Two Worlds, one fantastic prospect
If imitation is, as they say, the sincerest form of flattery, then Reality Pump, developers of Two Worlds, must have something of a wee crush on the boys over at Bethesda – that’s how much Two Worlds appears to owe their genre-defining open world epic Oblivion.
Comparisons between the two titles are going to happen, that’s inevitable; they’re both available on largely the same platforms (minus PS3 – at the mo, anyway), boast similar medieval gameworlds, visual styles and gameplay approaches. Heck, Two Worlds even comes in Standard and Collector’s Editions like its inspiration did at launch.
No cheap imitation
But Two Worlds is no cheap imitation – far from it. The story, for starters, presents a land divided – giving you effectively two worlds (funny that), only one of which you can save. It’s a compelling plot, too, telling the tale of a lost tomb being rediscovered, and a holy crusade by the evil Orc hordes to recapture their fallen God from it.
a monumental adventure to save the world, damn it, or… neither.
Which is where you come in. In Two Worlds it falls to you to set out on a monumental adventure to save the world, damn it, or… neither. And that’s because Two Worlds, like Oblivion, features a spectacularly large free-to-roam gameworld especially for your curious playing pleasure.
Fine tuning
The beauty of this type of game is that you can completely tangent from the main quest – which, in Two Worlds, sees you attempting to track down your kidnapped sister before becoming embroiled in larger events – and explore off the beaten track; taking on any number of sidequests, joining Guilds, and generally making a name for yourself.
Wielding one almighty weapon even Elder Scrolls would wish for its medieval arsenal – the online mode.
Two Worlds, however, is looking to take the open world template a significant step on from Oblivion by fine tuning everything that made Bethesda’s titles such a monumental success. Top of the list is character creation and customisation, which boasts no defined classes, allowing you to fluidly define and redefine your character’s stats over the course of Two Worlds. To that end, there’ll even be ways to completely strip your assigned skills and re-assign them, if you find the right characters to talk to – and with no level cap, it’s something fans will certainly get a lot of joy out of.
Fresh Approach
Adding to that is Two Worlds' fresh approach to combat, including the much talked-about horseback fights which should really add to the game’s overall epic feel. An intuitive inventory system and sophisticated magic casting are also present, joining an alchemy system which lets players mix together weapons, armours and other items with various other items in order to forge completely original products – a feature which should add longevity.
Crucially, however, Two Worlds takes on Oblivion at its own game, wielding one almighty weapon even Elder Scrolls would wish for its medieval arsenal – the online mode. Actually, that’s an understatement – there are two online modes planned for two worlds – one letting eight players adventure together in challenging missions, and the other an enormous player vs player option that will really emphasise levelling up and uncovering rare weapons in the main game.
Oblivion: evolved
With that said, Two Worlds suddenly sounds like it could be Oblivion: evolved. Perhaps that’s why Reality Pump strayed away from using a first-person view in Two Worlds – instead opting for an exclusively third-person camera. Along with the multiplayer option, that could be the aspect to really signify Two Worlds burning desire for its own special style of adventuring.
Preview by: Mark Scott
Preview Published: 22.08.07