Two Worlds Demo

Open-world RPGs can either strike or miss, because there is no ground in between. Gothic and Morrowind managed to hit a bullseye, but that doesn’t mean they are without flaws, especially not Gothic with it’s excruciating combat system. Timing is also crucial, on the other hand, since small mistakes like this are far more noticeable when compared to something slightly better in some regards.

Two Worlds had the unfortunate luck of being released not long after The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion saw the light of day, which obviously meant that every bit of it was compared and measured against Bethesda’s giant. Coupled with a rushed production that resulted into a plethora of performance issues and bugs, Two Worlds seemed to sink into obscurity at an alarming rate. The developers did not give up, though, and they kept improving their product through numerous patches, which finally made the game feel and look as it was meant to.

As with all successful RPGs, it all starts with a good story and an intriguing world to lure the players in. The game features a big and fascinating fantasy world, filled with all sorts of creatures and monsters, not to mention magic, alchemy and everything else that constitutes legend material. The story itself has you playing the role of a mercenary who’s sister gets kidnapped by a dark brotherhood, in order to extort you for a powerful family relic. Things get pretty hectic along the way, though, and the world is big enough to contain a lot of other stories and subplots to keep your interest level raised.

When you actually get to play the game, you might notice that it feels very familiar to Gothic and the TES franchise, which is not exactly surprising anyway. There are some differences, on the other hand, not all of which are good. You can ride a horse and even fight from its back, which is nice, but the actual combat mechanics make the experience a bit too frustrating to praise it. Even on foot, you need need a few hours to get accustomed to the combat system, because you must swing and dodge at the same time if you want to win, not to mention the obligatory magic spell here and there.

From a technical point of view, the game is more than fine and pleasant to look at, as long as you have the latest patches installed on it. Some annoyances still remain, however, such as the fact that the cutscenes and the dialogue sequences somehow manage to look worse than the actual game. Everything else works and looks as it should, especially the classy soundtrack and the responsive controls.

Two Worlds may trip and fall a couple of times on the way to the end, but you can learn to love its clumsiness and take advantage of the rest of the experience. A strong story and a fascinating world await you inside the game, as long as you are prepared to keep an open mind and refrain from harsh judgement along the way.