During my trip to the Summer Game Fest last July, I was able to play a preview of Throne and Liberty, the new MMORPG that NCSoft is developing and that will be published by Amazon Games. The sensations that it gave me at that time were quite positive and I saw great potential for it to become one of the biggest surprises of this final stretch of 2024.
That’s why I was looking forward to giving the final version a try and thoroughly testing everything that this title, which will be released in just a few days, will offer. However, it wasn’t possible because the server I entered was only a test server, so I encountered problems, especially during its first few days, with updates that sometimes prevented me from playing when I wanted to or when I felt like it, and the fact that I was completely alone.
So, I’m sure that the impressions I’ve had won’t be the same as in the coming days when the doors to the official servers open and I start to meet people from all over the world. That doesn’t mean that I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve spent with the controls and that they’ve left me wanting more. And yes, you read that right, I’ve played with a controller, which is not at all the norm in this type of genre.
I’ve been playing thousands of hours of World of Warcraft for almost 20 years and I’m more than used to playing the game in a certain way. Throne and Liberty may have been the first MMORPG that got me interested enough to want to spend more hours playing it seriously, but there’s only one thing that has made me uncomfortable playing with a keyboard and mouse, and that’s the camera.
In the Blizzard game, I have it set up so that it always follows me from behind wherever I go. It can also be controlled with the right mouse button, but I find it more convenient not to have to worry about it in most cases. On the other hand, in NCSoft’s game, you can only choose between two options: it moves with the movement of the mouse or it only moves if you press the right button, and neither of the two has convinced me at all.
Of course, I understand that it is a matter of getting used to it and that there are probably players who are satisfied with these methods. Still, that is not my case, so that is why I plugged in a controller and found that with just a push of a button, the interface instantly changed to fully adapt to this type of control, something that seemed sublime to me since everything you see on the screen is tremendously intuitive to have access to any action and option in a very simple and fast way.
That’s where part of the gameplay of this adventure comes into play. I previously had to create my character from a huge number of alternatives when it came to selecting the appearance of his hair, face, and physique so that each one could have his hero or heroine completely different from the rest. What I found curious is that you don’t have to select a class, since this is automatically determined based on the weapon you prefer to wield.
In this sense, there are swords, two-handed swords, bows, daggers, staffs, etc., which make the way of playing completely different, as well as the movements of our character when attacking and the active and passive skills to which he has access. In my case, I opted for daggers to deal melee blows and a bow to crush enemies from a distance, with their respective characteristics and skills with a time of use.
stat points that you have to distribute
between different sections, depending on what you want to enhance, although it’s okay to make mistakes or regret your decisions, because at any time you can recover the invested points and distribute them differently. On the other hand, skills are automatically unlocked as you level up.
Since you only need to equip one weapon or another, which couldn’t be a simpler process, it’s a brilliant way to be able to practice with different combinations and types of gameplay, so that each one can adapt the style to the one they like the most or feel most comfortable with. That is to say, you’re not forced to create a character and have to play for hours with a class only to realize that it doesn’t convince you, because here accessing the inventory is more than enough, so it’s a great success.
On the other hand, although I couldn’t go into it in depth, I saw that there are specializations to be obtained in exchange for items and that the character cannot be more handy, since he is capable of doing everything. With the right materials and enough money, it is possible to make weapons, armor, and accessories, enchanting pieces of equipment, and even prepare food dishes and medicines to recover life and magic points if necessary, so any item that is collected is vital so that nothing is missing.
quick access to any of the abilities
of the main or secondary weapon and you don’t have to juggle to execute them by pressing their respective buttons. The same happens when navigating through the menu, the map or its respective battle pass as it is a free-to-play title.
The truth is that I’ve had a great time traveling through the colossal fantasy world of Solisium , talking to its characters, visiting its cities and completing the missions that have been assigned to me. As for the plot, I haven’t been able to go into too much depth yet, but what I’ve seen so far has left me with very exciting and intense moments, with cinematics that boast an amazing quality and animations, both in these sequences and in the game itself, that are not bad at all.
Due to the size of the areas, through which you can move freely, there are a kind of magic stones that act as teleportation points to get from one place to another more quickly. Also, one of the special abilities of our character is metamorphosis , which allows him to transform into various types of animals if he wants to run faster, fly and glide through the air or swim through the waters. In addition to this, there is also the option to change the appearance for another one whenever it is from the menu, either of the physical one in case we want to renew the look, or that of the pieces of equipment with the transfiguration.
With so many releases coming together in September, plus what’s left in the coming months, I need to find time everywhere to continue living adventures in Throne and Liberty , because it’s undeniable that it’s one of the things I’m most looking forward to after the fabulous experience it’s giving me. Of course it won’t be for ways to entertain myself, because between its main missions, the secondary ones and the milestones, which are another type of objectives that provide rewards, along with other modes and features of the game that I haven’t seen, I have no doubt that the world of Solisium still has many surprises in store that I’m eager to discover with all my might.
Throne and Liberty release date
Those who pick up the Deluxe Edition of Throne and Liberty can start playing today in Early Access, though it won’t be until October 1 when it opens up globally. It will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, with the ability to play with people joining from other platforms. However, the trailer will not be shared with the other versions.