Two worlds review. Review of the game Two Worlds II. Nightmare Shop
Considering there"s a video on YouTube calling it "the worst RPG ever made", Two Worlds is actually pretty inoffensive. It"s an action RPG in which you play the role of some guy who goes on an adventure to save his sister from some bad dudes, but I can"t go into more detail because I started skipping all the dialogue about five hours in. The voice acting is most charitably described as something that exists and the script is full of irritating ye olde flourishes, forsooth, that had me hammering the space bar anyone started speaking. The setting also confuses me. On the one hand it"s a generic medieval world with wizards and dragons, but on the other hand there"s a weapon called the Chinese Sword, so apparently the actual nation of China exists in the Two Worlds universe. Maybe there"s a chapter of an obscure Chinese history book that discusses the time the orcs invaded. Let me know if you"ve read it.
So, with the narrative out the window, what of the gameplay? It"s okay. It"s perfectly serviceable, I think, though not in a particularly engaging way. This certainly isn't a living, breathing world full of imaginative locations and quests, but if you can appreciate largely mindless hack-and-slash combat that rewards you with lots of loot then there"s a healthy amount of content on offer here. As you"d expect, killing and questing grants you experience points that you can use to upgrade your character as you see fit, though to my eyes (having only played the game once) the skills don"t seem especially well balanced. The choice between alchemy, which can permanently improve your stats, and swimming, which is basically never even needed, isn't likely to present much of a dilemma. There's also a horse riding skill, though horses in this game are barely controllable even if you"re the Two Worlds horse whisperer, so any points spent therein are points thoroughly wasted. Fortunately the world is littered with teleportation points that can beam you around the map with ease and, should you wander into a dangerous area and meet an untimely end, you"ll find yourself brought back to life at a nearby shrine, losing absolutely nothing in the process.
All in all it"s hard to get too excited about Two Worlds. It"s categorically not the "Oblivion killer" it was sometimes touted as prior to release, but it"s satisfying in a mind-numbing sort of way. It even has at least one good idea I haven't seen in other RPGs, in that duplicate weapons, armor and spells can be stacked on top of each other to improve their effectiveness. The only thing better than a really good sword, after all, is a slightly better really good sword. If the developers had been able to stack multiple copies of their game then it might have been remembered more fondly, but I still essentially had fun with it. Under normal circumstances it costs £7, which is fair enough, but in sales it has dropped as low as 69p. Maybe that reflects poorly on the game, but it"s ultimately a budget RPG that works well as an impulse purchase.
Development of the second part of “Two Worlds” began back in 2007, when the Polish studio RealityPump wanted to continue experiments with the title. At first, the company's plans included only one addition called The Temptation, which could continue the storyline of its predecessor. Several times the release was postponed indefinitely, and in the end the developers decided to make a full-fledged sequel from the add-on. So, in 2010, the game Two Worlds 2 was released, a review of which is below.
Preface
Two Worlds 2 is a fantasy role-playing game that is a direct continuation of the first part of the series. The player will have a long journey through a huge, beautiful and rich world that can be fully explored. It is inhabited by unusual creatures along with dangerous and deadly opponents, as well as a variety of flora and fauna.
Many reviews of Two Worlds 2 mention that the developers tried to correct previous errors and shortcomings. This is especially noted by fans who played the very first part of the series and were looking forward to the continuation. Also, some users compare the second part of “Two Worlds” with games such as “Kingdom of Amalur” and “Morrowind”.
What you need to know before starting: system requirements
Minimum requirements:
- OS: Windows XP;
- processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz/AMD Athlon 2400+;
- required amount of memory: 512 MB;
- video card: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600/ATI Radeon 9500;
- OS: Windows Vista or 7;
- processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz/AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+;
- required amount of memory: 1 GB;
- video card: NVIDIA GeForce 7600/ATI Radeon x1800;
- free disk space: 8 GB.
Main storyline: passage of the beginning
The story of "Two Worlds 2" may seem far from original to some. However, as far as elaboration and execution are concerned, in this regard it was completed 100%.
Already at the very beginning, bright events await the player. The main character (Two Worlds 2 can only be completed as a man) and his sister find themselves prisoners in prison by Gandohar, the antagonist who ascended the throne in the first game. The villain’s plans are to get the energy that the girl possesses, since an ancient fire deity is imprisoned in her. As soon as we managed to come to terms with the role of prisoners, our situation suddenly changed for the better - Gandohara Castle was under siege by the orcs. They are the ones who contribute to the escape of the main character. From them we learn that they freed us for a reason - only we can save the people of the orcs and put an end to the rule of the usurper.
