Des McNicholas wants more MMORPG. . . will Asheron’s Call 2 suffice?
Despite the name and number, Asheron’s Call 2: Fallen Kings is much more than a rehash of the original. The world of Dereth and its rich history remain, but just about everything else is brand new; including simplified character development, an excellent 3D engine, and a host of innovative touches that might just make Fallen Kings (and future MMORPGs) far more accessible to new players. Whether that translates into subscriber dollars is yet to be seen, but the overall online experience looks fairly good so far.
Fallen Kings is set several centuries after the original game. Dereth is now a wasteland after ‘The Devestation’; a terrible war between Asheron, Bael’Zharon and the Virindi Imperator. Citizens from all three civilisations have been forced underground by the monsters that roam the surface, but word has just arrived that it’s safe to leave the shelters at last. After creating a character from one of three races, players complete a very solid tutorial and find themselves emerging from their shelter to rebuild the world. It might be a little too simplistic for old RPG hands, but character development and the transition to the online world is more seamless than anything yet seen in a MMORPG, thanks largely to a terrific set-up process, a decent manual and stacks of on-screen support.
Once in the open air, players can explore at will or undertake a series of minor quests to gain experience points and advance through the game’s level system. The first few quests are essentially extensions of the tutorial, aimed at familiarising players with moving through the environment and teaching the skills needed to tackle mutant creatures and stacks of dungeon-like locations. The initial story-driven campaign is a great introduction to the world of Dereth, and the developer Turbine promises new episodes and key events on a regular basis (already up to episode 5 as we write). A strong fellowship and allegiance system also helps, and a kingdom-based player versus player option adds to the value for those more interested in destruction than cooperation.
Fallen Kings has a good interface, although a few aspects are a little cumbersome and things don’t always turn out the way they’re supposed to. Character control is a breeze, using both first and third-person perspectives, and interacting with NPCs or items in the game world is just as simple. That said, orientation isn’t made much easier by an unexplained compass and coordinate system (although you pick it up over time), and a mini-map that always jumps to the join rather than scroll along with the action. Selecting and using items is easy enough, even if switching between them causes the odd problem; and the inventory, skills and quest screens are well designed and presented. Shortcut keys and pre-defined buttons are available for just about everything, although the number of options still results in some frantic clicking.
Turbine has clearly made some courageous and innovative decisions in a genre that hasn’t really changed that much over the last few years. Most will be welcome to new players, but online RPG veterans will doubtless question some aspects of the design and debate already rages about whether the changes improve the long-term online experience or not.
Death is a thing of the past, with demised players simply returning to their most recently established Lifestone (complete with all inventory items) minus a little health. It works well enough and, on balance, adds to the experience by removing some frustration and allowing fellowships to last a little longer than the first big battle. Trading posts and stores are also nowhere to be seen, thanks to an inventory system that exchanges items for gold at will, and skills can be trained and untrained at the click of a button.
Fallen Kings is an excellent game in many ways, and it certainly looks much better than anything else available. It’s easily the most accessible RPG of recent years, and most aspects of the interface are nicely done. Even so, experienced players will question the choice to simplify some aspects of the role-playing experience, and it does seem to lack a little atmosphere at times. Like all pay-as-you-go titles, the online community will decide its fate –- but Asheron’s Call 2: Fallen Kings is well worth a look.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012