"Running games at this size and scale is very difficult, mostly because of the games as a service and the operational components" Lafuente says. "And I think we're setting ourselves up for success by starting with these more challenging titles, and then creating an infrastructure and a framework to support any of the other games we bring to mark
At Summer Game Fest earlier this month I played two of Amazon's MMOs, New World: Aeternum and Throne & Liberty , having previously dabbled in their other MMO Lost Ark , while the company has also announced, cancelled, and re-announced anew a Lord of the Rings MMO. This isn't all Amazon publishes ( Blue Protocol is on the way, Crucible was scrapped, it picked up Tomb Raider recently too), but it’s definitely a trend. So when I sat down with Daniel Lafuente and Merv Lee Kwai from Amazon to discuss Throne & Liberty, this trend was on my mind. Though, apparently, not on the
In many ways, **Throne and Liberty plays like a typical MMO ** . Players explore a variety of different fantasy environments, fighting a variety of different monsters with a variety of different class-specific abilities. There’s an extensive main quest, side activities like crafting and fishing, multiplayer dungeons, competitive player-versus-player matches, and everything else you’ve come to expect from the genre. It has a handful of unique ideas, but they don’t always go far enough to carry an otherwise generic
However, this is still an MMO through and through - so the quests are repetitive. The zones you travel through are fairly interesting though, and mob variety is fine. There are rolling fields, beaches, gnarled watchtowers on top of hills guarded by goblins. Nothing here really screams originality.. But there remains a soothing familiarity to the wayThrone and Liberty begins: when there are hundreds of players grinding scarecrows in a random field somewhere, you know this is a serious
In a similar vein, many of Throne And Liberty release Date and Liberty ** ’s characters are memorably designed** , including, but not limited to, those made with the game’s robust character creator. Beyond that, there’s a lengthy, but uncomplicated menu of craftable weapons, armor, and accessories to ensure your character is always looking their b
This weapon also has decent mobility options, and can apply debuffs on enemies, increasing the damage output. Your defensive skill while using the Crossbow is a dodge roll, allowing you to take opponents down as you evade their attacks. You can pair this weapon with a Dagger to get a mobility advantage and effectively eliminate single targ
As for the game itself, one of the things that most interested me was the class system. Rather than a standard build of 'Rogue' or 'Warrior' or 'Mage', every character dual wields. You can choose to make this consistent (my preview character was an all magic build of Wand and Staff), or mix and match, pairing Dagger with Staff, Crossbow with Greatsword, Sword and Shield with Longbow, or any combination thereof. This makes playing the game more varied, and offers greater flexibility when approaching dungeons. As far as Amazon and NCSoft are concerned, it might be their ace in the h
Overall, it’s difficult to give a score for Throne and Liberty based on what I’ve seen so far. I’ve been a bit too quick in the past to judge MMOs based on their leveling experience, where the real game begins when you’ve already invested dozens - potentially hundreds - of hours into the game. As it stands though, I can say that this is a game that I’m excited to play. There’s a real promise in what stands to be a modern successor to one of the all-time greats of the genre, NCSoft’s Lineag
The game features an impressive attention to detail , even in its weapons. You can equip two weapons at once, with one as your primary weapon and the other as your secondary, providing passive bonuses or additional abilities. Each weapon comes with one defensive ability and eight slots of passives to choose from. Here are the best weapons you can use to conquer your journey in the g
These will naturally be a pressing question for anyone who might want to try out Throne and Liberty. ‘Pay-to-win’ is a term often thrown about by players, and it’s probably a term used frequently in Amazon’s head offices, too. Pay-to-win is a spectrum . You could place Diablo Immortal very high on the pay-to-win scale, whereas a game like League of Legends has plenty of microtransactions but no pay-to-win elements at all. Throne and Liberty definitely falls on the much lighter side of things. Most purchasable items are cosme
Amazon’s track record with MMOs is solid, but also undermined by problems. Both New World and Lost Ark had huge launches with over a million players on day one. New World is of course getting revamped later this year with New World: Aeternum tied into a console release, but its performance on PC has been lacklustre for months. Current player numbers have it hovering around the 5,000 mark. Lost Ark is much healthier, with around 20,000 active players. Those games have given Amazon time to learn the ins and outs of publishing MMOs in the west, but will it be enough for Throne & Liberty to stick the landing alongside its pe
