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GOG's Gems: Two Worlds - Epic Edition |
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by Alessandro Ebersol (Agent Smith)  The world changed when Aziraal, the god of war, was killed in the great battle long ago. The hordes of Orcs lost their divine leader and were forced to retire to the southern highlands. Now, thousands of years later, the location of Aziraal's tomb is still unknown, well hidden by other gods who did not dare to entrust the secret to mere mortals. However, now a fragile peace between the civilized races and the hordes is at stake. When the mining expedition of dwarves discovered an ancient temple dedicated to an unnamed deity, a silent war began, and soon will ignite the flames that will lead to the holy crusade of the Orcs. However, the real danger lies elsewhere. A powerful force working silently, weaving a secret plot of fear and destruction. In the end, only one of the two worlds will remain. So begins the epic adventure of Two Worlds - Epic Edition, a little known gem from GOG. Let's take a look at it this month. Two Worlds - The Game The game begins 300 years after the banishment of Aziraal, a brother and a sister are thrown into the conflict that rages between the Orcs and the free world. Kyra, the younger sister of the hero, suddenly disappears under mysterious circumstances. It turns out that you, the hero, belong to a family of chosen ones, which many centuries ago helped defeat Aziraal, and is the guardian (your family) of the relic that banished him from the world of men. For all practical purposes, you are a hunter and an unscrupulous mercenary, but the search for your sister takes you back to your roots. Earlier in your epic adventure, a mercenary task takes you to the far north. But, you're also following a mysterious lead at the same time, the first you have received since the disappearance of Kyra. You're shocked to learn, during a meeting with emissaries from an obscure Brotherhood, that the kidnappers of your sister, are right after your family's relic. If there is any truth that your family is made of chosens or not, others obviously believe it. If you want to see Kyra again, you will have to act quickly. You're the only person able to unravel the secrets of the grave of a dead god, and all the forces in the land want your help to harness his (the dead god's) power.  Features: Extraordinary landscapes: a fantasy world where every inhabitant lives a separate dynamic life with realistic daily routines. Your actions determine the fate of the land ravaged by the conflict, Antaloor. Liberating freedom: Two Worlds is not for those who do not like to make decisions, because often you will have to choose one side or the other. A smart reputation system and network for guilds and secret societies ensures that. Knight, thief, mage or alchemist: spectacular fights, dynamically choreographed by foot or on horseback. An absorbing alchemy system for creating individual potions and power-ups provides diversification. If this is not enough, try the sophisticated magic system. Intuitive interface and individual development attributes: you can experiment with all the character attributes, and develop your skills as and when you want. An elaborate inventory system ensures that you always have a clear overview, no matter how hot the action is. Massive multiplayer included: bustling towns are the trading centers and meeting points for several hundred players. Self-created characters fight gripping PvsP duels in Arena mode, or solve a series of exciting quests as allies. Upgraded game engine: the new 1.6 engine update is now included! Gameplay The game takes place in a three-dimensional fantasy landscape in real time. As such, it was compared with Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. (Although, in certain situations the hero appears dressed as Geralt of Rivia, the character from the Witcher series).  The Skills' tree As in Oblivion and Gothic 3, the gameplay is not linear. The player is free to explore the game world, accepting side quests at will. However, there is a central mission, centered on the rescue of the protagonist's sister, who is being held hostage by mysterious forces trying to open the tomb of Aziraal, the god of fire. The game does not use fixed character classes like other RPG games. As the character gains experience and levels, it is possible to invest Attribute Points earned on any attribute, leading to a variety of playing styles and approaches.  Fight on foot The world in which the game takes place is called Antaloor. While traveling through the game, the player will find new teleporters, caves, villages and other places, and these trips are recorded at the minimap in the game. The teleporters allow quick travel between explored regions. Horses are available for the player as well as other animals and creatures, although several critics bemoan the clumsy controls when riding in.  The beautiful landscapes of Antaloor Death in the game leads to resurrection in a near sanctuary; these shrines are spread throughout the game world and also replenish health when the player reaches a sufficient proximity. However, the maximum level of difficulty of the game features a permanent death feature. There are various creatures in Two Worlds. Unlike other CRPGs with wilderness areas, the enemies do not respawn, although most of the areas are densely populated. In addition to the main quest, there is not a rigid storyline. The player can choose to complete the quests of his/her liking and explore at will. The player can choose to act as a righteous hero and be honored among the population, or to be diabolically evil and feared by the reputation gained by completing certain missions. However, the chosen path will have consequences on the outcome of the game. Review Upon its release, the game was highly criticized. Nothing was spared: From horrible voice acting to badly made cutscenes, critics did not forgive it. The game got 50.32% score in the site Game Rankings, 65 points on Metacritic and 5.1 in the TeamXbox site. But ... Is it that bad? Not really. Let us analyze its points, both strong and weak. Graphics  One of the many dungeons The graphics are beautiful, and one of the most visually beautiful fantasy worlds I've ever seen. It still feels more like a real place, thanks to the distant range of vision, which renders objects and landscapes far from the player. The game world is huge and crowded with cities, people, creatures, beautiful hidden spots, side quests and herbs to choose from. Although not doing anything revolutionary or new, everything has been designed so carefully and joins so well that, as a whole, it can compete with the best ones of the genre. Sound Well, here we have to make a distinction between the music, soundtrack and sound effects and voice acting. The voice acting is ... disappointing. Yes, sometimes it is wooden and emotionless, sometimes over the top and too dramatic. There are even times that sounds robotic and lifeless. The reason is that the voice acting for Two Worlds was actually made by the team at Reality Pump, who are nonprofessional actors. And, it appears, in the clumsy way that the dialogues occur. Now the music is another story. The official soundtrack of Two Worlds was released on a CD on October 14, 2007 by TopWare. It was composed and arranged by Harold Faltermeyer (yes, the one from "Beverly Hills Cop" and many other hit films). The music was played by the musicians of the MGM Grand Orchestra and contained a mixture of Gothic, classical and rock. The title song "Play the Game" was sung by Kyra and included several remix versions. Verdict This game is very inexpensive, on sale at GoG. It is a game that has been compared to the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Gothic, and even Witcher. It has great graphics, uneven voice acting, laughable at times, but phenomenal music. It also has a multiplayer mode, in which several players can play co-op or PVP, the immense scenery of the game and this version from GoG comes with two addons: Tainted Blood and Curse of Souls. With a 4.3 GB size, it is a gigantic open world RPG, which will leave you entertained for months. Of course, don't get in a huge hurry to finish the main quest. Rather, explore the world of Antaloor, for a more complete and satisfying experience. Credits:
Developer: Reality Pump |
