Developed by Amazon Games, the upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game called New World is about to release. Like a lot of people, I’ve been hotly anticipating Amazon‘s New World, one of the first truly big name new MMOs we’ve seen in a while, so I was quite excited to play it. Now let's talk about the first impression of New World.My impressions of New World are:1. Art StyleVery conquistadors/pirates of the caribbean vibes.Stands out just for being different from the usual medieval fantasy crowd.Personally prefer the medieval fantasy aesthetic, but actually ended up really liking NW's aesthetic whilst having reservations/lack of interest before playing.Intro cinematic is cool, but nothing hugely memorable or technically mindblowing.2. Graphics & PerformanceThe game looks great and is also running great for me on a 5 year old pc that's nothing special.I was getting 30fps consistently in all areas on "high" settings - no crashes/bugs etc.Had some "teleporting" type bugs when moving sometimes, but that's most likely due to server lags caused by huge numbers of people crowding during the beta.The engine does foliage really well and natural objects/environments look great.Well, Aeternum is gorgeous. Lush, vibrant plant life covers the island, creating woods and glades that are wilder and more alive than anything else I’ve seen in a video game. The soundtrack is also lovely. New World is a feast for the senses.3. Character CreationOnly one body type per gender.Only one race.Selection of facial presets, but no customization options.Disability-friendly facial options are available e.g. birthmarks, vitiligo.Good selection of hairstyles and rendered decently without thick hair looking blocky or strands of hair/curly or wavy hair looking "wiry"Very good selection of facial hairstyles.4. Story/QuestingSame generic MMORPG quests of gather 10 boar tusks etc.All quest dialogue so far seems to be voice acted, and voice acted pretty well.The idea of aeternum being a supernatural island where the normal laws of nature don't apply is pretty cool but will need to see more of the story to assess how it's implemented over time.5. Gameplaysimple, fun gathering/crafting system.standard gear slots.Has stamina and mana power systems. (New World Powerleveling is necessary )Animations are good and the movement/smoothness feels very good, especially compared to other MMORPGs.However, combat was very meh for me personally.3 skills per weapon and 2 weapons can be alternately swapped in combatAn additional basic attack, strong basic attack (by holding basic attack button), dodge roll, and block.Way too simple and doesn't have any depth, from initial impressions.Would've preferred the addition of standard action mechanics e.g. parrying,However, I think what really makes New World shine is the combat. New World's combat is as far above other “action combat” games as they are above tab target titles. It’s difficult to describe how New World‘s combat feels in this format, but it all comes together to form a system that’s easy to learn, but hard to master; challenging, but not frustrating; engaging, but not exhausting.6. SummaryAs you can see, New World still has a lot of issues, and pushing back the launch date was very clearly the right choice. Even so, the beta has made me very interested in this game and I am now tantalized enough to buy it. So I think New World is really worth playing!