After escaping, the player must take part in a lengthy training, during which we will be told about the combat system, classes, some weapon features and skills. Only after completing this stage can the main character set off on a free voyage. You certainly won’t be bored in the world of Antalor!
The main storyline promises to delight with curious and unexpected moments, and the ending will completely turn the idea of the events taking place upside down.
A complete exploration of “Two Worlds” can take dozens of hours of play. In this case, we are talking about interesting local quests, side missions, great characters and, of course, a deeply developed living world. In terms of duration and excitement, it can be compared with such giants of the genre as “Oblivion”, “Skyrim” and others. It’s worth giving credit to the screenwriters and game designers - thanks to their labor-intensive work, you want to play the second part of “Two Worlds” without stopping.
Non-standard quests are the key to success
At the beginning of any RPG, you involuntarily begin to imagine the number of similar and standard sidequests with which the developers filled their game world. All gamers are familiar with tasks like: “Collect N-number of tulips”, “Get N-number of skins of killed bears”, “Clear N-number of territories occupied by bandits”, and so on in the same spirit. Two Worlds 2 managed to move away from the standard quest scenario and prepare something truly amazing.
The interactivity of the world pays off in every small task. Much here depends on what actions and decisions the main character was guided by, which side of the conflict he chose. There are really a lot of sidequests in the second part of “Two Worlds”, and each of them is unique in its own way. In addition to entertainment, the player will be able to gain valuable and necessary experience, the absence of which will significantly complicate the gameplay.
The importance of leveling up
Passing the game Two Worlds 2 is a difficult task, and the seriousness of the gameplay is felt almost from the very first missions. Thanks to a well-developed combat system, the main character can be content with combined skills that originally belonged to different classes. Poorly distributed skill points, incorrectly improved characteristics and insufficient weapon power are guarantees of certain and frequent death. A long journey through an alluring and beautiful world (which has everything from excellent landscapes and an enchanting atmosphere to living grass and naturalistic terrain) often leads to dark and dangerous paths. If you don’t pay enough attention to leveling up, then it is the main character who will have to pay for the user’s mistake.
Point distribution
It is better to develop your character in one direction: a warrior will need endurance, an archer will need accuracy, a magician will need willpower. If you really really want to try a combination of classes, then you shouldn’t “spray yourself” on everything at once. In addition, we are unlikely to be able to acquire all the skills, since the total number of points is limited. Of course, you can correct this situation through the appropriate codes for the game Two Worlds 2, but we do not recommend using cheats during the first playthrough.
At each new level, the player receives several points for general parameters and several skills, which are selected according to their own preferences. In addition, points can be awarded for completing certain achievements: picking a lock, brewing a potion, a large number of killed enemies, improved armor, and much more.
About crafting and items
We continue our review of Two Worlds II and move on to discussing in-game things. Each city is inhabited by merchants who sell various potions, weapons and armor. However, all the goods offered for sale are significantly inferior to what is scattered throughout the game world and what you can craft yourself.
What can be used as loot? Various weapons usually drop from the bodies of opponents, killed animals and monsters give the player ingredients, meadows and fields are rich in rare plants - these are some of the ways to obtain in-game items. You can part with unnecessary weapons and armor by selling them or disassembling them into useful spare parts, which will then be used to improve other items. Thus, a found sword with several useful effects, improved to the maximum by the player himself and equipped with new stones, will look much more profitable than the weapons of merchants. Armor and clothing can be customized by painting them with appropriate paints. The alchemy skill also helps save gold on purchases of healing bottles - with its help, the hero gains the ability to create various potions on the go.
Don’t forget about quests, upon completion of which you can acquire completely unique things. For example, the game has one very interesting mission about an ancient dungeon with various challenges - it’s worth completing it not only for the fascinating plot, but also for the valuable reward.
What do you need to know about the combat system?
Each weapon type has several unique techniques that can be used against the enemy. By the way, what kills one enemy is not always suitable for another. In such cases, you have to rely on your own experience and tactical thinking. The battles are not boring with monotony; many techniques and abilities delight with their attractive effects, which are achieved due to the advantageous position of the camera.
At the beginning of the playthrough, the player can quickly deal with single monsters, first by driving them into a corner, and then killing them with a suitable weapon. If the main character finds himself surrounded by several enemies at once, then without the right tactics he is unlikely to get out of trouble alive. In addition, it is impossible to find out the opponent’s level - it is not indicated. The game has a wide variety of monster opponents, random encounters with which are equivalent to a lottery. Such unexpected and very annoying surprises force you to use frequent automatic saving.
