Oh boy, another massively multiplayer online game. MMOs aren’t like other computer games; much like homes, nobody really has the time or money to have more than one. With half a dozen good ones already on the market, and another dozen coming online by Christmas, anyone foolhardy enough to try to bring one to consumers nowadays had better have a plan. Most new MMOs try to use a license to become a hit such as Lord of the Rings, Conan, Stargate, among many others. Others, like Guild Wars, Goonzu, and Maple Story try to wedge their way in by being cheaper. Finally, comes that rare breed that uses originality to take gamers to new worlds. EverQuest gets the mention here, with City of Heroes and precious few others.
Sword of the New World: Granado Espada obviously doesn’t have a license doing the leg work for it. Instead, it uses both of the other two tactics: being a free to download (and to play, for 20 levels) game that has more than its fair share of new ideas.
The first thing to set this game apart is the location. Breaking free of the criminally overdone “fantasy pseudo-Europe” setting, Sword takes players to the new world, circa the 17th century. Yes, there are many strong fantasy elements, and certainly a European cast to the architecture and social structure, but we’re closer to the Napoleonic Era than the Crusades, and it shows. A player sees this right away when he rolls up characters, in a family home as well decorated as Versailles. While generating a character is little more choosing name, class, and costume, the latter is when the game starts to shine, with rich clothing choices wonderfully representative of an era when beautiful textiles were no longer exclusive to the highest nobility.
Then comes the next surprise. Most MMOs let you have a single character at a time. This seems reasonable, but many such games are marred deeply by quests requiring groups of other players to finish. Sword boldly explores new territory by having players control up to 3 characters at a time (the ‘up to’ is misleading, you’ll want a full complement at all times). Thus, you’re now a walking party of adventurers, as your characters, while sharing the same last name, can be from a variety of classes. These run from the usual fare of warrior and wizardly types, to nods to the setting, with musketeers and scouts (also the healers, there are no priests or the like), among others. The multi-character play is by far the highlight of the game, as this one feature makes you able to ‘power level’ your own new characters, avoid the misery of finding a group, AND enjoy various ways to play as different characters, all in one. You also get to pick up ‘unique’ non-player characters to add to your party, although you’ll generally find your three guys to be plenty.
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