There have been a handful of MMORPGs that have piqued my interest over the years. A few examples are Final Fantasy 11, Final Fantasy 14, and even the almighty Destiny 2. The consistent traits that attracted and kept me engaged across the board with those games have been co-op, less grindy character build (although Destiny has since proven that wrong), and big worlds with interesting quests. Short bursts of adventuring also helped keep me with those titles over the years, as my life is in a constant state of being on fire with scheduling.
It’s more my scheduling skills than anything else. Not rolling 20 with scheduling.
Anyway.
New World: Aeternum from Amazon Games Orange County has slowly crept its way onto that above list. With a compelling story, easy-to-pick-up mechanics, and a large range of quests, mostly short bursts, it was easy to get hooked on this most recent MMORPG example. I played the shit out of this on PC and I was happy to hear that it was heading towards console. Even though the transition from PC to console for most MMORPGs can be difficult, this felt seamless, while at the same time keeping everything that made it great, quests and whatnot, unaffected by the console translation.
So, sit back, have a swig of ale, and let’s discuss what to expect when the console version of this game arrives next month.
The story still drives this ship…right into rocks
No, that was part of the story. Your character starts on a fiery ship where something terrible has found its way onboard. Your hero ends up battling this terribleness, the ship you’re on is destroyed by rocks, and you quickly find yourself in the ocean, then eventually on the shore of a strange island named Aeternum (E-TURN-EM).
The island turns out to be a kind of Eden, where residents end up living forever, and are even reborn when they perish. Not a bad Destiny-esque circle of life. Those residents, while completely stranded on said island, are doing their best to live a wholesome life. Of course, not all residents make it to that state of being as some are turned into mindless beasts and can’t seem to escape the violence, they have begrudgingly inherited. The only choice your hero has is to make the best of it, try and cleanse the island of its nasty inhabitants, and try and bring down a blight started by an evil villain who is hellbent on discovering why you were the chosen one that the island wanted as its hero.
The story here isn’t new, but it’s motivating. It does a great job of grabbing your attention right out of the gate and keeping it. The lore of Aeternum is gradual in its reveal, though you can probably fill in the blanks, and with every big mission completed, you get an inch more knowledge about the why, how, and whatnot with the island.
If you’re a fan of DnD or just fantasy in general, New World: Aeternum does stoke the flames of interest. It’s a good story that doesn’t do too much, nor does it drown the player in too much story/lore, as it simply gets that spark of narrative interest started and continually makes the flame grow bigger and bigger.
I enjoyed what Amazon Games Orange County did with this title in the narrative department. It engages and keeps things interesting. Every time this hits a new platform, I always enjoy it and its fantastical beginning burst of story. It’s solid and it works for this type of game.
Gameplay
While nothing has dramatically changed with New World in the console version, and that is a good thing because you don’t want much change, it translated pretty solidly with how it functions. I played the PlayStation 5 version of the open beta, which is set to start on the 13th for everyone else, and walked away hoping I could play more. Granted, this game has always made me feel this way about it, but I’m glad to see that nothing got in the way of that sentiment in the PlayStation 5 version of it.
For my short time with the open beta, I was able to explore the world again and just have a nice little reminder about how accessible it is and how much it feels like an open-world adventure. The latter of that sentence means that I can go into places underpowered and try my hand at figuring out a way to take someone down. For example, there was a mission where I had to infiltrate an enemy camp (Iron Rose folks) and steal a newly built powerful sword from their sergeant. It was not easy to take down this mid-boss, as they were powerful and had a knack for stunning my dude, but eventually, I found a way. The enemy was about two levels higher than me but it worked out. In the end, I got a new powerful sword, completed a quest, received XP and money, and went on my way. Life was easier with the sword, as was my leveling thanks to it.
Anyway, the point here is that the game has always seemed less linear about its adventures. Stumbling upon new experiences and finding weird shit on the island to toggle with has always been its charm. Plus, there is fishing! You can never go wrong with fishing. Unless it’s the game Reel Fishing. Then you’ve taken a horrible turn.