Useful cheat codes
Below we have provided a small list of the most popular cheats used by players during the passage of Two Worlds 2:
- healH - replenishes health level;
- AddGold _ - increase your gold reserves;
- AddSkillPoints _ - get a certain number of skill points;
- AddExperiencePonts _ — gain experience points;
- SetStrength _ — increase the strength level by a certain number of points;
- ResetFog - get rid of the fog of war;
- god 1 — activate god mode (invulnerability);
- creat potion_mana_01 - create a small potion of mana;
- creat potion_healing_01 - create a small healing potion.
Castle Defense and the spiritual continuation of the series
Just a year after the release of the second part of “Two Worlds,” RealityPump released a continuation of the story under the guise of a real-time strategy. Reviews of Two Worlds 2: Castle Defense praised the game for its change of perspective, which allows users to feel like the main antagonists of the series - the notorious Gandohar and his right-hand man Sordagon.
The heroes must fend off attacks from orcs while defending areas of abandoned ruins, dark forests and winding catacombs. Elements such as tactics, various types of weapons, as well as an unusual gift of foresight help them in this difficult task.
Two Worlds II: Castle Defense is not only a spiritual continuation of the series of the same name. This is a great way to try a familiar setting in a new genre.
Have you completed the second part of “Two Worlds” and want something similar? Especially for loyal fans of the genre, we have prepared the top three games that will help brighten up your leisure time while waiting for new RPGs.
- Gothic 2 is the second part of the cult RPG, released in 2003. The magical barrier fell, and people managed to escape from the Valley. The main character, the same protagonist as in the first part of Gothic, goes for the Eye of Innos amulet - only with its help can one stop the dark forces and evil that came from the depths of the ocean.
- Divinity 2: Ego Draconis is another game from our top, which is a sequel. This RPG manages to combine Western traditions and an epic fantasy setting. The game world is populated by wizards, goblins, dragons and other amazing creatures. You will have to immerse yourself in this universe through actions standard for the genre: dialogues with NPC characters, completing quests and gaining experience. The main character of Divinity 2 is a Dragon Hunter with telepathy.
- Risen is an adventure RPG, the creators of which at one time worked on the already mentioned “Gothic”. The story takes place in a new world based on the medieval period. The player takes control of a character who has been shipwrecked and, as a result, finds himself on an unknown island. Soon strange events begin to happen around him, leading to the most unexpected outcome. The player will have to make a dangerous journey to the top of an active volcano to help the locals save their island.
Gamers will be satisfied. Excellent graphics will not leave anyone indifferent. As for the system requirements, they correspond to modern games, so it is worth taking this into account when installing.
AND Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga). She not only has a tautology in the name, but also a difficult fate. A project originally conceived as an independent addon Two Worlds: The Temptation(at the same time - a port for the PlayStation 3), missed all conceivable release dates and finally got a serial number last summer. And I was late again.
Two mymra-2
| System requirements |
|
Pentium 4/Athlon 64 2 GHz 1 GB memory GeForce 8800 GT/Radeon X1900 4 GB on hard drive Internet connection |
| Recommended Requirements |
|
Core 2 Duo/Athlon X2 3 GHz 2 GB memory GeForce GTX 260/Radeon HD 2900 4 GB on hard drive Internet connection |
Worth spending a few hours in the community Two Worlds 2, and you realize the main achievement of the developers - they created a game that at least doesn’t make you angry. It doesn’t drive you crazy with myriads of shameful “bugs”, doesn’t irritate you with three-kopeck animation (here, thank heavens, decent motion capture), and doesn’t shock you with the crazy behavior of NPCs. Instead of hostility, the sequel evokes melancholy and pity for the company, whose writers and designers are completely devoid of talent. No amount of DirectX 11 support can help here.
Reality Pump apparently hasn't figured out what makes an RPG compelling. It’s not enough to make a world and stuff it with stupid animals—you need to give it an incentive to wander. Alas, there is almost nothing between the settlements, and while the first island still somehow imitates freedom and scale, the second “large” zone is five times smaller. The third location, a village in the cursed swamps, finally tightens the stranglehold.
Dungeons are rare and not worth the time spent on them. In most cases, this is a modest interweaving of corridors, a handful of monsters, a couple of chests with junk, automatically adjusted to the player. A short walk on the map - and now the backpack is bursting at the seams with rubbish: a dozen identical axes, twenty worthless rings and a mountain of quivers. Ballast can be melted down cheaply at the nearest shop (the range of which, by the way, also depends on the level) or disassembled into components and used to improve weapons and armor.
