Two Worlds II Review

When approaching Two Worlds II, there was initially a lot of hope and optimism. The trailers looked promising, the developers had taken a very light-hearted approach to the criticism of their prior title, and the revamped combat system looked genuinely interesting. It looked like it was a genuine fresh start for the series, one which would prove that a developer can learn from its prior mistakes without creating a slew of new ones. However, in reality it ended up with a very mixed bag as many of the things that made the first Two Worlds were dealt with expertly, but the things that mattered most really seem to have fallen by the wayside.

To start things off, the world design is hugely impressive. Those who were familiar with the graphics of the previous title should remember how absolutely terrible they were, regardless of any sort of terrain design. That has changed, and it's clear the developers kept a very close eye on the world design from the very start of the game. Castles, open fields, mountains, equipment and weaponry all look fantastic and really draw you in quite nicely. It's pretty hard to resist getting off track from a quest and just wandering around, or roaming for that matter; the world really looks just that good.

On the same page, combat has been revamped significantly. There is a tutorial that blows through the basics in a relatively simple manner. Archery, magic, and melee are broken down for each 'style' of player, and though it's easy to find archery as the style with the most situational usage, all three are pretty interesting to use. Magic can be customized to have various spell effects combine into one another, and melee gains bonuses from various weapon equips and the other standard 'fantasy setting' bonuses that accompany most RPGs. Special mention should also go to the camera controls, which are actually one to be one of the best aspects of Two Worlds II. Though it gives the game a little more of an action game feel, the intuitive camera actually makes combat easier and a little more fun to play.

That being said, the game is not without its flaws. First and foremost being the storyline. Picking up right where the last game left off, players find themselves (as a generic male character of their customization) soon to be rescued by an unlikely ally in order to overthrow a dark lord who has slowly gained an iron grasp over the land. It's a story we've all heard a thousand times before, but Two Worlds II delivers each line with the enthusiasm and energy of an 80s B flick. In fact, the entire game's storyline direction, from dialogue to choreography, is like this. Perhaps this is an endearing quality to some, but anyone who is interested in a more engrossing style of storytelling will find themselves disappointed. It's a shame really, as a game of this calibre has a lot more potential.