Video Game / Iruna Online

Iruna Online is a smartphone open-world Japanese MMORPG by ASOBIMO released in 2007 as its first installment.

Long ago, the fantasy world of Iruna was created by the 12 gods of Iruna.A world of diverse flowers and animals, created by the goddess of species, Specia, was expected to continue for a long time being maintained by humans given various abilities and made in the image of god. However, the gods who fell in love with Specia started a battle over her resulting in a major conflict in heaven, dragging other gods in as well.The gods continued the conflict and started a war on land, involving the humans and leading the land to ruin; the once beautiful earth had forced animals and plants into extinction. Specia could not stand the plants and animals annihilated at her fault, so she pointed a knife to her heart.At that moment, Specia's tears fell to the earth, and onto the humans. Because the tears contained Specia's ability to create species, the human race was broken up into four different groups. The gods mourned Specia's death and reproached themselves for their folly: they left the world of Iruna. Several thousand years later; humans, called the Humes; the Diels, with dog like ears; the Kyuls, with the childish appearance despite of their growth; and the mysterious Elves, worshiping the 12 gods of Iruna. The four groups, repeatedly, through alliance and rupture, continued to fight.This long conflict resulted in the loss of the barriers of each of the four groups: the great military country; Empire of Slebinia, the Republican country, aiming to govern intellectually; Parul, the collection of city-states from the expansion of the Diel's thief guilds; Mithurna Federation, and a constitutional monarchy that could only be constructed by Elves; Darkan principality. To this day, the four countries have not reached a settlement, and are still continuing their battles.

The player takes the role of a nameless hero who rose during the conflicts in the world of Iruna.

The game had a spiritual successor called Toram Online: Departure from Iruna, set in distant alternate future.

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Tropes in this game:

• All Myths Are True: Many names from various myths and legends are used here. Some are monsters, while other are items and equipment.
• Alternate Universe: At the end of Episode 2, the Explorer accidentally wandered into "another" Iruna. This Iruna has same names of nations (excluding Ganaji, as it is not originally part of Iruna) and people but with things switched like Mithurna and Darkan regions switched their status as desert region and giant tree region respectively. This world is the setting of Episode 3.
• An Adventurer Is You: The player character (a.k.a. the Explorer) starts as an Adventurer class. The class has blank stats and has no weapon restrictions. There are many variaties of builds of each class it may upgrade to, with each build requires right stats, skills and equipment to work best. The upgraded classes are:
  • Warriors: Specialized at physical offense and defense. They can advance into knights or hunter.
    • Knights: Close-ranged fighters, they can advance further into: Gladiators, the advanced melee fighters; Paladins, knights that can use light and healing magic; and Beast Knights, feral warriors that screams in fury.
    • Hunters: Agile fighters and buff/debuff specialists, they can advance into: Assassins, the masters of killing known for their Back Stab; Snipers, the long-ranged fighters and advanced debuff specialists; and Summoners who can call beast friends to aid in battle.
  • Mages: Magically oriented class. They can advance into wizards or clerics.
    • Wizard: The specialist in offensive magic. They can advance further into: High Wizard: The elementalist who nukes the battlefield with powerful magic; Enchanters who uses magic to empower themselves and imbue their weapons with magic; Necromancer, the dark magic specialist and an undead summoner.
    • Clerics: Supportive mages. They can advance into: Bishops, advanced support class that can use offensive light magic as well, Monks: close-combat fighters with the advantage of clerics; and Servants, a full pledged support class that is completely dependent on a tank or nuker ally.
  • There are also special classes. However, once these classes are taken, you can't change back to Adventurer class tree. Those are...
    • Ninjas: The silent killers who can also use mystical arts. They are the DPS who can also function as tank or nuker.
    • Samurais: Powerful warriors whose souls are one with their blade. They are strong in terms in offense and defense.
    • Minstrels: the bards whose role is to support.
    • Alchemist: the resource master who can create potions which can be weaponized.
• And the Adventure Continues: At the end of each Episodes.
• Beef Gate: The starting town Fort Bailune has access to Marel Epicenter, a field crawing with level 170-180 monsters. That's right, a level 10 character can wander around in an area filled with high level monsters.
  • As well as Haufen Harbor, an area in Darkan region in Episode 1 has access to areas in Episodes 4, which monsters' levels are more than twice the level of monster around its area and both previous and supposed next areas.
  • King Elbano's Palace in Elban City has access to Episode 5 areas. The monsters here are about 200 levels higher than the entire Episode One's monsters.
  • Roye Underground Church, the first area of Episode 6 filled with over level 350 monsters is right near Bailune City which had the weakest monster.
• Blob Monster: Moeba and its variants (Slime, Lava, Nigredo, Albedo, and Igniz)
• Class and Level System: Starting from the Adventurer class, one can upgrade into apprenticeship of next possible class, and later as full class upgrade. Each apprenticeship and full upgrades require certain levels.
• Dark Is Not Evil: One of the gods of Iruna, Dunkelis is the Goddess of Darkness. Yet she is not different from other gods of being good-natured and she even assisted the Explorer in some point of the story.
• Draconic Humanoid: The Dragonewts. They are first introduced as monsters in Parul Region, later on at Episode 2, they are the prominent races the Explorer has met.
• Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Certain skills and weapons in the game are imbued with elemental properties which makes them more effective against certain types of monsters while not much on others.
  • Fire > Earth > Wind > Water > Fire. Same element deals weaker damage. Opposite way is normal damage however.
  • Light and Dark beats each other. Same element deals weaker damage as well.
  • Neutral element deal more damage against non-elemental monsters.
  • High-tier element beats low-tier element and the element it beats. Example is Thunder beats both Wind and Water.
  • Universal element is more effective against any element except neutral.
  • Melee-type skills are non-elemental, though they become elemental if the weapon used has elemental properties.
• Endless Daytime / Always Night: Towns, Fields and open-air Dungeons don't change time. The only exception is Rokoko City that sometimes changes to night at certain events.
  • The world of Dammerung is divided into the land of night, Nacht and the land of morning, Morgen. Walt is a neutral zone between Nacht and Morgen where the light and darkness mixes in.
• Foreshadowing: The presence of Lord Dragon Kaiser, the appearance of Beelzed in Tarnath Mines and the entire Ganaji has nothing much to do in the main plot in Episode One. The truth behind them are revealed in Episode Two.
• Giant Spider: Nepheel and Nephilest are large spiders that has enough size to attack humans. Tarans in Labilans Sector are smaller but can breathe fire, while dungeon's boss Tarante is the largest of them.
• Greater-Scope Villain:
  • Episode One: Sianas, the tactician of Empress Mezzaluna. She manipulated the empress to declare war on Parul, at the same time, she spread Dark Crystals that caused numerous disturbances throughout the entire Iruna.
  • Episode Two: The Geyanetiels led by Raton. They were automatons created by gods during the War of Gods and ended up abandoned after the war. Vengeful towards the gods, they manipulated the predatory world Xeltzam and had it invade worlds. Although this tactic is just a distraction to conceal their true goal, to take the gods for themselves.
  • Episode Three: Evil God Ouvel. He sent his minions who kicked the conflicts of the entire episode.
  • Episode Four: Telon. He is the personification of evil drawn from people of La Turton who resents the Iruna gods.
  • Episode Five: Joshuca, the daughter of Specia who caused distortions in Dammerung.
• Hihi'irokane: The game's best refining material. It can be created by using Mythril and Orichalcum.
• Humongous Mecha: Some bosses appearing in Episode 1. Examples are Matar, Matadora and Azimov.
• It Can Think: The Predators/Xeltzams are originally mindless Insectoid Aliens who are already dangeous enough to "devour worlds" until they are granted intelligence by the Geyanetiels. This makes them more threatening that they used more elaborate tactics like spreading disease and abducting people rather than mindlessly attack them. The only true intelligent Xeltzam is Xeltysis, the world's ruler.
• La Résistance: In Episode Three, the Armaments Caravan serves as this as they continue to resist the rule of Emperor Gulie over Parul.
  • The entire people of "another" Iruna as well as the dragons loyal to Almas and guided by Dragon Empress Mezzaluna resist the domination of Evil God Ouvel until they revive Almas.