The Gentleman and the Monsters
The tasks, both key and side, are all “fetch/carry”, “kill” or, worst of all, “talk to several NPCs, pointing at the only available phrase.” The authors sometimes throw in good plots (a professor-molester, a rebel leader with, ahem, unconventional connections, an insidious demon in the basement of a warriors guild), but every time they are pushed under a train due to the inability to develop the idea into an exciting quest. Rare branches with moral dilemmas are clumsily arranged and, with the exception of a couple of moments, do not affect the future.
The plot that follows directly from the ending has the same problem. Two Worlds. The hero found his sister, but also became a hostage of the evil emperor, who stole the suit and crown from the Witch King from The Lord of the Rings. Having escaped from the citadel thanks to the relentless stupidity of the guards and the help of the strike brigade of orcs, the ex-prisoner decides to return to the castle, take revenge on the scoundrel and rescue the girl. The path, oddly enough, is long and thorny - a chain of stupid coincidences and loosely connected events drags the poor fellow from one trouble to another. Either to save a village from hunger, or to take part in races around “checkpoints”, or to get involved in the small-town showdowns of the thieves’ guild... And then, after two monstrously drawn-out chapters, he will be kicked through the crowd of the undead, taken aback by an illogical “surprise” and sent to an absurd battle with "boss".
The remaining interest is ruined by the dialogues. The texts, which did not shine even in the German original, completely faded in translation and smack of schizophrenia. This, I note, is about the English version. The Russian version, it seems, has gone through the “broken telephone” twice and, in addition, has acquired voices that are boring to death.
Almost RPG
In general, enjoy Two Worlds 2 Only very unpretentious fans of the genre can do it. Even if you skip the lines, close your eyes to the countless Fedex messages and pretend that the screen is an action/RPG amoeba, it won’t add to the fun. Firstly, trophies brushed under the same brush. Secondly, melee combat consists of rhythmic clicks, no “combos”. Thirdly, the “leveling up” system is too simple: four basic characteristics responsible for health, impact power, shooting accuracy and the vigor of spells. Warriors and archers use active skills (breaking through a block, shooting at several targets at once, etc.), of which there are not so many. Mages construct spells in the editor using collected cards of elements and various effects. There are no traces of social talents; master keys and “stealth” are reminiscent of the thieves’ path, suitable only where the designers deliberately placed the enemies with their backs to the hero.
Traditionally, Two Worlds It also offers multiplayer - a rare occurrence in “single-player” RPGs. True, one should not expect great revelations from him. Having joined the “city” server, we choose entertainment according to our taste: a duel, a deathmatch, a team hunt for crystals, 7 linear “cleanup” missions alone or together. As soon as you have 10,000 gold in your wallet, it’s better to spend it not on brand new leather pants, but on your personal village. By gradually investing money in the construction of farms, forges, taverns, estates, magic towers and other buildings, we receive additional sources of profit and resources. Why gut monsters when the mine is just a stone's throw away? And so that the master does not rest on his laurels, some kind of infection is constantly hanging around the area, lowering the “happiness” parameter. If it falls to zero, people will become sad and stop working.
For the player, the munchkin joy is poisoned by the interface, which is affected by the console stagnation syndrome. Huge fonts, giant item icons, wild default button layout, inability to buy goods in bulk... But there is a clumsy musical mini-arcade that imitates Guitar Hero. But the lack of useful statistics (the scroll with reputation and “accomplishments” does not count) cannot be justified by nods towards consoles. What prevents you from showing the total armor strength and a summary of the current bonuses?
Reality dump
The answer to this question, I think, is clear. An improved picture, surprisingly stable code and a pleasant soundtrack are the only things that Reality Pump succeeds in. The cart and everything else, unfortunately, never moved.
There is, you know, such a fable: “one day there was a swan, a crayfish and a pike (a decent beech too)...” In general, things didn’t work out for them, and they even wrote a book about it on the basics of management. And Reality Pump, after years of torment, it worked out. However, having studied the result obtained, you and I can be sure: there are plenty of crayfish and swans working in the Polish studio, and the notorious decent pike probably occupies a leadership position.
