Two Worlds (PC)

...the end one of the Two Worlds will remain.

Gameplay :

The gameplay of Two Worlds is a real-time action in a fully three dimensional landscape. Whack the enemy, pick up objects, etc happen in real time, so players may beaten up by the enemies while thinking what armor should I equip and such :-)

Similar to Oblivion and Gothic 3, the gameplay is non-linear. The player is free to explore the game world, accepting ...
...There are various creatures in Two Worlds. Unlike other CRPGs with wilderness areas, enemies will not respawn, although most areas are densely populated.

Beyond the main quest there is no set storyline to follow, the player is free to choose to complete the quests of his liking, and explore at will. The player may choose to act as a righteous hero and be honored amongst the population, or devilishly evil and feared, through reputation ... more

The story (taken from the official website) :

The world changed when Aziraal, the god of war, was slain in the huge battle long ago. The hordes of Orcs lost their divine leader and were forced to withdraw to the southern wastelands. 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 dwarven mining expedition discovered an ancient temple dedicated to an unnamed deity - all of the world's most powerful factions saw it as a possible clue to the place of Azriaal's burial ground. A silent war has now begun and it will soon ignite the fires that will lead to the holy crusade of the Orcs. However, the real danger lies somewhere else. A powerful force churns silently - weaving a secret plot of fear and destruction. In the end one of the Two Worlds will remain.

Gameplay :

The gameplay of Two Worlds is a real-time action in a fully three dimensional landscape. Whack the enemy, pick up objects, etc happen in real time, so players may beaten up by the enemies while thinking what armor should I equip and such :-)

Similar to Oblivion and Gothic 3, the gameplay is non-linear. The player is free to explore the game world, accepting side quests at will. However, there is a core quest (main quest) centering around rescuing the hero's sister, who is being held for ransom by mysterious forces who are scheming to open the tomb of Aziraal, the god of the orcs.

There is no fixed character classes like other role playing games. As the character gains experience and levels, it is possible to invest gained Attribute Points into any attribute, players can decide whether the hero wants to be a strong warrior who is powerful in close combat, or a powerful magic user who can strike his enemies with the power of Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Necromancy, which leading to a variety of game play styles and approaches. There are wide variety of skills available, from sword skills, magical skills, thieving skills to swimming, so players have to be wise when allocating the skill points gained.

The game takes place in a world called Antaloor. The world of Antaloor is like a small universe. From the glaciers in the far north to the volcanoes in the deep south, this is a richly diversified continent with a wide range of climatic zones. While traveling through the game the player will encounter teleports points, caves, villages, and other locations, and these travels are recorded by the in-game mini-map. Teleports allow rapid travel between explored regions as the world in the game is vast, without this feature players will get frustrated very easily. Horses are available for the player to ride as well as other animals/creatures, though I must say the controls of this mounted ride feature is rather annoying.

Death in the game leads to resurrection at a nearby shrine; these shrines are distributed across the game world, and also replenish health when the player comes in sufficient proximity. There are also magic power replenishing shrines aside from the resurrection shrines.

There are various creatures in Two Worlds. Unlike other CRPGs with wilderness areas, enemies will not respawn, although most areas are densely populated.

Beyond the main quest there is no set storyline to follow, the player is free to choose to complete the quests of his liking, and explore at will. The player may choose to act as a righteous hero and be honored amongst the population, or devilishly evil and feared, through reputation gained by completing certain quests. However, the path chosen will have consequences on the outcome of the game.

There is weather effect in the game, such as the day and night, sunny and rainy, up to thunder storm, making the game more realistic.

Items :

There are wide range of items in Two Worlds, from simple wild herbs to complex metal equipments. Equipments can be upgraded by combining two similar equipments, such as long sword with another long sword combined into one will create a stronger long sword. Inventory space is limited but it is quite a big space anyway.

Alchemy :

Two Worlds has an alchemy system that allows the player to combine ingredients to make potions, weapon enhancements, traps, and bombs. Spending Skill Points on the Alchemy Skill or using more ingredients will result in more powerful potions. Ingredients can be found as plants in the wild, the body parts of animals and monsters that have been slain, and minerals and gems taken as loot or collected off the ground. Once a new type of potion is created, players are given a choice to name the recipe in the alchemy book, giving it a new unique name. Some ingredients or potions can have permanent effects such as a boost to strength or health.

Factions

There are seven factions within the game for which the player can complete quests to gain reputation. These are the Brotherhood, the Society, the Merchants Guild, the Giriza, the Necromancers, the House Skelden, and the Karga Clan.

The Brotherhood is a mercenary society, similar to Oblivion's Fighters' Guild. In the main cities of the game their location can be identified by their signature red banners. Brotherhood locations in cities will usually have a trainer that offers to teach the various combat skills for a small fee, and Brotherhood shops will have the largest selections of weapons and armor.

The Society is Two Worlds' answer to the Guild of Mages seen in most RPGs. In the main cities their location can be identified by blue banners. The Society locations will usually have a trainer that offers to teach the various schools of magic for a small fee. Society shops will have robes, staffs, and spells for sale.

The Merchants Guild is a guild of traders and merchants. In the main cities their location can be identified by banners emblazoned with scales. The Merchant Guild shops offer a general assortment of goods. The higher the rep in the merchants guild the cheaper it is to buy supplies.

The Giriza is the equivalent of the Thieves' Guild. The members wear distinctive red hoods and the Giriza shops are a good source for lock picks and other thievery-related goods. Giriza trainers offer knowledge in the stealthy arts. The higher the rep the more you can sell your goods for.

The Necromancers are the only source that will teach the ability to use the Necromancy School of Magic, but are generally shunned by polite society. The Society makes a point of stopping Necromancers from completing their goals.

The House Skelden and the Karga Clan are two competing factions in the northern reaches of the human half of the world. The Karga Clan are the former ruling house that was supplanted by the King and Council with the House Skelden.

The player can choose to work with any faction to achieve specific goals in the main quest. As is typical for the genre, players generally earn reputation with a faction by completing appropriate quests.

Regression :

Should a player decide that they are unhappy with their ability and skill point distribution, there are NPCs called "skill changers" in some of the larger cities that offer a "regression", which allows redistribution of some skill points for a certain price. Some of the Skill changers can refund more points for a greater cost, depending on the character's level and amount of experience. This can be very useful when you really messed up with the skill points allocation.

Graphic & Sound :

Graphic is rendered in full 3D and rendered beautifully, though characters sometimes can be a bit stiff looking, but the surrounding environments are nicely done (of course with the cost of advance graphic card unfortunately, graphics card with Shader 2.0 or above is needed). Soundtrack and sound effects are not so bad, though for me the voice acting is rather stiff, bland and monotonous, but well still enjoyable to play.

Overall :

Still good and enjoyable to play, with non-linear storyline and vast area to explore, will keep you entertained for quite sometime. So I'd say go for it if you like an RPG game where players are given freedom to do whatever you want. Enjoy.... 

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