As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of MMO experience under my belt, I must say that Throne and Liberty has certainly piqued my interest. The game’s visual appeal is undeniable, reminiscent of a fantasy painting come to life, complete with soaring whales and lush landscapes. However, as someone who’s been around the block a few times, I can’t help but see the familiar tropes that come with the MMO genre.
Throne and Liberty is an enchanting game, and I’m starting off by saying this as it truly was my initial impression of NCSOFT’s latest MMO. At first glance, the game certainly has an allure that’s hard to ignore. If you’re someone who appreciates a game based on its visuals alone, then Throne and Liberty is bound to catch your attention.
However, the facade can only hold up so long, because Throne and Liberty is an MMO, for better or worse, loaded up with all the baggage that goes with the genre. For a start, the story is a meandering plod through fantasy tropes in a world that looks eerily similar to Black Desert Online. You are the Destined One, etcetera, and have a singular purpose that only you can achieve. You and other few thousand Destined Ones running around town and hogging the vendors. You won’t get sick of seeing the character designs though; Throne and Liberty has a character creator that almost rivals BDO’s for the level of detail.
Despite the story’s challenges related to localization, similar to other Korean MMOs like Smilegate’s Lost Ark, the narrative serves as a decent foundation for gameplay. While there may be some peculiar dialogue at times, the conversations are generally understandable, though subtitles might not always match up accurately. Some quest information within the user interface can be hard to read, and due to the high volume of quests in MMORPGs, you won’t always be able to keep track of them all. However, it’s often possible to complete multiple side quests in a single area without needing to finish every one of them.
Throne and Liberty features a weapon and ability setup similar to New World. Unlike choosing a class, here you select your main and secondary weapons from a town chest for initial equipment. I opted for dual daggers and dual crossbows since I prefer dealing ranged damage and DPS. Upon equipping, you assign skills related to the weapon onto your hotbars, including a defensive skill that operates like a temporary parry.
Among the appealing aspects of Throne and Liberty, I particularly enjoy the battle mechanics. With a simple click, an automatic attack is triggered which you can break using skills or abilities, much like in Black Desert Online. The parry window is spacious, making it aesthetically pleasing and perhaps the most engaging aspect because it’s relatively easy to understand from the start.
A fascinating feature is the Morph capability, which enables your character to undergo transformations. With their unique heritage, they can change into various animals, eliminating the necessity for mounts since they can instantly turn into a large wolf by pressing the left stick. They can even transform into an eagle and other creatures, allowing them to glide over landscapes. Although it may be tricky to handle, it’s enjoyable and useful nonetheless.
In Throne and Liberty, a free game, you’ll find a battle pass loaded primarily with cosmetic prizes to keep you motivated in your quest for more. Going it alone can only get you so far, but there are numerous chances to collaborate, like joining a Guild or partnering with other players during large-scale Siege events.
I encountered some difficulties with the multiplayer aspect, to be honest. It’s this area where the game seems to experience the most performance issues. Even though your character is always at the center of the screen, things can get quite hectic when everyone starts firing their moves simultaneously. Ordered games within a Guild prove more effective than just rushing in with a mob, but joining and maintaining a Guild demands a clear commitment of time.
On a grander PvP scale, Throne and Liberty distinguishes itself slightly from other games, especially in the case of Abyss Dungeons. At times, they resemble extractive shooter-style gameplay. You venture into these raids with a team, on the hunt for specific loot drops much like mini World of Warcraft raids, all while trying to avoid conflicts with other player groups. Although it may not align with narrative logic in many MMOs, this is common practice.
As a passionate MMO gamer, diving into Throne and Liberty outside of Korea is an exciting yet uncertain journey. The game has some intriguing concepts, but at this point, the combat seems to be what’s keeping it afloat. However, I can’t ignore the technical issues and localization hiccups that are present. Unlike Black Desert Online when it first launched in the West, it hasn’t hooked me as deeply yet. Nevertheless, the visual appeal is undeniable, with captivating character models and animations that really bring its world to life. It’s just a pity that it doesn’t stand out more distinctly from other games in the genre.
Read More
- LUNC PREDICTION. LUNC cryptocurrency
- BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- APU PREDICTION. APU cryptocurrency
- XDC PREDICTION. XDC cryptocurrency
- USD GEL PREDICTION
- EUR INR PREDICTION
- EUR CAD PREDICTION
- GLMR PREDICTION. GLMR cryptocurrency
- MNT PREDICTION. MNT cryptocurrency
- JST PREDICTION. JST cryptocurrency
2024-10-12 11:46