[TGA 2019] NEW WORLD Is An MMO With Monsters, Explosions, And Zombie Conquistadors

Power corrupts. That’s the theme of Amazon Games’ new MMO, New World. It’s a fitting theme, as World of Warcraft has long sat on the MMO throne. Despite waning popularity, WoW still maintains a massive fanbase of slavish thralls willing to purchase whatever new expansion tempts them with the promise of ever shinier loot. It is long since time for a new challenger to take the throne and ultimately corrupt a new generation of youngsters into spending hundreds of hours raiding the other faction’s questing zones. I’m not knocking it, I used to love raiding Southshore.

Set in the fantasy world of Aeternum, New World features a distinctly colonial aesthetic. A place where magic and gunpowder live together, it reminds me of Spiders’ recent Greedfall. The key to power in Aeternum is a substance called Azoth, which many believe to be the source of eternal life. However, this “fountain of youth” also corrupts. The Corrupted sometimes die, sometimes are reborn as zombies, and sometimes are warped into powerful monstrosities. The corrupted aren’t the only thing you have to watch out for, as other factions also have their eye set on the valuable Azoth.

How this all works out in-game is unclear. The New World website has some hints, but no concrete answers. The site states that players will be able to form their own hierarchical companies, but it’s unclear if these will all be under various faction banners. It also states the game will features a mix of melee, ranged, and magic, but whether or not this is constrained to set classes or picked up by leveling is also unclear. Still, one of the featured images is a dude throwing a spear right into a bear, so I’m game.

If you want to experience New World for yourself, the closed beta launches in April of 2020. You can check out their preorder page here for more information on the various editions. As long as I get to gank noobs, I’m happy.