It really is an old game spiced up with some new colors. Two Worlds II can be visually inspiring with beautiful landscapes and some very good textures, but the poor and clunky animations effectively ruin the whole package. At least using magic you’ll get to experience some of the game’s best graphical effects. Magic is fun, especially with the ability to combine cards to create your own spells, but magic doesn’t feel particularly powerful. And, since enemies don’t automatically level with you, some of the earliest fights are the toughest not the best way to welcome players to your game. It’s not the worst combat system around, but it lacks the responsive controls and strategic combos of modern action games. The combat is repetitive and typically requires little more than spamming your primary attack, possibly sprinkled with an occasional block or counter-attack if you really need it, and perhaps a special skill now and then. Two Worlds II is so rigid in its use of RPG traditions, every process so visible, that I was never able to suspend my disbelief. It’s a problem that all RPGs face, but most do a better job of covering it up, allowing you to feel more immersed in the world as a result. We can see the world and the characters that populate it, and we can see the processes whereby we interact with the world and cause effects. The problem is that the programming is not transparent. NPC characters don’t feel like they have lives of their own. What is lacking is a sense that life would go on without you. Cities are filled with citizens and guards, and the frequently stunning landscapes contain plenty of wildlife. The world of Antaloor is a well-realized place. There’s the odd stealth quest, but they quickly become more annoying than anything. There is very little in the way of intrigue and variety. Unfortunately, many quests promise far more than they deliver. Veteran RPG players will be pleased to know that there is a classic ‘clear monsters out of some poor soul’s basement’ quest near the beginning of the game. You can carry multiple quests at a time and complete them in the order of your choosing, while small quest-lines link together to form small stories and inject life into the world. The quest system is built on a very standard model. The storyline becomes fractured as you’re forced to take large breaks to level up your character to keep up with the enemies, making the optional side-quests wholly mandatory. Unlike Oblivion, the world doesn’t scale to your skill level. Not entirely original, though there are some neat twists and turns along the way. Without notice, you’re sprung from prison by a small band of Orcs on a quest to defeat Gandohar and liberate the world. Your sister has a Demon within her, and Gandohar, dark lord of the realm, is sapping this power while using your life energy to keep your sister alive through the process. Despite a slightly different combat style and a third-person perspective, it’s virtually the same game but less polished not very impressive considering Oblivion is nearly five years old.Īfter creating your character (male only, sorry girls, and guys who like to play as girls), the story begins with your character in prison (comparisons to Oblivion begin in earnest). Two Worlds II simply isn’t as good as Oblivion. Is it possible to talk about an open-world fantasy RPG without mentioning The Elder Scrolls series, particularly Oblivion? Ideally, Oblivion wouldn’t come up once in this review, but one of the primary goals of Two Worlds II is to brazenly dethrone Oblivion as the king of the genre, and as such the comparisons are openly invited.
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