Princess Fiona Syndrome
A gritty and frightening role-playing game story Two Worlds begins to shock the player literally from the first second - from the character generation stage. In exchange for another Brucewillis, we are given a textbook from the biology class - a living stuffed Neanderthal. Ears like a hatchet, lips like a dumpling, little eyes like tomatoes. The additional character customization options are also quite Neanderthal: you can make the forehead sloping and the arms reach the knees. With these healthy strong grips you have to save the next world from misfortune. But the world is huge, and there are a great many nasty things going on in it.
The main problem at the beginning of the game is as banal as two and two: you are a dummie. No pants, no money, no decent weapons. You don’t know how to do anything and you don’t understand anything. Without bothering at all with more or less decent training, the developers throw you to the amusement of the local inhabitants. How to behave, is it possible to be rude and rummage through other people’s chests without embarrassment? You have yet to find out the answer to this mystery, and at the same time taste many blows from a strong club. The difficulty lies elsewhere: in the world of Two Worlds there are about a dozen factions squabbling with each other, about which you know absolutely nothing. Figuring out which of them is just good, and who pays well, who is worth being friends with, and who to rob completely is your primary task. Because the life of a tramp is fleeting and boring.
The main test for a beginner is night walks. You see, all the creatures you hit during the day return at night in the form of ghosts, which are often stronger and more dangerous than their living prototypes. Of course, this gives a special flavor to our adventures: is it not worth getting into a fight with harmless pigs? When they are resurrected, they will hit your ears so hard that you won’t think it’s enough... But if you wait for the first rays of the sun, the obnoxious pig ghosts will independently go to pig paradise.
Fortunately, the developers of Two Worlds did not introduce automatic adjustment of monsters to the main character into the game, as was done in The Elder Scrolls 4. If you feel that you cannot cope with the enemy, then pass by, it’s too early for you to roam around here. When you grow up, come back. Or take, for example, a bear. The bear is such a woolly, toothy litmus that shows the coolness of your character. He kills a low-level kettle with the first blow, and a middle-level killer with three. Therefore, you will celebrate your victory over your first bear for at least five minutes, joyfully picking out its entrails in order to sell them in an alchemy shop. And then, in general, you realize that you no longer care about all the hardships of this world and that you will begin to live for your own pleasure.
Cherche la femme
In underground caves you can run into demons and other unpleasant crap. |
After wandering around the cities and villages, you suddenly realize that the main problem of this world is not that necromancers steal ropes from gallows and sew touching dolls with button eyes. The terrible truth is that there are only men and bears around, and not a single woman. The only person of the opposite sex that you will see is the main character’s sister, and even she was kidnapped by some gloomy types in dressing gowns. The reasons for the kidnapping are explained very vaguely, but intuition suggests that in a world where girls cannot be found during the day, there are very few reasons to steal other people's sisters.
Since the plot does not allow us to free our relative with a dashing attack, we get to work - we complete tasks, gain respect in the guilds, and acquire valuable equipment. Things are going very well with equipment in Two Worlds: several hundred sets of assorted clothing and armor, as well as additional body kit. One of the important features of local goods for an adventurer is its ability to glue: with a slight movement of the mouse, you can make one, and better one, from two well-worn robes, and from twenty cheap clubs you can easily get a killer rag. The magical effects of the objects are summed up, causing smiles of thirty-three tusks on the stern men’s faces and stimulating the instinct of acquisitiveness.
Traveling light, you'll inevitably be amazed at how many slackers and bandits there are in Two Worlds. Literally around every turn you will be in wait, if not by gopniks, then by aggressive pygmies or even a family couple of ogres. In some cases, you will come across caves filled with parasites - in a word, you will not have to experience a lack of experience and equipment. Your new homeland has taken care of all your needs.
The character development system raises a number of questions - not because of its simplicity, but because of the peculiarities of the world. Why is it that only “power” characteristics are implemented in a role-playing game? There is not a hint of diplomacy, eloquence, or brainwashing. The question also haunts me: where are the teachers? Where are these people who should teach our Neanderthal savior new fighting techniques and types of magic? You see, in this wilderness, it is impossible to separate mentors and traders from the other useless human masses by eye. You have to say hello to everyone you meet in order to figure out where you can finally buy a Slavic cabinet or study the “Golden Stool” position. Which, you see, is not entirely convenient.
National Geographic
In search of a relative, we cross the continent length and breadth, rubbing our feet bloody, until we finally find a horse. It would seem that this is happiness - but no. The skittish brute is equipped with such poor controls that it’s easier to spit on its crown and jump to the desired area on your own two feet, using numerous teleports - fortunately, there are more of them in Two Worlds than there are stations in the Moscow metro.
