The onset of Fall ushered in the dawn of a brilliantly rising new video game title, aptly named: New World. Fans of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (or MMORPGs) like The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 will surely remember the joy of exploring vast landscapes full of mystery and helpful equipment, as well as their laments of difficult challenges and dangerous enemies.
Players who have delved into the depths of randomly-generated cave systems and mineshafts in Minecraft can undoubtedly recall countless hours of furious building and meticulous faction development in online play. Fortunately, the ambitious developers of New World have provided players with a unique opportunity to do a little of all that, bringing all the satisfaction of beloved titles with a fresh coat of paint and updated engines.
Upon beginning the game, players will find themselves cast out of the sea and into a thrilling adventure on the supernatural island of Aeternum. There, they will begin what will ultimately become a quest to survive until they acquire sufficient equipment and supplies to thrive. Faced with the uncertain nature of magical beasts and plants, players will have to navigate the vast wilds of Aeternum as they learn more about the environment that surrounds them, all while struggling against particularly dangerous groups of creatures: the Corrupted, the Ancient, and the Lost. As players uncover more of the land and its secrets, they’ll begin to solve some of the mysteries of the magic that envelopes the island itself, perhaps even learning to utilize that same magic for their benefit.
Equipping weapons, armor, and spells will determine what skills and abilities a player can use since the traditional class-based combat system has been traded in favor of a more fluid and forgiving combat experience. Indeed, individual combat styles are determined entirely by what equipment the player characters use, as class-based progression and skill usage have not been implemented in New World. Inhabitants of Aeternum will also be pleased to note that it pays to be an outspoken adventurer: users have the option to purchase land to aid in their group’s growth and development. Ambitious individuals may purchase housing for their personal use and decorate their homes with furniture for aesthetic purposes, in addition to gaining utility bonuses. Player organizations, called Companies, can be started by any individual, and this founding member is known as a Governor. Once a territorial fort has been purchased while a territory is unoccupied, Companies develop Settlements that serve as a base of operations for the company under the name of one of the game’s three factions: Covenant, Marauders and Syndicate. The winds of change and fortune are blowing, adventurers. Take up arms, gather a group of capable friends, and conquer the mysterious new land of New World.
by Kyle Manseill