• Light Is Not Good: Ouvelam, the domain of the Evil God Ouvel and the final region of Episode Three is filled with both angels and fallen angels serving the evil god, ranging from mooks to bosses.
• Mineral Macguffin: The Goddess Beads are recurring minerals in Episode 1. Nations are fighting over them.
  • Episode 3 has the Al Crystas.
• Mecha-Mooks: The Slebinian monsters around Mithurna, Darkan and Slebinia in Episode 1.
• Mascot Mook: The Colons (acorn-like critters) and the Kijimus (recurring Mandrake-like monsters with various plant types on top.)
• Multi-Melee Master: The Explorer is free to use any of these weapons: Swords (which also includes axes, hammers and polearms in this type), Bows, Claws (also include gauntlets), Staves and Throwing. However, each full and special classes must only use a certain type of weapon depending on each build, to fully utilize of the advantages of each classes.
• Our Dragons Are Different: The Explorer had encountered and faced various dragons throughout the story. The reason why the Explorer fights the dragon varies from each dragon, it's either the dragon tests the Explorer's might, the dragon mistook him/her as enemy, the dragon is rampaging and has to be calmed down, or the dragon is just outright malevolent.
• Semi-Divine: The divine children of Iruna gods like Chief Consul of Parul Pino (Sofys), Kunon (Obligaus), Sianas (Oritius), Seele Zauga and Joshuca (Specia).
• Socketed Equipment: All equipment may have sockets where the special crystas can be equipped.
• Stock Gods
  • The World of Iruna is said to be created by its 12 Gods. Some of them are met through the main story. You can also challenge them at Divine Tower. They are:
    • God of Light/Father of Gods: Almas
    • Goddess of Life: Specia, the ruler of Noieverre. She is also the Goddess of Species (all sentient beings in Iruna).
    • Goddess of Darkness: Dunkelis, the ruler of Dark Domain
    • God of Justice: Obligaus, the patron god of Mithurna
    • God of War: Oritius, the patron god of Slebinia
    • God of Fire: Flammel
    • Goddess of Wind: Stormia
    • Goddess of Water: Vasaria
    • God of Earth: Eldas, the patron god of Darkan
    • Goddess of Wisdom: Sofys, the patron goddess of Parul
    • God of Peace: Freedos
    • Goddess of Mercy: Veltria
  • The Goddess of Courage Grecia is also a god who governs Iruna. She refused to be part of 12 Gods, although she stays with Dunkelis' side after the Dark Domain incident. She is worshipped by the Inje people in Mithurna region.
  • Lord Dragon Kaiser and the Dragon Emperor are reverred as gods in the Dragonewt Realm.
  • Meanwhile, the "another" Iruna has only 2: The Great God Almas and the Evil God Ouvel.
  • Episode 4 has the two vice-goddesses of Specia, Rumia and Rupota who supervises on the Dark Continent.
  • Episode 5 has the goddess of night Cynthia and the god of morning Edmund. Both were former vice-gods of Iruna gods.
• Story Arc: The main quest is divided into episodes and chapters.
  • Episode One: The story set in the world of Iruna. The world has four nations: Parul, Mithurna, Darkan and Slebinia. The plot revolves the threat of Slebinia, that declared war against the other nations, and various other abnormalities happening in Iruna.
    • Parul Republic Arc: The beginning of adventure, the invasion of Army of Darkness, and the conspiracy of one of Parul's Chief Consul.
    • Mithurna Federation Arc: The formation of an alliance of 3 nations (Parul, Mithurna and Darkan), the appearance of mysterious monsters in the region, and the attack of Slebinia in Mithurna.
    • Darkan Region Arc: The Explorer's adventure in Darkan, as well as the attack of Slebinia in Darkan.
    • Ganaji Arc: The Explorer got caught in a storm and got stranded in an unknown land. He/She got involved in some problems here while waiting the ship to be repaired.
    • Slebinian Empire Arc: The Explorer arrived at the enemy territory, only to uncover it's internal conflict and found out who started the war and the cause of all abnormalities, and end it for good.
  • Episode 2: After the war ended, the Explorer and company discovered a strange hole in a crater created by a magical weapon. He/she fell in it while investigating the hole. He/she found him/herself in a strange world. The said world is being attacked by a "predatory" world, and later became a threat to Iruna as well. This arc involves jumping across worlds to stop each invasions.
  • Episode 3: After defeating the predatory world, it's time for our hero to go home to Iruna. But he/she ended up in "another" Iruna.
  • Episode 4: The Explorer finally went home to Iruna after a long journey, when people starts missing left and right. After finding out that the missing people are sent to an unknown land, which was a "symbol of Iruna Gods' sin". The Explorer is tasked by the gods to go there and find out what's going on. This land is called Dark Continent and was one with Iruna in the past.
  • Episode 5: After saving La Turton (the true name of Dark Continent) and the rest of the world, reconciling its people with the Iruna Gods and developing a good relation between the two lands, a mysterious girl appeared from a portal and tries to recruit strong people to help their world. Cordal, an ally the Explorer gained at events of previous Episode can't say no to this request and dragged the Explorer as well. They are sent to the world named Dammerung, a small world near Iruna to investigate the "Foreign Object" that caused distortions in the world.
  • Episode 6: After successfully retrieving the holy child Joshuca from Dammerung, an underground ruins is discovered in Parul which unseals a being of past who then sends the Explorer and Joshuca to the past and see what Iruna was like before the War of Gods.
• The Empire: The Slebinian Empire. It waged war on Parul and later Mithurna and Darkan in the prologue, and it is the central plot of Episode 1. However after the death of its empress, Mezzaluna and the defeat of the true mastermind Sianas, the nation is reestablished as Slebinian Republic under the rule of General Delma, the Slebinian general who is against the war since the beginning.
  • The "another" Iruna has Parul Empire. Although unlike Slebinia above, it is only as it is because the Evil God Ouvel has the most influence here. And like Slebinia, it is reestablished as a republic after the conflict.
• Trapped in Another World:
  • The Explorer had been this in the beginning of Episodes Two (He/She wandered into Dragonewt Realm due to an accident) and Three (He/She is sent to "wrong" Iruna).
  • The Ganaji people and their entire land are trapped in the world of Iruna after a disastrous event in their own world.
• World Tree: The entire Darkan region is within the gigantic tree named Eldenbaum. It makes its only town Capital City Elban a literal Tree Top Town. Beneath its deepest roots is a portal to another world which is later revealed to be Xeltzam in Episode 2 as its roots are seen there when the Explorer reached Xeltzam (not through that portal though).
  • The Mithurna region in "another" Iruna is this as well, the giant tree is named Bestiebaum.
• Wutai: Ganaji in Episode 1 and Kumuji in Episode 2. They used to be one in the past until a certain cataclysmic event happened. These regions have completely Japanese-based on everything like towns, NPC, dungeons, monsters and equipment. Ganaji also offer the special classes, Ninja and Samurai.