And admiring the surroundings while traveling on foot is a hundred times more fun. The world around is trying to live its own life. Forest animals are multiplying right before your eyes. “Ugh!”, you say to a gang of wolves who shamelessly materialized out of thin air right in front of the protagonist’s nose, “they could have done their shameful deed in the bushes, gray dogs.” And in response, they begin to busily gnaw on the bony Neanderthal-savior legs.
With regret, apparently, we still have to admit: in statics (in pictures, that is) Two Worlds looks much better than in dynamics. The not very well-executed optimization of graphic beauties has led to the fact that the surrounding space is overgrown with details quite suddenly and not at all in the way that we, civilized people, are used to: tufts of grass literally jump out from under the protagonist’s feet, and trees get confused in the number of their own branches . Relative calm reigns only in cities: the stone blocks do not twitch, and there is no vegetation on the pavement. But in the centers of civilization, we clearly observe something else: the animation of the main character, and other anthropoids, was not made by hand, to put it mildly. Moreover, all the creatures that inhabit this blessed land have a truly invaluable ability: in moments of spiritual despair, or simply out of forgetfulness, they can easily pass through walls, trees and fellow creatures.
The sound design, fortunately, does not “overgrow” with grass and does not frighten you with terrible animation - it is performed at a very high level. The music is chosen well and is quite worthy of listening separately from the game. Traveling around the world is accompanied by quite life-like sounds, the greatest interest among which is caused by the lines thrown by the hero with or without reason. When he, splashing through the wet forest, cursed the rain recklessly or wearily exclaimed “Oh no, really again!..”, seeing another gang of romantics from the high road, the reviewer’s heart was filled with warmth and joy.
In the eighth month
One of the undeniable advantages of Two Worlds is complete permissiveness within the limits of what is permitted. Do you want to cut out the entire city? Please. Do you want to be a pacifist? Also please. Want to? Yes Easy! The game is ready to forgive any stupidity that comes into your head. The three characters vital for successful completion are equipped with the “Eternal Life, God-Like” parameter. Just know that they will never get rid of you until you complete their tasks. You won’t be able to recognize the futility of existence and commit suicide either: time after time, having received fatal blows, the hero is regularly resurrected on the altar of a certain goddess and again skipping rushes towards new dangers. In this respect, Two Worlds is extremely similar to Diablo - with the only difference being that the untimely deceased is not lowered in level. That is, you will certainly defeat everyone. Some day.
The most important words: despite its many twists, the game is quite capable of captivating. If you enjoy running aimlessly through wilderness areas while swinging a level 20 tail picker, you won't be disappointed. However, the overwhelming feeling of being completely unfinished and half-thought out does not allow you to enjoy the game to the fullest. We can only hope that after a dozen patches the game will sparkle with all its facets, but for now... for now it’s better to dig up some worms and go fishing. Or think about a tourist package to Cyrodiil.
P.S. When this text was already being written, intelligence reported about the release of the next patch. The hubbub on the forums is terrible: “They brought in women! 5 items! YYYYY!”
Two Worlds was especially anticipated - many, of course, had heard that the Reality Pump employees were preparing a powerful epic RPG, but we, taught by bitter experience, prepared for the worst just in case. The catchy, even pop appearance of the game immediately catches the eye and only enhances
Send
Two Worlds was especially anticipated - many, of course, heard that the employees Reality Pump They are preparing a powerful epic RPG, but we, taught by bitter experience, prepared for the worst just in case. The catchy, even pop appearance of the game immediately catches the eye and only increases mistrust: often the bright appearance is designed to hide the inner wretchedness. But soon skepticism gives way under the pressure of emotions and instincts: the game is very similar to everyone’s favorite Oblivion and Gothic 3, not only externally (with certain reservations, of course), but also in content - and therefore leech into you and does not let go until the credits.
Beautiful, but not flawless
Similarity Two Worlds with the above-mentioned games is amazing, in places even suspiciously accurate - the picture evokes the same childish delight and aesthetic pleasure. The normal desire of a person who first launched this game is to gaze around in admiration, opening his mouth wide and taking screenshots of local beauties, like a Japanese tourist - the Kremlin. The image is very picturesque and lush: it sounds, of course, banal, but you really want to fall into this grass and these flowers and look for a long time at the equally alluring blue sky. Armor and weapons are beautifully displayed on the characters, all objects cast honest shadows, the water glistens in the sun and once again proves that it is not “ Akella» lovers of water treatments are the only ones alive. The models, of course, are not as good and neat as in the masterpiece from Bethesda, but quite nicely drawn. The scale, the epic nature of the architecture, the most detailed detailing inside the rooms, the gorgeous weather effects (the blue fog here really looks like a trick of the eye in the first place) - all this seems to have come straight here from Oblivion or Gothic 3. As in those games, the camera easily transitions from 3rd person to POV with little change in image quality.
