It’s been a few years since the original debuted on PC, but the latest version of Amazon Games’ MMORPG has finally arrived on Xbox. New World: Aeternum is set on the titular island and puts you in the shoes of a shipwrecked explorer who finds themselves drawn into a battle against a malevolent force.
The corrupted scourge are blighting the lands of Aeternum, as undead hordes and supernatural enemies rally against you and the indigenous population. As you may well expect, your first order of business is to create your own hero.
The character designer is pretty detailed, but for the most part you are restricted to various menus of pre-rendered choices. You can apply all sorts of different features such as tattoos and skin highlights which should cover most bases.
Once you’re set, and after a very brief combat tutorial, you’ll be thrown into Aeternum proper. Being an MMO, you’ll share the world with other players and can communicate with the chat box or by busting some emotes. What’s also good is that crossplay is alive and well in New World: Aeternum, so the community is pretty active.
There are loads of quests to tackle, with the main chain gradually guiding you through the narrative campaign. There’s lots to do aside from this too, with plenty of side quests that will take you away from the beaten track for hours at a time.
Aeternum is a wonderful place to be, and actually quite relaxing to explore. There’s a great variety in the environments, with all the usual RPG settings present and correct. Whether it’s lush meadows, battered coastlines or ancient towers, each continent on Aeternum offers something a little different. It’s a good job that the world appeals to the explorer, because the quests themselves are actually pretty repetitive truth be told.
This is especially the case at the beginning, where the structure is very formulaic, the pacing is slow and the quests are short and simple. They fall into either venturing off to kill something, or gathering resources and bringing them back to the quest giver. You’ll be rewarded for persisting as the game opens up, but the truth is things never get that complicated when it comes to what’s required of you.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll be short on stuff to do though, and if you try to complete them all your task list will build quickly. Thankfully, tracking your active quests is nice and simple, and you can have lots on the go at the same time. As well as being marked on your world map, the compass at the top of your screen will provide helpful waypoints to guide you in the right direction.
In New World: Aeternum combat is simple but effective. With just a couple of attacks, a block and a dodge, real time battles never get too complex. The more you use your weapons, the more adept you become with them which is where mastery points come in. These upgrade trees will unlock greater attributes, and special skills which can be used in battle. Thankfully, compared to other MMOs I’ve played, there aren’t huge amounts of patrolling mobs; a lot of the time it’s easy enough to avoid battles if you wish.
One of my favourite aspects is the fluid class system in New World: Aeternum. You need to choose a starter archetype, but you can change pretty much whenever you like. You upgrade your core attributes by using points earned by levelling up, as well as being able to respec your weapons to change your play style.
There is tons of loot up for grabs in New World: Aeternum, and your inventory is automatically split into different categories which is very satisfying, and practical. If you head to the nearest town, you’ll be able to craft all sorts with your raw materials and level up your trade skills as you gain experience. Despite other players being present, you’ll still have access to your own loot drops which can’t be pinched, however you may have to wait a little while for creatures to respawn if you are beaten to the punch.
Something that is often so tricky, is bringing a game as complex as an MMORPG to consoles along with a control scheme that works well. Thankfully, Amazon Games have done a great job of this here, and as a result New World: Aeternum feels right at home on Xbox. It may just take you a little time to familiarise with everything as there’s a lot at your fingertips.
Questing is the quickest way to level up, and this brings me to something else I really like about New World: Aeternum. I’m the type of player who is overwhelmed by games such as RPGs if everything is thrown at me at once. Here however, with every five levels the game gradually opens up further.
For example, you’ll gradually unlock new game modes, the option to purchase houses, the quest needed to acquire your first mount and more as you rise through the ranks. I’m a big fan of this approach as it plays to my logical, completionist playstyle. Of course, if you want to level quicker there will be plenty of players around to offer you a hand, or you’ve a good chance of bumping into someone by chance who will most likely be attempting the same quest as you.
When it comes to looks, I’m a little conflicted with New World: Aeternum. The cut scenes look really good, especially the stylised flashbacks as you are getting the low down on the lore from other key characters. Most of the time as you’re exploring the environments look great too, with some stunning vistas to boot. However, as one example, when you’re chatting to others things can come across as a little jagged with the in game cinematics. This was highlighted by some tree shadows moving across the background incredibly slowly, almost frame by frame to the point where I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.
Otherwise, the action is backed by a pleasingly whimsical score, the voice acting is good and features in pretty much every interaction which is impressive in itself. You can play instruments in New World: Aeternum too, which basically throws you into a rhythm action mini game. You can play to a crowd, earn limited time buffs and collect various pieces of sheet music on your travels too.
Personally, PvE is my favourite way to play and aside from the main questing approach, there are numerous other modes to get stuck into. Expeditions, Raids, Trials and more pit you in various scenarios from going solo to playing alongside 99 other players as you tackle the most fearsome enemies for a chance to earn the best loot. Although a fair few can only be played when you hit the max level (65), you’ll unlock some on the way.
If you’re into PvP, New Word: Aeternum also has you covered. Arenas pit players against each other in 3v3 teams, whilst Outpost Rush raises the steaks by pitting groups of 20 max level players against each other, in a battle to control fortifications and resources. This means the world is in flux, and the PvP offering will keep players coming back for more, as factions constantly battle and jostle for power.
On this same theme, you’ll get the opportunity to join one of three factions by completing a series of quests. Once you’re a member, specific missions will unlock with their own set of rewards which will further aid you on your journey. If you wish, you can switch allegiances once every 60 days too.
Be prepared however because no one wants to be the weak link in a team. Damage, Tank and Healer are the main build choices offered, so my advice would be to shape your character to fulfil one of these roles to best fit into each team. Of course, you can keep an eye on the chat for specific requests from groups getting ready to take on these challenges, and thanks to the archetype system which doesn’t lock you in, it’s entirely possible to play different roles with the same character.
This underpins what I enjoy most about New World: Aeternum. It’s designed to allow you freedom to play how you wish, not forcing you down a specific path. There is plenty of content here too, hundreds of hours in fact, so there’s likely to be something for everyone. This offsets the rinse and repeat gameplay which can creep in, but then something else will come along that provides a welcome, if brief, distraction.
New World: Aeternum successfully makes the jump to Xbox, doing a great job of bringing the MMO experience to your living room. It offers a slew of content in a brilliantly realised world that has enough tricks up its sleeve to keep you hooked, even if it has an air of the familiar to it.
New World: Aeternum Expands to Consoles with Cross-Play Action and Adventure – https://www.thexboxhub.com/new-world-aeternum-expands-to-consoles-with-cross-play-action-and-adventure/
New World: Aeternum is on the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/new-world-aeternum-standard-edition/9NZXV2K8KGJN
