Myself having already read through numerous previews and reviews on Two Worlds, I came to expect very similar gameplay to Oblivion. The character creation is there but there are somewhat fewer options than I’m used to. The difficulty settings are up front and the usual dramatic opening cutscene to boot, but boy was I mistaken. Even from the outset I knew there was something different about this game…

First of all - 3^rd person… The camera sitting behind my character, giving you full control and view over your actions and the soon-to-be bloody battle between the first of many many enemies you will encounter along the way. Then it came to me, this isn’t “Oblivion on steroids!!”. This is Blizzard’s Diablo II  strapped to an awesomeness rocket! Adding similar features such as online co-op play, vs battles and horse races, Two Worlds is much like Diablo II in so many ways…

After dispatching the first few evil creatures you find about the world of Antaloor, you can start to kit yourself out with various weapons and armour that is the stable of any RPG. What you find is that there isn’t just a damage value or an armour value, it is broken down into each different kind of attribute – e.g. Your armour could protect well against piercing and slashing but not so well against bludgeoning. Also with weapons offering minimum and maximum damage as well as all the usual magical enhancements, there is an almost unlimited array of ways you can progress and specialise your character.

The menu system was daunting at first, but after the first few times you find your feet and can quickly duck in and out to rearrange your inventory, look through your active quests or distribute skill points after levelling up your character. In this regard, there are 4 main attributes (the usual suspects – vitality, dexterity, strength and wisdom) and numerous passive and active skills that you can specialise in depending on what sort of path you’d like to head down.

Combat has been simplified to a single button, whether it be melee or ranged weapons and a clear splash of blood appears with every successful hit. I thought this animation looked fairly cheap, but in keeping with traditional RPG’s, you just need to know if your sword made contact, not if the blood spatter on the wall resembles your 4^th grade teacher…

A big complaint about this game has been the horse riding component, always directly compared with Oblivion’s “direct drive” horse riding. In Two Worlds this is not the case and at times it can seem a struggle to get the horse to head in the right direction. However, if you were to compare this type of control to riding a horse in real life, you would definitely see the similarities as the horse doesn’t always want to go where you do…

As with all RPG’s, interacting with NPC’s is a major component of both the gameplay and the progression of the story line and in this instance, Reality Pump has done an excellent job. So used to the “bust view” of previous RPG’s, this interview-view seems much more fitting in this game. They have included “Ye olde words” which adds to the immersion in the game and introduces a bit of comic relief at times.

Besides what is said, how it’s said is often just as important. Speech is clear and well presented with text, although what is said may not always be represented correctly in the subtitles. Sound has been applied well and the opening music can take you by surprise, but after that the music isn’t repetitive and is well composed - sound effects too, all not sounding out of place in this medieval world.

Graphically the game looks great. Not exactly what we’re all used to in the current generation of games, but still holds it’s own as a console RPG. Lighting was good, frame rate does slow down in places and that little “loading disc” pops up, but with less loading screens between areas I didn’t find this a nuisance. All in all, it’s a pleasing game to watch and play visually.

I was disheartened with the bad press that this game has received but after immersing myself in the world of Antaloor, Two Worlds has filled a hole in my heart left so long ago by Diablo II and will sit proudly on my shelf, right next to Oblivion.

Good work!