Two Worlds II
Platforms: Xbox 360 [Played], PlayStation 3, PC [Reviewed]
Developer: Reality Pump
Publisher: Topware Interactive & Southpeak

It was William Shakespeare’s Juliet that once said, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” That quote you could say applies to the first Two Worlds — only replace “as sweet” with “like shit.” No matter what you called the first game, it is and will always be one of the worst RPGs ever made. However, we won’t waste our time on the unpleasantness of the first game — that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to talk about Two Worlds II, sequel to one of the greatest RPG disasters ever known to gamers.

The Two Worlds series, by some remarkable stroke of luck, was given a second chance, and it does not squander its gift from the video game gods. Two Worlds II greatly improves upon what its predecessor tried to do back in 2007. Some might wonder why the game was even given a second chance, but for fans of the first game–such as myself–we’re glad that it did. Everyone and everything deserves a second chance, and Two Worlds II was lucky enough to have received one.

Two Worlds II is a Role Playing Game that follows your character who is trying to thwart the evil of Gandohar and save his sister who is being used by aforementioned villain for his own evil gains. Along the way, he will face many adversaries, make friends, gain reputation amongst guilds, and go on many quests in order to do just that. Sounds just like an RPG, right? Well, as we have already told you, that’s just what Two Worlds II is. While it might not be the most ground breaking RPG out there, and some will argue that it’s not a “great” game compared to the other hit RPGs — you can’t help but find that special spot in your heart for it.

Two Worlds II gets it right this time around, and instead of dropping players into the game with no sense of direction or any clue as to what to do — you’ll be guided through the first hour with tutorials and all that wonderful how-to stuff. Although, at some points you’ll find yourself wishing the tutorials would just end. While it does give you the “how-to,” they drag it on for a bit longer than you might like. Once you get past that hurdle though, it’s clear sailing from there. However, Two Worlds II seems like it would rather be safe than sorry this time around. Then again, that first hour of just about any RPG seems to be the least fun in the whole game. Need I remind you of the dreaded sewers in beginning of Oblivion?

The game offers gamers a decent storyline that’s worth following, and while at some points you might not like it, or think it goes stale — it pulls you right back in when you least expect it. While story is key in a game like this, it’s not one that you’re going to be able to easily dismiss. Early on you’ll find your self gripped by what’s happening in the game around you, and by the end of the game — you’ll be thankful you kept going.

While some of you out there might be discouraged to try the game because of the atrocities of the first game, you won’t be let down the same way this time around. The game redeems itself and is everything gamers wanted the first game to be.

What You’ll Like

A Great Deal of Content: Two Worlds II offers a great deal of content not only with it’s single-player, but it’s multiplayer as well. It’s well worth it’s weight in auras (in game currency). Single-player offers a plethora of different quests to keep you busy. Players who do the side-quests not related to main plot will find they will spend a great deal of time doing so. I personally spent about 15 hours doing just side quests and barely scratched the surface of Chapter I before I hit level 20.

It’s easy to keep the game going if you stick to the side quests. Naturally, the more you progress in the game’s main quest, the more side quests you’ll be able to do as well. Aside from all the questing, there is other stuff that might keep your interest. Customizing and creating a badass character is one thing. While we won’t get into it here, it’s easy to dump a great deal of time into making your character perfect. Aside from everything we just mentioned, the game has several different mini-games to try out. There is a fairly interesting music game that mimics Guitar Hero in a way, and a few dice games as well. Each of those has the potential to make you some extra in-game currency.

Two Worlds II has plenty of content in single-player to keep you occupied, but the multiplayer offers even more to further your playing experience. It seems like the game just doesn’t want you to stop playing. You can easily invest several dozen hours in both the single-player and multiplayer. The multiplayer offers several different modes and you’ll also need to start a new character. Once again, you’ll go through the build up and customization of your character in multiplayer.  The cooperative mode, or “Adventure Mode” is definitely a great way to spend your time online. Although, it can be a bit linear from time to time, it’s still a lot of fun.

If you’re tired of questing and want to challenge random people or some of your friends, the game offers several different PVP modes. Although we’ll talk about how we felt about those later on. You can participate in a Deathmatch with several other players or Crystal Capture. If you want to go one on one and fight for bragging rights amongst friends or enemies, you can do so in Duel mode. If you don’t want do to either, you can try out village mode. In village mode, your goal is to build, protect, and watch as your village prospers. It’s pretty straightforward, but you can definitely sink a lot of time into it if you’re dedicated to the cause.

For all those who complain about a game being “too short,” or not having enough content, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that with Two Worlds II. That’s provided you’re willing to put your personal bias towards other RPGs aside and actually give this one a chance.

Character Customization: Want to be a mage? How about a warrior type who gets all up in his enemies faces? What about an archer? How about being all three?! The character customization in Two Worlds II is rich and full of possibilities. We’re not just talking about the basic customization of your looks, but everything about your character. His look, stats, style, everything! While this is typical for an RPG, in Two Worlds II, you’re given carte blanche to create the character you want to create. You’re not limited to just once class of character here either.

In the game you’re given three different “weapons sets” of which you can choose between during battle, or any other time that you want to–you can have your mage, archer, or warrior. You’ll be able to play the game and handle any situation as you see fit. Personally, I have my weapon sets as a knight, mage, and an archer, the ability to switch between them in battle has proven to valuable time and time again. This feature and character customization is just one of the many improvements that this game makes over its predecessor.

