New World isn't the game it was when it was first seen in 2018. Gone are the days of it being a full-loot PvP MMO with heavy survival components. Instead, it has been reworked, not so much from the ground up but from the skeleton up, to become what seems to be a promising buy-to-play MMO, and New World exists in an expedited space. Three years after the game's first reveal is not much time for an MMO to be produced, especially one that has seen an enormous change in focus. It is only reasonable that eager and critical players alike are questioning Amazon's intention. The initial release date coming in mid-2020 was doubted by many longtime fans due to the lack of information about the game, and New World's delay was expected.
The world of Amazon's new MMO is large, daunting, and beautiful. New World blends the realistic, high-fidelity textures one would see in Black Desert Online with a sharpness and aesthetic that improves upon the model. New World has a colonial feel to it, strangely similar to last year's Greedfall. It blends a 1700s musket-wielding settler with a high-fantasy druid, and places them into fields of lush vegetation hiding ominous, abyssal spires in Aeternum, the Eternal Isle, which holds many mysteries. Each one exists on the map as a question mark, and it is up to the player to determine whether they want to venture into a dangerous brush crawling with undead, or play the craftsman in a village.
With the current iteration of New World, there seems to be a focus on making sure as many people as possible are experiencing what currently exists. The skeleton of the original concept is still there, as elaborate crafting is always present in New World's options. The other system that is surprisingly unique for the genre is the combat, which integrates action combat with meditative, decision-based movement and inputs. The combat system is reminiscent of a Soulslike, as the player's energy bar depletes based on how many dodges they attempt during combat and slowly regenerates when side-stepping attacks. Holding the attack button triggers a heavy blow that can break guard or stun targets for a short time. This system, while deliberate and engaging, is also matched with a more traditional talent tree that will be more familiar to long-time MMO fans.
It is by no means as expansive a skill tree as fans would see in World of Warcraft, however, which is supplemented by many abilities that fill more than two action bars. In New World, each weapon gets multiple abilities that can be placed into a three-slot action bar. New World also lacks any classes or specializations. Weapons are instead filling the role, as using a certain weapon for long enough results in a player mastering it, unlocking new abilities attached to that kind of item. Carrying up to three different weapons (and actively swapping between them), players can harness the power of nine total abilities.
For many who became used to the diverse pool of spells commonly seen in the likes of World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy 14, this may be underwhelming, and in some ways, it is. However, the focus is, ultimately, on PvP. The skeleton of New World is still firmly rooted in that, and for PvP, this style of combat is engaging. The abilities add flavor, but their rather long cooldowns don't make for particularly in-depth moment-to-moment decision making. Instead, the game play consists of duels that hone in on well-timed dodging, evasive maneuvers, and blocks.
This does bring into question how this system will operate in New World PvE. While Dark Souls is renowned for its combat (and many other mechanics), the combat truly shines when it pushes a player to their limits. The sheer brutality and difficulty of the content is paramount in squeezing the combat system for all it's worth. New World is decidedly much more in line with an open-world MMO, where the combat encounters are simple, plentiful, and easy. One might find themselves dodging here and there, but beyond the rudimentary input, there isn't as much to explore in that field. Amazon Game Studios claims to have challenging PvE content, but it's difficult to contextualize that without a deeper look at it. Will it reach the level of World of Warcraft's most frustrating, satisfying end-game content? Or will it be more casually challenging, similar to Guild Wars 2? While this remains to be seen, Amazon Game Studios needs to take into consideration the longevity of its title. If the PvE content isn't challenging or plentiful, it may as well not be there.
For anyone captivated by The Elder Scrolls Online's commitment to large-scale battles, New World is able to preserve the essence of that design while improving on its contentious combat system. However, for players who aren't as interested in chaotic battlefields and messy, sometimes unfair duels, New World's value has yet to be determined. It has entered an open alpha for anyone who has pre-ordered the title for a week, allowing them to explore the world and experience the existing game. Amazon Game Studios is keen to mention an end-game raid boss for small groups as well as various open-world dungeons around the world.
Although the success of the title is uncertain, Amazon has surprisingly been quite careful with New World, delicately re-working the title into a promising state. It will still take some time to find out, but as of right now, New World actually appears capable of delivering on that promise on some level - though PvE concerns have us remaining skeptical for now.
New World releases Spring 2021 on the PC.
