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Two Worlds

It's been over a year and a half since the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but Bethesda's award-winning game still casts a shadow over the entire RPG genre. Any action RPG release is inevitable compared to the 2006 hit, and releases such as Gothic 3 and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic have failed to match the high bar set by Oblivion. Perhaps inviting the closest comparison to Oblivion is Two Worlds, an action RPG that shares the same non-linear, open-world gameplay.

An Ambitious Undertaking

The project is backed by published by South Peak Interactive, best known for casual and budget games on a number of platforms. Developer Reality Pump Studios last creation was Earth 2160, an RTS which received an average critical response. For both publisher and developer, Two Worlds is an ambitious entry into a genre under intense scrutiny by dedicated RPG fans. Does the new release bring the polished gameplay and vast scope that fans demand? And with some notable gameplay additions, including horseback combat and multiplayer, is Two Worlds the heir apparent to the action RPG crown?

On horseback, riding up a percarious mountain pass. The LOD algorithm ruins vistas like this with jarring pop-in

There's lots of blood in combat, but it looks cartoonish and doesn't fit with the game's visual theme

The single-player campaign opens with an obligatory cutscene that does little to explain the backstory - something about the death of the Orc-god Aziraal, a magical casket and a land "infested with the Taint." As the protagonist mercenary (which must be a male character model in the single player campaign), the catalyst for action is the kidnapping of your sister and traveling partner Kira, who was abducted as she lay under a tree while you sought help. How was she injured? Who knows. Where were the two of you traveling? A mystery as well. What we do know is that Kira was insufficiently dressed for the weather, and that both she and her ample bosom were abducted by persons (or evil creatures!) unknown. The story is both trite and confusing, which doesn't bode well for story-based gameplay.

Page 1: IntroductionPage 2: Story and GameplayPage 3: CombatPage 4: Environment and PresentationPage 5: Graphics and HardwarePage 6: Summary and Scores

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