It gives you freedom to explore all the different styles of play that RPGs offer — all without having to create several different characters to do so. However, you’re going to want to be wise about how you level up your skills.

Combat System: Easy, simple, and quick to pick up and play. The combat in the game isn’t too complex and offers players with a few different ways to play. One of those styles is  just simple hack and slash. While some might argue the hack and slash combat gets repetitive, it’s tried and true, and above all else — it works. Although, there seems to be an emphasis on blocking enemy attacks. They’ll also block you right back. You’ll be able to counter with devastating force or use abilities to break blocks and leave your enemies open. However, the hack and slash isn’t the only way to play.

You could always take the route of being an archer type. The archers have their advantages, but have some disadvantages as well. Then again, you can expect that from any style of play. As an archer, you’ll have the luxury of ranged attacks. There are several different kinds of arrows you can unlock and acquire throughout playing the game. They all work differently against the different foes you may encounter. Although, using A distraction arrow gives the archers an edge and allow them to unload on their enemies as they are mesmerized by the distraction. Going this route takes away the “hack and slash” element. However, you might still need to use it from time to time on certain enemies.

As you level up, you’ll be able to unlock and use new abilities that help you in situations that might feel overwhelming. The more you level your skills, the more dangerous of an adversary you will become — regardless if you go the route of an archer, mage, or a good old hack and slash warrior. Just be sure to unlock the appropriate skills to your specific play style. If you’re the kind of person who likes to play with magic, the new magic/spell system might be right up your alley.

Magic/Spell System: Two Worlds II puts a vast array of magic spells at your fingertips in a new, and quite ambitious, spell creation system. If you’re the kind of person who likes to play a mage, this will be right up your alley. You’ll be able to create a boatload of diverse spells, all of which produce a different effect. Want to summon monsters? No problem. Want to create a tornado of dead bodies to take out your enemies? Not a problem either. The potential is limitless.

You’ll take spell cards and combine them with different spell templates. As we stated, each will do something different. Finding the cards that you desire, though, might be the only problem. You can usually find them from random citizens scattered across the different towns. The only thing holding you back from creating what you want is your own creativity and imagination. However, half the fun of this new spell system is trying out some of the stuff you create. If it sucks, just go back to the drawing board and try again.

When casting spells, you’ll have to sit through an incantation chant. You can easily reduce to incantation time by upgrading you abilities and finding items and wears that also work towards that advantage. Overall, the magic system is a lot better than the first game.

Characters and Dialogue: Vastly improved from the first game, you’ll actually find yourself enjoying the characters and dialogue this time around. You won’t hear any lame attempts at old English or any stale voice acting in this game, and when you do — you’ll be pleased with how the main character handles it. Each character you encounter along the way seems to have something unique about them that will intrigue you. Everyone you encounter through your traversal of Antaloor will elicit some form of a response from you.

Beautiful Environments: Two Worlds II puts you in some beautiful looking environments and takes full advantage of the new GRACE engine. Whether it be a desert, a field, one of the cities, or villages you go to — you’ll notice Antaloor is a beautiful world worthy of exploration. I sometimes found myself stopping and just looking around at the lay of the land.

Online Co-Op: The online co-op is fantastic. It’s fun to play with one friend or multiple friends online. You’re given a few different quests you can complete, and each quest’s length will vary depending on your level and the amount of people in your party. We noticed the later quests are the longest. Although, I did only play with one other person online, so that might have had something to do with it. Whatever the case, you’ll probably spend a decent amount of your online experience playing co-op.

What You Might Not Like

Huge section of the map is multiplayer only: If you look at the map for the game, you’ll notice a huge land mass. Many will be eager to reach it in the single-player, but will be disappointed when they learn it’s multiplayer only. It’s a fairly large section of the map too. It’s significantly bigger than the parts of the world you’ll be able to reach in singleplayer. While it might be incentive for you to dabble in the multiplayer, it’s going to disappoint a lot of people.

PVP gametypes: The PVP mode online is alright, but it’s nothing special. On the console versions, unless you create your own game, it’s easy to get mismatched against players of a higher level. Whenever I jumped into a game, it seemed to match me against higher levels and I was dead with one hit. It was a little unfair. After I had my ass handed to me over and over again, I decided to create my own matches. While the playing field was a bit more level, the deathmatch itself seemed kind of generic and it was difficult to find large groups of people to play with. If you’re going to play online, you might want to just stick to Village or Adventure.

The Little Things: While Two Worlds II improves upon the flaws of the previous game, it’s not without its own. Little things like menu navigation and presentation might bother you a little. Selling multiples of the same items to merchants can often be a pain in the ass too. It’s nothing that breaks the game or makes it unplayable, it’s just tedious and might get frustrating when trying to sell off multiple items. You can easily remedy the situation by turning off item confirmation, but you’re eventually going to make a mistake and sell off the wrong items.

Overall, Two Worlds II is a pretty solid game that is definitely worth your time. It’s a game that any RPG fan can appreciate, but even those who aren’t so fond of RPGs can pick it up, play it, and above all else — enjoy it. While it may not have the greatest story known to mankind, it more than makes up for it in everything else that it has to offer. From the wealth of quests and content, to online multiplayer, Two Worlds II brings it all and doesn’t either disappoint, nor does it squander its second chance.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5