MapleStory 2 - 3rd cinematic

I mean, you can only tie a game so much to a predecessor if you want to make it be a stand-alone game.

That's the thing, don't call it Maplestory 2 then. This game is not MapleStory. It has elements of Maplestory but this is not Maplestory. It's Nexon trying to cash in on the name alone. It would be like when Frozen 2 comes out if it has nothing to do with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, or Olaf but takes place in a Kingdom called Arendelle but it takes place 400 years in the past and has flying cars, jet packs and other pomegranate that's nothing close to the original.