Of course, if you discard the first, largely emotional impression and take a closer look at the graphics, not everything will turn out to be so rosy. There are problems with animation - in particular when jumping and when transitioning from one movement to another. There are scary, flat and not entirely natural faces of many characters. They lack realistic volume, but there are more than enough problems with proportions. The main disadvantage of the engine is the lack of physics. When striking with a sword on any surface, there are no marks, no sounds, no signs of interaction. Blurred textures are often encountered - perhaps this is why the game does not slow down even on low-end configurations? On the other hand, there were crooked jumps in TES 4, and in all “Gothics” - here Reality Pump America was not discovered. However, the textures for the most part are quite clear, the characters have facial animation, and various special effects - a magical halo on weapons, spells, flames - look simply gorgeous. Well, truthful physics, to be honest, is far from the most important part in an epic role-playing game.
As a result, if you discard professional meticulousness and try to just relax and have fun, you will be left with positive impressions from the graphics, like a journey into the world of bright colors, rich colors... and a surprisingly pleasant female voice: following the precepts of their older comrades, the authors Two Worlds paid special attention to the musical background. The result is one of the most memorable title tracks in the history of the gaming industry. In any case, this song, somewhat reminiscent of the works Nightwish , provides healthy competition to the best creations Jeremy Soula.
Orcs vs Humans: Part Two
Level of freedom and scale of the world Two Worlds– another happy déjà vu. All the beauty described above is available immediately and over a huge area: the player can freely travel in any direction, trampling, if desired and with enough time, all 32 square kilometers of the picturesque territory. Periodically, of course, the universe is loaded: the screen goes dark for a split second, but this is the only and very small price that you have to pay for freedom. The plot does not stand over the player, like a harmful teacher over his “beloved” Sidorov on the day of his graduation essay. Do you want to cheat and look around? Please do whatever you please. The screenwriters give us a general introduction and let us go on all four, no, all five sides. By the way, you can roam the terrain not only on your own two feet, but also on horseback - again we say hello to Bethesda. The analogy is, of course, incomplete: in Two Worlds, for example, horses are not for sale and do not have characteristics written down on paper. But here, unlike Oblivion, you can fight without getting off your horse. But the controls are similar and, unfortunately, just as flawed. However, you get used to it quite quickly.
The synopsis reminds so vividly of Gothic, which sometimes becomes awkward. Judge for yourself: the cities of people inhabiting the world Two Worlds, are besieged by orcs and goblins, at this time a group of mysterious strangers is going to perform an unpleasant ritual, and our hero will have to trample all over in search of various elements of the next powerful artifact. There is a Xardas here - a certain Gandohars, who volunteers to help and mentor the hero, but is clearly playing his own dark game. There is an analogue of the Sleeper - the orc god Aziraal, whose strength and power the ritual is intended to resurrect. Boring? In no case: the circuit, despite all its wear and tear, works perfectly. Having received complete freedom, the player simply lives and travels in this world for some time, completes tasks, discovers new territories and cities. But the plot beacons scattered throughout the map sooner or later begin to magnetize the steel-clad hero.
The filling of the world is carried out in the best traditions of famous ancestors: the dead and other evil spirits stand along the roads, bandits, goblins and orcs hang out nearby, preferring to set up camps almost on the side of the road. If you move away from the road, you can meet a pack of wolves or wild boars, run from bears, and if you’re lucky, you can find a cave, abandoned ruins, an inconspicuous settlement, or even an entire refuge of disgraced magicians. In any case, you won’t be bored: there are many large cities, towns, ancient temples and fortresses, inhabited by hundreds of NPCs who are ready to give our hero some kind of assignment. The range of quests hovered somewhere in the middle between the two more than once mentioned competitors: many, although not all, quests deviated from the “Gothic” standard - “collect 10 skins, 15 herbs, kill a robber, find a missing amulet” - but never reached the level of elegantly written, multi-stage quests from TES 4: Oblivion. But this compromise remains an unattainable quality bar for many other role-playing projects, so here Two Worlds inspires respect: the variety of missions, their number, and the fact that many of them require the hero to make difficult choices, both moral and selfish, are pleasing.
