Still humming with life 21 years later, Konami's Master of Epic is a wonderful time capsule of the experimental early MMORPG era

In 2005, while everyone was wondering if cheeky upstart World of Warcraft could permanently dethrone the likes of EverQuest and Final Fantasy 11, Hudson's Japanese-only MMO Master of Epic arrived with an emphasis on travelling through time, its zones made to feel brand new when visited in very different eras. Despite a novel premise, the colourful fantasy MMO launched and quickly slid into the background. A flurry of anime adaptations and enthusiastic marketing were not enough to give it much...