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Killing in the name of...leveling.
The real time fighting system of RYL is by far the game's greatest strength. Rapidly smashing the left mouse button manages normal attacks, while the right button takes care of whatever special attack you've cued up. Selecting a different special means tapping the assigned number key. Movement is the familiar WASD setup (at least in keyboard mode), with spacebar to jump, and using these together will let you pull off some quick evasion moves. Since the attacks take place in real time you can avoid enemy strikes instead of being tied with a string to them like in most MMORPGs. If you're lucky, the enemy will drop some form of loot, whether gold, equipment, skills, or other assorted items. Those that you can't make use of can be sold at a tidy profit for the things you can. Better equipment and especially skills will allow you to take on monsters of great power and even greater experience points, especially if you stick to run and gun tactics.
 With real guns if you chose the Gunner class. There are two races in RYL, humans and ak'kan, which are further divided into gender that dictate their starting class, with each race having a pool of starting skills, some of which overlap. Level to ten and then you'll have the opportunity to specialize in one of a number of sub-classes, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses, as well as specialized skills. It's no surprise that assassins are better off attacking from the shadows than one on one confrontations, while priests are especially useful in parties and not so great solo. The aforementioned Gunner is my favorite thus far. With him I can hide, blast an enemy with a powerful attack, pelt them with rapid fire as they approach, mix it up with a magic missile or two, and run the heck away, or start slashing at them with my monster sword if they're nearly dead already.
RYL's community seem a helpful and dedicated lot. No real surprise with a level grind steep enough to scare away the less determined. While I was struggling with killing little lizards to level, a fellow player enchanted me with a skill that increased my attack power ten fold, allowing me to smash through the ranks of much tougher foes, and gain far greater exp rewards. If you have a problem all you need to do is say it in global chat and if a player doesn't respond, either a Guide or a GM will. I've played on all three servers at odd times of the day or night and there was never a time when there wasn't a rep around ready to take care of any problems. For more extended difficulties, RYL's official forum can field any questions, many of which are already answered in the various FAQs posted there.
In the end, it's all about money.
Two of the selling points of RYL are not part of the game in the usual sense. The first is the monthly fee that is standard to all MMORPGs can be waived in exchanged for filling out relatively quick surveys each month, if you don't mind sharing some vaguely personal information. Then there's the great skill-based tournament with the one million dollar real world prize, though expect having to devote a Herculean level of time and effort for ten months straight to even have a shot at the gold.
With its guilds, weapon upgrading, and large scale player versus player battles that I haven't gotten the chance to experience yet, RYL seems to have much to offer in terms of high end content. The problem is it's a long, hard road to get there, and sometimes the road less traveled isn't the more interesting one, especially with the number of potholes in the way. With a graphical facelift, less of a leveling grind, and additional early game content, RYL could really be an engaging experience at all levels. As it is now, however, it demands a degree of dedication that few causal players, and certainly no game reviewers, will ever be able to commit to it.
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