Review: Two Worlds (360)

When faced with Two Worlds its hard not to be affected by all the negative publicity surrounding what seems essentially a broken game.   Its epic vision has proven to be too grand for Reality Pump who instead of stepping back and concentrating on the core principles have thrown everything into the mix in an ill fated attempt to concoct something sustainable and appealing.

What we have here is exactly what Oblivion would be if Bethesda Game Studios had tried to port it to the original Xbox system and botched the task, badly.  Visually Two Worlds is certainly one of least ‘next generation’ titles Gamestyle has experienced since the arrival of the 360.   An energy sapping frame rate, thick fog, glitches galore, glaring omissions and errors that never cease to amaze.   And that’s just the visual element, but the same inexperience (we’re being kind) applies to the game itself, which tries to cover all the rudimentary RPG formulas to such ill effect.

There is much here that has been borrowed from Oblivion but without the same level of workmanship we’d have hoped for.   The menu system is a cluttered mess, with the added bonus of lag from the controller often prompting some bizarre selections as you try to reach that icon on the screen you can clearly see, but not select.   The combat is also extremely poor and is a backwards step from that seen in Knights of the Old Republic.   Slashing seems to be the order of the day if you can line up alongside your target to prompt a halfhearted swipe.   

The sizeable game world is covered in fog when viewing the map mode and this can only be removed as you circumnavigate Two Worlds.  However rather than clear large chunks of this camouflage layer, only where you venture is removed, so if you travel by road its quite clear to see where you have been.   It is poorly judged tool to prompt the player to crisscross almost every inch of the map.  This trekking is made even more unbearable if you decide to travel by horse.   This increases the frequency of loading interruptions, as you travel at greater speed but your beast is perhaps the most stubborn and uncontrollable we’ve ever ridden upon.   What Gamestyle would have given for Epona here, as in Two Worlds horses have the reactions of an elephant and possess the same turning circle.

The landscape is at least well populated however this is mostly with beasts and other animals that seem overtly aggressive.   In fact they’ll chase you across the map until dispatched – or more likely – if you ride into town, sparking a mass riot as the locals wade into combat.   Travelling in the old fashioned sense is therefore tiresome, frustrating and sometimes dangerous.   Reality Pump has wisely included a teleport system, available once you discover and activate the various shrines in new locations.  It is well worth seeking out these shortcuts, as they not only speed up proceedings, but also diminish many of the faults evident in Two Worlds.

As the game tries to do almost everything possible in an RPG it is unfortunate that the storyline is not fully developed, although this seems quite apt.   You take the role of a bounty hunter who is desperately seeking his sister and prompted into a various tasks by a puppet master.   The Dark Brotherhood wishes to piece together an ancient family relic in pursuit of unleashing a great power and you are the errand boy.   At least this is how it should be, but your character grows with stature and confidence as you discover more about your family history.

The voice acting on display is reasonable but it is the clunky exchanges between characters that drives the player away from interacting with inhabitants.  Facilitating such exchanges often can only take place with pinpoint accuracy, as you must stand at a specific point to enable a conversation.   Then the slowness of the communication devalues any knowledge or detail gathered, which is a shame.   If there is one place within Two Worlds package you should not venture, then it is the online mode.  Consisting of nothing more than a collection of poor maps, it is a poor excuse for an online offering.   Not only does it confirm just how slow and pathetic the combat and aiming system is, the slowdown can verge on the horrendous.   A patch is badly needed, although Gamestyle has to question why even offer an online mode implemented this badly?

With the Xbox 360 laying host to several epic Japanese RPG’s of late and the soon to be released Mass Effect.  Two Worlds warrants little attention and deservedly so.   Amidst the range of options, classes and menus, lurks a promising storyline but while the PC market would have lapped up this five years ago, it deserves to be cast into another dimension.

Rating: 3 / 10

Words by Jason Julier