Throne and Liberty is already making waves in the western gaming market, thanks to its release under Amazon Games. This latest addition to the genre is already proving to be a noteworthy contender, climbing close to the top of Steam’s concurrent player charts during its launch week, despite facing some challenges and mixed reviews from the gaming community. In this article, we will take a deep dive into the success of Throne and Liberty’s launch, its current state, and what sets it apart from other massively multiplayer online games.
The Initial Reception and Player Count
Throne and Liberty is off to a solid start, currently ranking as the sixth most played game on Steam, with an impressive 24-hour peak of 298,100 players, according to SteamDB. The game finds itself in a highly competitive space, sitting behind major titles such as Black Myth: Wukong, Banana, PUBG, and classic favorites like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2.
While these numbers mark a successful launch, it is important to compare this performance with Amazon Games’ other high-profile MMO launches. For instance, Lost Ark reached an astounding 1.3 million concurrent players at its peak in 2022, while New World managed a peak of 914,000 players in 2021. Compared to these previous releases, Throne and Liberty’s initial peak of 326,377 concurrent players might seem modest, but considering the current state of the MMO market, it is an impressive achievement.
Massive-Scale Combat and Dynamic Exploration
Throne and Liberty promises a rich experience with its emphasis on exploration and “massive-scale combat” involving thousands of players at once. Set in a dynamic open world, the game provides players with a vast landscape to explore, filled with different challenges, dungeons, and secrets to uncover. What sets this game apart is its combination of exploration elements and large-scale combat, which brings a sense of unpredictability to every encounter.
The world of Solisium is designed to be immersive and expansive, featuring dynamic weather systems and a day-night cycle that directly impacts gameplay. This means that players have to strategize their actions depending on the environment, giving the game a sense of realism that elevates its immersive qualities.
A Focus on Player vs. Environment (PvE) and Player vs. Player (PvP) Mechanics
One of the standout aspects of Throne and Liberty is its integration of both PvE (Player vs. Environment) and PvP (Player vs. Player) elements. In this hybrid system, players can seamlessly transition between battling fearsome monsters and competing against each other. Players must decide when to cooperate or engage in combat, making for a versatile and engaging experience that caters to various playstyles.
This combination of massive PvP battles and challenging PvE content is one of the main reasons why Throne and Liberty has attracted such a large player base. The promise of “thousands of players at once” participating in battles creates a unique experience that keeps players coming back for more, whether they are solo adventurers or part of larger guilds.
The Mixed Reviews and Technical Issues
Despite its strong start, Throne and Liberty’s launch week has not been without its fair share of issues. The game currently holds a Mixed rating on Steam, as players have voiced concerns regarding various aspects of the game. As with most MMO releases, server stability was a major challenge, with many players experiencing long queues and disconnects during the initial launch days.
Beyond server issues, some players have pointed out more fundamental flaws, such as a perceived lack of depth in the gameplay design. Many have expressed that while the world is expansive and visually stunning, some of the core gameplay elements feel shallow and lack the complexity that seasoned MMO players crave. The combat system, while visually appealing, has also faced criticism for being somewhat repetitive over time, which may hinder long-term player retention.
Another point of contention is the implementation of Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC), which has caused issues for players attempting to play Throne and Liberty on Steam Deck and Linux. While these issues seem to have been temporarily resolved, this has led to frustration among users who prefer these platforms, with many feeling excluded from the game at launch.