Two Worlds (Jewel Case Edition)

Release Date: January 12, 2010

Two Worlds Review

If only polish and presentation were easy to come by.

You have to wonder why a developer would deliberately position their game in the long shadow cast by a hugely successful title like Oblivion. Sure, the market is obviously there, but it seems like such a cruel fate to thrust upon your brainchild, knowing it will be condemned to labels like "clone" or "rip-off." Nevertheless, Polish developer Reality Pump has stepped up with a confident swagger, proud to steal from the best, and confident it can stand on its own.

It's a tall order. Oblivion wrapped a massive amount of content and overwhelming level of freedom in a package that oozed high-class production value, with an accessibility that helped lure in the console audience that had long eluded computer role-playing games. Two Worlds seems to have all the basics down, with miles of terrain and bustling cities full of more to do than you'll care to explore. For those that like to roam rather than barrel through the adventure, there's a near endless flow of side-quests to take on, and some of these have interesting consequences. All of this comes together in a seamless world, with only the briefest loading pauses.

Ye models are decent but thy faces aren't

But it only takes a few minutes to spot the chinks in the armor The visuals are rife with awkward, sometimes glitchy animations and objects that just pop in, seemingly from no where. There doesn't seem to be any physics simulation, and there are plenty of bugs in the collision detection, so expect to occasionally see people walk through each other or pop through walls. Even worse, movement will chug when the action gets too hot and heavy, regardless of whether you're playing on a high-end gaming PC or the 360.

It's not a terribly appealing world, either. You assume the role of a bounty hunter tasked with collecting all the magic doo-dads to stop the resurrection of an evil god. Tired fantasy clichés are flung around like confetti throughout the awkward, Old English dialogue. Like a lot of Eastern European games, it has embarrassingly bad, voice acting, too. Imagine Steven Wright at a Renaissance Fair, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Are you still with us? I know all these problems seem like a tough pill to swallow, but first impressions aren't everything. Despite the copious minor flaws that will chase many away in the first few hours, there is actually a lot to love here. Two Worlds makes some smart decisions that help it stand out just enough to be worth a second look.

Shiny... sort of

One of the biggest flaws with Oblivion was the decision to make enemies automatically scale to your level, so that the challenge level stayed fixed. This gave you the freedom to go where you wanted, but it eliminated the satisfaction of building up your character in preparation of a long and arduous quest. Luckily, Two Worlds avoids this trap. You'll find enemies that kill you in a single hit, and eventually you'll be able to crush those same foes in seconds. It's a satisfying feeling that ought to be a part of any good role-playing game, and it's complimented by a robust system for building skills, giving this game plenty of depth.

The quest itself is very open-ended, at least after the first couple hours or so. Making progress is more than a simple matter of traveling from place to place marked on your map. Instead you'll need to take on many side-quests to build your reputation in order to make the allies you need to achieve your goals. This might not appeal to shotgun players who don't want to roam the countryside or talk to random villagers, but those that prefer a more leisurely pace will enjoy the sense of consequence it lends. Seeing sub-plots unfold and your reputation evolve can be a lot of fun.

The combat is a change of pace. It plays best in third-person, though the option is there for first-person as well. You'll be able to dole out some nifty-looking combos, and a dodge button lets you quickly avoid your enemy's strikes. The fighting is simple, has a nice stick-and-move rhythm to it, and the different weapons lend enough variety to keep things interesting. The AI is straightforward and predictable, so don't expect action on par with Dark Messiah, but it works. I don't like it as much as Oblivion's system, but it isn't really comparable.

Getting around is a snap, thanks to abundant teleports all over the map. You can zip around with ease between any teleports you've passed in your travels, which really helps streamline those endless hikes that have always been my least favorite part of games like this. You'll have access to horses and other mounts as well, but unfortunately these can't go through teleports with you.

blog comments powered by Disqus
Become a fan of IGN

Game Details

Published by: SouthPeak Games
Developed by: TopWare Interactive
Genre: RPG
Release Date:
United States: January 12, 2010
MSRP: 9.99 USD
M for Mature : Blood and Gore, Violence
Also Available On: