Citadel Studios announced that the latest wave of closed beta testing for their Ultima-inspired MMO, Legends of Aria, is underway. Unlike previous closed tests for the game, there is no NDA on this latest test and player swill be able to post up playthroughs and screenshots of their play sessions.

The closed beta test is basically preparation for the upcoming Steam release set to take place this April. They don’t mention if it will be open beta or a final release, but it will most certainly not be in closed beta when spring rolls around.

The latest CBT includes an all new world to explore on the Eastern Frontier, which includes to new major cities, a new dungeon, and overhauled catacombs.

The game now also includes the new karma and conflict system overhaul, which rewards and punishes players based on their character’s behavior. You can get a short glimpse of what the gameplay looks like with the trailer below.

The game promotes truly open-world gameplay, such as being able to build your house anywhere, build multiple houses, heck even build a whole freaking town.

It really aims to be very much like Ultima Online, but with some of the newer mechanics and gameplay features present in other sandbox titles like Mortal Online.

The developers, Citadel Studios have been attempting to move away from the theme park design that envelops so many other MMORPGs out there. You can get a glimpse at just how much freedom you have with the housing and building features with the video demonstration put together by Jitsu Joe.

As they move closer towards the spring release, the new closed beta version of Legends of Aria features an overhauled user interface along with better collision detection and player movement controls.

If you were interested in Legends of Aria or wanted to learn more about it, you can do so by visiting the official website.