Right now, a single Minigame is getting more attention in MapleStory than the main game itself: 'Ultima Squad,' added in the July 23 (Thu) update.

As Director Kim Chang-seop described it as an 'ultra-low-engagement Minigame,' Ultima Squad follows the structure of idle games commonly seen on mobile. Players only need to set up their Equipment and Skills, and their party will automatically battle, level up, and earn Rewards.

It was designed to be low-pressure, allowing players to manage it while hunting or even receive rewards while offline.

However, this Minigame is heading in a direction completely different from Director Kim Chang-seop's original intent. Despite being aimed at 'extreme idleness,' many players have become hooked and are diving deep into it. They calculate and share the most efficient routes, devise unimaginable growth strategies, and even intervene with manual controls.

For many, the main MapleStory game has actually become the one that is being 'neglected' and treated with low engagement. It is that compelling. Some players have even developed 'Ultima training methods,' adjusting their daily routines to match the time it takes for their inventory to fill up.

The structure of the Minigame itself is actually simple—shallower than your average idle game. But that has become its strength. It is easy and intuitive; there is no need to study it. On top of that, there is the fun of progression and the thrill of dropping or Fusing high-tier Equipment. The sense of achievement when breaking through a stage you were previously stuck on—whether through growth or manual control—is also great. I personally found it so fun that I spent more time on the Minigame than the main MapleStory game over the past week.

Many players are praising the gameplay of Ultima Squad. Its low-pressure structure, the ability to play it alongside other content like hunting, and the fact that it offers something new to MapleStory seem to be driving the positive reception. In fact, it is easy to find opinions suggesting that unpopular content like the 'Champion Raid' should be revamped to be more like Ultima Squad.

However, I think we need to approach this with caution. While it is a Minigame with a simple structure that ran for a short period, there were quite a few bugs and critical issues, and many felt the response to these problems was unsatisfactory. There are also internal aspects of the game that need polishing, including flaws in the level design.

Furthermore, while Ultima Squad is well-received, much of that comes from the 'novelty.' No matter how low-engagement content is, it can become another source of stress if it drags on for too long. In fact, the past 'Golden Octopus Raising' event also had a great initial reaction, but as it repeated, it became a new source of stress, and its reputation dropped significantly.

Regardless, I think many would agree that Ultima Squad is a style of play that many users prefer and represents one of the directions MapleStory could take. Director Kim Chang-seop has often experimented with such content and incorporated it into the official game based on user feedback. I hope Ultima Squad can also have its shortcomings addressed and be integrated into a form that satisfies many players.