This is also due to the fact that there are several factions and groups in the game, whose interests often intersect. Two warring clans are fighting for power, which, by analogy with the same “Gothic” series, can be called mercenaries and rebels. In addition, there are guilds of fighters and merchants, as well as two warring magical communities. In each of the factions, the hero has a reputation, the increase of which opens access to more important tasks and, finally, to the leaders of a particular group. As you can see, there is a direct analogy with the reputation system from Gothic 3. Whether this is good or bad is rather a rhetorical question. The system isn't perfect in detail, but overall it works well, allowing you to convincingly roleplay, make decisions, and navigate between different interests.
I was also pleased with the simulation of the surrounding world. Residents of cities do not stand in one place: warriors can train, patrol the area, and then fry meat by the fires and sit in a tavern. The peasants cut down the forest, swing a pickaxe, pray, gather, and at the end of the day go to bed.
There is so much “loot” on earth...
As a result, the game does not slide into the abyss of endless hacking: you need to fight a lot here, but this is far from the only activity. And the battles themselves can hardly be called monotonous: in addition to the standard Diablo-like parameters, the authors introduced into the role-playing system many military skills and techniques that can be used in battle with varying degrees of success. Stun the enemy, knock the shield out of his hands, break the sword, throw a handful of earth in the eyes so that the enemy loses his orientation - there is a wide choice. Both archers and those who prefer to sneak up from behind in order to cut the throat with one movement have their own techniques. There was even room for those who liked to set traps and other traps. Magic is quite standard: it is divided into five classical schools, in which you can learn painfully familiar spells.
The abundance of quests and running potential “exp” makes leveling up the hero quick and painless. But this does not mean that in Two Worlds bad balance between the combat and role-playing systems. Even in the middle of the game, a “tank” that is pumped up to its maximum level will have problems with archers and especially large enemies. Such as ice golems, ogres, demon archlords and others. Therefore, you will have to either learn magic, or master the art of shooting, or develop and use those fighting techniques that, as you thought just recently, were not needed at all. To balance the game, the authors decided not to give the player access to all skills, magic and combat techniques at once: as in Gothic 3, you need to look for appropriate teachers. Only at the very end - during a somewhat crumpled finale - you will feel some disappointment: the final bosses may seem too weak.
Money fills our pockets at an alarming rate and soon there is no point in collecting gold from the corpses of defeated adversaries. It would seem that the entire system of trading and collecting “loot”, of which there are simply huge deposits here, is going to hell? But even here Two Worlds there were some arguments. In the game, you can and should obtain armor and weapons identical to those that are already included in your equipment. By putting these items together, you increase the characteristics of things - thus, the equipment can be constantly “upgraded”. By a similar principle, the effect of various magic spells is enhanced. This, of course, is not entirely realistic, but quite an interesting feature. Well, don’t forget about the ability to endow weapons with magical effects using various precious stones.
Is a game without a patch not a game?
Along with positive features Two Worlds took over from the best role-playing projects of last year and the bad ones: this game is no less, if not more, buggy than the notorious Gothic 3. Some skills do not work correctly, the character and his four-legged companion often get stuck in textures, the game crashes regularly in certain places, and there are also problems with sound. The bugs include errors in simulating NPC behavior: you can kill the leader of a particular faction in front of its supporters - without any reaction from them. At the same time, killing the boss in public does not remove your reputation points for this group, and even if beheaded, it will consider the hero an important member who can be entrusted with some key assignment. I was also pleased with this peculiar logic: some types of armor give a bonus to the swimming skill, but the problem is that you cannot actually swim in these outfits.
Enemies do not always behave adequately: they can actively use various combat techniques, block attacks or evade blows in time. Or they may not notice the beam in their eye - how we kill their colleagues literally a couple of meters away. Finally, there are problems with the interface: on the one hand, navigating the map is very convenient, on the other, the authors clearly went too far with the hotkey panel and their reassignment. The need to sell some alchemical ingredients individually is also puzzling. Of course, many shortcomings and errors have been corrected: after all, the game has already reached version 1.3. But the very need to pump out the plump patches and start history anew raises a fair question - for how long? After all, some of the problems described above - in particular with the interface - jeopardize the obvious multiplayer potential Two Worlds.
Two games in one
And yet, Two Worlds, will certainly be in contention for the title of best RPG this year. The game does not hesitate to flaunt itself: “Yes, I am a clone, but the clone is very nice, diligent, diverse and interesting.” Of course, the authors did not meet the standard in everything, and there are plenty of bugs. But the main thing that the game has is its fascination of the highest standard, by the standards of the genre. And technical perfection, after all, is a gain.
