After the game was delayed following feedback from its closed beta,New Worldlooks set to finally be released later this month. Its recent open beta gained a lot of attention from MMORPG fans, reaching 140,000 consecutive players within its first day. It looked as though Amazon Game Studios had addressed some of the fan’s early concerns, including the frequency of enemy spawns. This is a good sign for the game going forward, as it looks to avoid falling tothe same fate asCrucible.
Despite the evident support the game is receiving though,New Worldmay face a challenge coming up against MMORPGs likeFinal Fantasy 14. The MMORPG space is becoming increasingly crowded, andNew Worldwill need to justify its existence. One of the ways it could do this is through its setting of Aeternum, which could provide something unique that can’t be found anywhere else.New World’ssetting is one of the more interesting aspects of the game and does a good job of merging fantasy elements with real-world history.
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New World’s Setting
In the 16th century, during the age of discovery, America as well as much of the western world was referred to as the “New World.” There was a sense at the time that the world was entering a new era, and of course, many were excited to see what the future held. Adventurers would venture out from their home nations in search of brand new locations to explore, with the realization that the Americas represented an entirely new continent to be explored further. This is the time frame being explored byNew World, with its fictional island setting of Aeternum.New Worldis heavily inspired by the 17th-centuryera of discovery, as becomes apparent through playing the game.
WhileNew World’ssetting is inspired by the 17th century age of discovery, there’s a twist that may make the game a bit more interesting to some. Aeternum is a magical island, in which “the fundamental laws of life and death don’t apply,” and a mysterious new material named Azoth is granting inhabitants supernatural powers.
InNew World, Azoth can be used in craftingto increase the likelihood of special abilities on weapons or armor. These abilities can have effects such as increased speed, damage, and much more, so Azoth could be of much use when the game releases later this month. Azoth is alsoNew World’sexplanation for resurrection and fast travel, but it seems as though there may be other forces at play on Aeternum.
What is New World?
As well as the supernatural forces of Azoth, which seem to primarily have a positive effect on the inhabitants of the island, there’s also corruption at play. Corruption inNew Worldis what will make the game more than just a period piece. The Corrupted function like one ofNew World’smany factions, attempting to take over the land of Aeternum. The Corrupted’s presence seems to transform the once serene land of Aeternum into a hellish landscape, with portals not too dissimilar from the Oblivion Gates seen inThe Elder Scrollsseries. The Corrupted could help to draw players into the world ofNew World, by adding an imminent existential threat for the player to ward off.
This could also be an element that could helpNew Worldin differentiating itself from other MMORPG games out there. With the time investment involved in playing MMORPG games for an extended period, fans may be hesitant to try out a new game in the genre, but fortunately,New Worldis a unique take on the genre.
A bigdifference betweenNew Worldand other MMORPGsis the combat, which resemblesDark Soulsmore closely than the likes ofWorld of Warcraft. This gameplay will come together in massive faction-based PvE and PvP battles, which could be a big selling point for the title. WhileNew Worldfaces a challenge in setting itself apart from other successful MMORPG games, it has the fundamentals to be a success.
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