Two Worlds
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Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive Genre(s): Role Playing Game Home Page: http://www.2-worlds.com/
Get Your Clickin' Finger Warmed UpYou're thrust into combat directly at the start of the game, and one lesson is quickly learned: combat is unforgiving. It lacks the nuance of Oblivion, where combat required measured timing and defensive moves. In Two Worlds, fighting is just plain difficult because enemies are that much stronger. Only at higher levels does the game begin to seem fair. You won't find Oblivion's auto-leveling - cursed by RPG stalwarts but praised by more casual gamers; wandering off the beaten path or into the wrong dungeon will result in a swift death. The trade-off is that your character is resurrected at the nearest Rebirth Shrine, which are scattered all over the world. Much like the FPS Bioshock, there's no penalty for death, and the game world exists just as it did before your character's untimely death. If you'd like a more challenging adventure (or if you're an auto-save jockey), Difficult mode dispenses with the Rebirth Shrines and leaves you at the mercy of saved games.
Combat is not only challenging to the point of frustration; it's also mindless. There are no active defensive moves, and no skill involved in wielding a weapon. Since you're always inevitable swarmed by enemies, you're left to click the left mouse button until death or victory. Targeting is never accurate, even with a melee weapon, but it doesn't appear to be typical roll-if-the-dice hitpoint depletion either. The lack of consistency had me stepping away from the game after a few attempts at attacking the same bandit encampment, and I nearly lost a keyboard in anger. To make matters worse, the AI has two settings, one for melee enemies - swarm and swing - and one for archers - shoot and run. You'll spend more time chasing cowardly archers across long distances than actually swinging an axe.
The lackluster combat leaves much to be desired, and that's unfortunate, because the weapon system has potential. There's a vast array of weapons and armor available, which are upgradeable via enhancement runes to add cold damage, fire damage and the like. Nothing special there, but weapons and armor are also stackable. Find two like items and combine them for more offensive or defensive power. It's a feature which I initially overlooked (but would have noticed had I first perused the comprehensive printed manual). Maybe it's my left brain talking, but this is the most fun I've had manufacturing weapons and managing inventory since Baldur's Gate. The only real downside is the clunky inventory display, which doesn't allow for proper scrolling and often hides needed items. But to waste the wide selection of weapons on a nearly-broken combat system is a shame. Coupled with an alchemy system that allows for the creation of godmode-like potions (one concoction allowed for nearly endless hitpoint rejuvenation for 25,000 minutes, for instance), one has to wonder how much time was spent playtesting. Giddyup! Combat on horseback is a welcome feature, but expect to be frustrated by the camera. Also, it's nice to have armor for your horse - a naked steed won't last long in battle Lots of RPGs have horses, but few have horseback combat. One of the bullet points on the game's box, Two Worlds frequently reminds you that horseback combat is a great way to take down enemies on foot. This sounds great, but in practice the mechanic falls flat. First, the camera - which has a hard time following the action when combat is busy on foot - is completely broken on a horse. It's impossible to see enemies coming from behind, and trying swing the camera while targeting and fighting is a chore. How about galloping into a band of Orcs swinging a mace full-force? As long as you only need to go straight, you're all set: horses in Two Worlds have a mind of their own. In a way, you direct them, but your equine counterpart will often refuse to turn as directed or continue running when asked to stop. This may mirror what riding a real horse is like, but it sure doesn't make for fun gameplay. Horses end up being useful for transportation on roads and paths, but even with the Riding skill maxed out controlling the animals is like directing a drunk friend down a spiral staircase during an earthquake.
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