The Wheel Of Time Demo

Coming up with innovative mechanics in the first-person shooter genre is not something that happens every day, especially now after thousands of titles have been released. Obviously, each game is unique in some way or another, but the amount of new ideas that make it into the final products is pretty low. Hence, whenever something different comes along, it usually receives a lot of attention and a certain amount of hype starts building up.

The Wheel Of Time may look like a regular FPS at a first glance, but it is actually a rather unique take on horror and it even features some role-playing elements here and there. However, it still plays like a shooter, so you’ll definitely be unloading bullets or spells into a variety of creatures, while trying not to get killed at the same time.

In essence, the game is based on a series of books and it tries to portray the universe as close to the novels as possible, while still keeping the gameplay fun. The entire plot revolves around a woman by the name of Elayna Sedai and her exploits in a fantasy world filled with monsters and powerful magic. In fact, her specialty are the artifacts known as ter’angreal, which posses magical capabilities and they can be combined to obtain devastating spells.

The magic is mandatory if you want to finish the game, because some of the enemies make it impossible to advance if you do not manage to concoct the right spell in order to defeat them. Not only that, but it is also possible to use the artifacts in order to cast protective spells and shields, which either heal your wounds, or protect you from incoming damage just enough to allow you safe passage.

Visually, the graphics engine used is none other than the original Unreal Engine, so it certainly looked nice back when it was first released. On the other hand, the environments are sometimes a bit too dark to make anything out, which can be frustrating. Other than that, the special effects and the general level design are top notch, with just a few mistakes here and there.

When it’s all said and done, the game may not be very appealing to those who are not aware of its roots and inspirations, but if given a chance, The Wheel Of Time can certainly provide you with a good time. Thus, if you are on the lookout for a first-person shooter with some different ideas, this may very well be a good choice.