One of the bigger aspects of New World: Aeternum is the many quests you can go on, and obtain at once, and how quickly those quests can go. Sure, there are story quests that are a bit lengthier, but the side quests usually are quick hitters that are long enough to enjoy but short enough not to feel like a grind. For example, there was a quest where I had to restart two windmills, take out some baddies, and rescue villagers. It sounds like a lot, especially the latter part of that sentence but the entire process took me about 20-minutes. That short amount of time guaranteed the adventuring wasn’t tedious but the reward drop was pretty sweet. Better armor, happier adventurers, and less happy enemies.
This is one of the bigger reasons I have enjoyed New World: Aeternum, as the quests were just wonderful short bursts that always felt like they had substance but never were a huge commitment to my time. Coming and going as you please in the game, even the console version, and chipping away at the story while growing the character out is a big reason to give this game a go. Busy lives need not be afraid. If you need more reason to jump in and explore, then let’s talk about your rewards.
Leveling and Skills Trees
If you get enough quests done in this game, then you get to see an extensive range of backend skill trees. The tree is based on weaponry, at least mine was, where if I used a weapon long enough and gained enough XP on it, then I could upgrade it to make it more diverse in its attacks. For example, I obtained a gigantic ship anchor (it acted as a hammer) mid-way through my time with this open beta and I was able to upgrade it. The upgrades were broken into two macros (one-touch button execution) where one launched a devastating and brutal blow to an enemy’s head which stunned them, while the other simply was potent enough hit to knock a large chunk of energy out of them. The upgrade system for weapons is a nice flowchart of smaller, micro upgrades that open bigger macro-led moves. The leveling of each weapon happens quickly, so you don’t waste a lot of time grinding. That method of upgrading encourages and motivates to keep playing the game, as newer, better ways to play are consistently always appearing thanks to it.
On the player side of the skills tree, where you change your attributes, it’s equally quick and constant. If you were playing a game and saw that your efforts of completing quests were being rewarded pretty quickly, then you would keep playing said game. This is how New World: Aeternum works on the player attribute side. You level up through XP, which is gained by completing quests or killing enemies, then use the level points to upgrade a player’s strength, dexterity, constitution, and a bevy of other options. Again, quite easy, very flowing and seamless, and motivating to get you to keep going.
Anytime you can give players enough good reason to keep playing your game and not make it feel like a grind fest, then you’re doing things correctly. That gameplay style and upgrade system works just as well on the console, as it did on the PC. It’s one of the best reasons I still play this game. It’s just so easy and fun to keep building your character out.
Say what you will but the quicker you can keep building something, the more changes appear for it, and the more interesting it gets as the change can be constant. You don’t stand still for a long time with New World: Aeternum. That is a huge plus.
Other odds and ends
While my time with New World: Aeternum was shorter than I would have liked, and I will be returning to this game when it fully comes out, there are some points of interest I’m ready to try out when I return to it next month. They include:
3v3 Arenas
The game does feature 3v3 Arenas, which I did not unlock, as your character had to be level 20 to get there. The idea of having a group of three friends taking on the world in a hack/slash slugfest is intriguing. Leaderboards and daily rewards are part of this process. Nothing huge but certainly a nice departure from the typical MMO stroll.
Expeditions
Another cool mode is expeditions, which I had never been able to do but they sound fun. In true MMO style, more akin to Elder Scrolls Online, you can put a team together and essentially take on bigger quests and tougher groups of enemies on your way to a giant boss fight. Why play alone during this adventure? You shouldn’t.
Horses are faster, Houses are nice
Other cool odds and ends are the ability to purchase a house, team up with a faction, and use a horse to traverse the lands of Aeternum. I cannot begin to explain to you how much nicer it would be to have a horse in this game during my open beta time. The game is big and while running is nice, a horse would have made the experience better. While the game does feature fast travel, it does cost resources, which you want to keep around for building camps, cooking, and crafting items. Horses just cost feelings.
Anyway, these are just a few things I will be hitting hard when October rolls around.
On that sweet note, let’s wrap up this open beta preview.
Until October
New World: Aeternum from developer Amazon Games Orange County is looking promising for its October 15th launch onto consoles. While most of what it brings will seem familiar to MMORPG fans, it does have a fun story to back the gameplay up, and it’s got a beautifully big land to explore. All of it works on the PlayStation 5 brilliantly, even the controls and how it functions, all of it translates nearly seamlessly from its PC brethren.
We will certainly have more insight on it when we review it next month but until then keep an eye on this one. It’s one of the better games in the Amazon Games family.
