Two Worlds

Written by Jason Cisarano  on June 29, 2007

Final Glimpse: RPG gamers, get ready to step into not just one, but Two Worlds!

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Last fall, Gaming Target was lucky enough to talk with Miroslaw Dymek about Reality Pump's upcoming RPG, Two Worlds. Dymek's comments sure left us thinking that Two Worlds has got the goods: a huge world just there for the roaming. A detailed, customizable magic system. A combat system that allows players to develop their own tactics and combinations, including mounted combat. And an A.I. system that does away with scripted events. So after giving the game a while to ferment, we thought it was high time to check in and see how Two Worlds is coming along.

Unlike some popular RPGs, Two Worlds will give us a well-developed single-player campaign alongside a multiplayer setup that so far sounds more co-op than PvP. On the single-player side of things, everyone will start with the same human male character as a blank slate to build on, first by choosing a class and then by developing skills. All spells and abilities are open to all charactersЧyour starting class won't lock you into a particular skillset. Basically, you'll build your own class by developing the skills you find useful. Spells are something you'll find along the way, since you'll have to locate them during your quests. They'll come on cards from NPCs and also as items you can find in the environment or as drops in combat. While we're on the subject of magic, the game will have more than a hundred spells, each of them customizable by combining their cards to make your own, unique spell book. All items in Two Worlds will be customizable in a similar wayЧcombining weapons, magic items, or herbs will give you more powerful (and unique) swords, items, and potions.

Along with the magic system, the combat system is probably one of the most important parts of any RPG. It looks like Reality Pump has built a system that sounds exciting, since it will combine various weapons and martial arts styles while staying simple enough to allow inexperienced players to jump right into the fray with just a few button presses. Blocks and weapon switches should be equally easy, and combining different types of attacks should be easy to work out. Reality Pump is calling this a Уhalf-automaticФ system, and it sounds like it will take some of the detailed controls out of the players' hands. More complex actions like magic or some special actions must be activated by the player and can be mapped to keyboard or controller. Characters will be able to learn special moves such as kicking sand into an opponent's face and hitting multiple targets. The game will also include a variety of customizable traps that can be set up to help level the play field when a novice character faces off against a tougher enemy.

At first, your character is working more or less on his own as he tries to locate a sister who disappeared, perhaps taken by the Orcs advancing across the countryside. It soon becomes clear that you've got a larger role in this world when an expedition you're on uncovers a mysterious temple that might just be the burial site of the ancient god Aziraal. In ancient times, Aziraal led the Orcs and the world of darkness in battle against the Dwarves and Humans and other races of the civilized world. When he was defeated in battle and his Orcs scattered, his tomb was hidden for fear of the possibility of his resurrection and the return of evil. As the Fates would have it, you're one of the few capable of effecting such a return, and both sides vie for your favor. It's up to you to decide which side to choose.



The future of the Two Worlds rests squarely on your shouldersЧyour decisions large and small will have an impact on the way your game plays out. Aside from the choice between good and evil, there are many factions that you can align yourself with, all choices which in turn affect what side quests you'll be offered. How you carry out these quests and whom you betray affects your reputation in the world and who trusts or fears you. All actions have their consequences, so if you ignore a quest to hold back an Orc invasion, the next time you pass through that area, you might just find the Orcs running the show. Factions can rise and fall, kings can die, and villages can end up burned to the ground. If you kill all the beasts in an area, they won't re-spawn. There simply won't be any there the next time you pass through.

It's all part of Reality Pump's plan to create a living world without scripting behaviors into characters. They've built a huge world with some thirty-five square kilometers of ground that you're free to roam as you choose. And, unlike some other games, your opponents won't level with you, so you'll sometimes find yourself outclassed by tough enemiesЧor mopping up the floor with easy ones. Realism and good looks are the name of the game here, and Reality Pump is building in features to make the world feel authentic. There will be dynamic weather with effects like rainstorms, lightning and fog. And you'll also see a shifting day/night cycle to give you the sense of the passing of time.

And then there's the multiplayer. Don't worry, multiplayer won't be a simple re-hash of the single-player missions, since the multiplayer will take place on different maps from the single player. It'll be a co-op affair in which groups of friends can take on instanced quests on smaller maps than the main campaign. They'll be able together through the quest, and if they don't finish, they can save their progress and pick it up again another time. It looks like players will have more control over the creation of their characters in the multiplayer, with a variety of races and classes to choose from at the outset. And they'll carry these same characters from one map to another, including spells and items that they've earned along the way. It's also worth mentioning that there has been some suggestion that the PC and Xbox 360 players may be able to team up on multiplayer, but no details are available as yet.