The first previews of Amazon Game Studios’ New World MMORPG are finally trickling in from Gamescom just as the wraps are coming off the game’s official site and Amazon announces alpha signups.
“Be one of the first people to set foot on a mysterious continent, join a Company and work together to claim territories, build thriving settlements, fight off player bandits, and push back the dark and wild forces that occupy the land to leave your mark on history,” the game’s official site now says. “Adventure, exploration, and opportunity await you on Tera Vitae Aeternum. During Alpha, you will be able to share your feedback by playing the game or joining the New World community. Your feedback and insights will help guide decisions and inspire ideas that will shape New World. We are committed to collaboration and communication as the only way forward and are eager to have you join us.”
The sign-up, mind, is still an alert from Amazon itself. There are new screenshots too.
The first preview we’ve seen comes from Tech Advisor UK and actually threw us for a loop because it looks a bit like a draft that maybe slipped out early. But there it is in the wild, with screenshots too. Among the highlights:
- The game has no classes; it’s boasting open-ended progression based on skills and specs instead, with plenty of period weapons (like muskets).
- There’s a “heavy focus on social features” like guilds, bases, taxation, and territory control, along with PvP at the “heart of the game” – that appears to include full looting. The reviewer does mention a criminal justice system but doesn’t have details beyond bounties. His comparison is to Ultima Online, which is a pretty big clue.
- Expect a “deep crafting system” – based on the account of the playthrough, it sounds as much like a typical smash-together-whatever-you-can-as-you-go survival game, not so much an RPG where you roleplay a crafter.
- As for combat, it’s action-based rather than tab-target-style, complete with stamina bar, manual aiming, and animation locking.
- The world itself is reportedly “massive” with a bit of hardcore feel to the critters in the wild. You won’t be one-shotting bears. According to the article, servers will hold 1000 people, so even if you hate everything else I just wrote, at least it’s an actual MMORPG.
