORPGs back into the lives of people who miss them but can't commit the time, and, on top of that, they claim there's no pay-to-win shenanigans to worry about. And that's music to anyone's ears.

And if you enjoy the genre, why not check out our list for the best MMOs on Android?