Kuromi vs. My Melody - Is Sanrio dedicated to real PvP?

As Sanrio continues to build Hello Kitty Online into the amazing MMO we all know it can be, I sincerely hope they don't forget one of the most important aspects of any MMO: PvP. While it's true that purely PvP focused games such as Fury and Shadowbane often end up struggling, the fact remains that the segment of the MMO playing market that insists on being able to match their skills against their fellow players is too big to ignore.

But how do you properly implement PvP into the world of HKO without betraying the rich tapestry of lore and creating compelling reasons to PvP? Let's look at the latest PvP rumors after the break.

Of course, one of the most likely lore justifications for PvP (and indeed, we've already heard rumors around the web that this is under strong consideration) is the rivalry between Rabbits My Melody and Kuromi. The epic struggle between Kuromi's Tricycle gang and the Mari Land forest friends is sure to attract a strong PvP player base to Hello Kitty Online and play a very important part in the unfolding lore.

We've gotten leaked rumors from a confidential source that internal testing for the Kuromi v. My Melody faction wars continues apace, and that we should see closed beta testing of it before too long. I'm sure we all know the story behind Kuromi-chan's infamous tricycle gang, the Kuromi 5, and My Melody, and how Kuromi rebuffs My Melody's attempts at friendship as she collects Black Notes.

In order to properly depict this epic struggle, the Sanrio team has built the My Melody and Kuromi faction classes from the bottom up to include ways to combat their sworn rivals. The My Melody faction will be equipped with the innovative Hug Bar that will allow you to combat the grumpiness of the Kuromi faction with basic abilities such as "Blow Kiss" and "Offer Cookies." The bar can be refilled over time, or refilled quickly by hugging other members of the My Melody faction, making teamwork essential. The Kuromi faction will have a Mischief Meter which will include such abilities as calling their opponent a big stupid doo-doo head. In order to make sure Kuromi's faction needs teamwork as well, Kuromi faction abilities stack and provide bonuses when the users are part of the same group (this simulates the feeling of being part of the Kuromi 5 Tricycle Gang, of course).

Tradeskills will actually fit right in with the PvP wars as well. Since My Melody's favorite thing to do is baking cookies with her mom, and her favorite food is Almond Pound Cake, these foods will provide very powerful buffs for members of the My Melody faction. Likewise, Pickled Onions will serve a similar role for Kuromi's gang.

Factional rewards are stil being decided. There's some talk of allowing My Melody's followers to gain a red hood with a flower on it when they reach the Best Friends Forever honor level (the working title of the equivalent to WoW's old Grand Marshal and High Warlord titles). However, our source reports that the lore purists in the dev team are unsure if My Melody would allow replicas of the treasured hood her grandmother sewed for her. For the Kuromi team, current rewards include a replica of her black hood. On the mount front, possible rewards for the Kuromi faction include a Tapir like Kuromi's sidekick Baku, or a Tricycle to mark you as a full member of the Kuromi's 5. The concern here is that there's not a ready equivalent for the My Melody faction, although there is talk of allowing My Melody followers to ride a giant mouse modeled after her friend Flat, or a pink lamb modeled after her friend Piano. These mounts may also end up being used for a mounted PvP mode, with the mounts themselves granting you special attacks. Piano the lamb may allow you to pin down members of the Kuromi faction to administer extra strength hugs and the special flower smother attack.

It's worth it to note that we already know that the Hello Kitty Island Adventure expansion's PvP will rotate around Hello Kitty and Badtz-Maru's epic struggle for power. Our source states that the whole fight between Kuromi and My Melody may be only a shadow of the true stuggle for world domination, with Badtz-Maru and Hello Kitty manipulating our heroes behind the scenes. Will our characters uncover the true powers behind the battle between Kuromi and My Melody, and will they be able to put aside their differences to band together and take out the true source of strife in Hello Kitty Online's world? Or will there be only war in the grim future of Hello Kitty? Only time will tell!