The eagerly anticipated Throne and Liberty, developed by NCSoft—the creative minds behind Guild Wars and City of Heroes—is set to redefine the landscape of free-to-play fantasy MMOs. Following the success of 2022’s Lost Ark, Amazon Games brings this thrilling title to a global audience on 17th September, with an open beta scheduled for July. This game promises to be an immersive experience, blending exploration and large-scale combat in the dynamic world of Solisium.
Massive-Scale Combat and Dynamic Exploration in Solisium
Throne and Liberty sets itself apart with its focus on massive-scale combat, accommodating thousands of players simultaneously. The game’s environment, Solisium, is a dynamic, open-world setting that encourages players to explore its vast landscapes. This immersive world is designed to evolve based on weather conditions, time of day, and player interactions, ensuring no two gaming sessions are ever the same.
Strategic Gameplay: PvP and PvE Mechanics
The gameplay mechanics of Throne and Liberty are designed to be both challenging and rewarding. Players must make strategic decisions to thrive, whether they prefer PvP (Player vs. Player) or PvE (Player vs. Environment) engagements. The game’s promotional material highlights the importance of adapting one’s strategy to survive and succeed:
“Adapt your fight to survive and thrive through strategic decisions in PvP, PvE, or both as you encounter evolving battlefields impacted by weather, time of day, and other players.”
Players will find themselves navigating through evolving battlefields, aiming to defeat the formidable Kazar and claim the throne while fending off rival guilds.
Road to Release: Open Beta and Full Launch
Throne and Liberty’s journey to release begins this summer with an open beta running from 18th to 23rd July. This beta will be available in regions including Europe, North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Gamers can participate by downloading the Open Beta Test client for Steam, Xbox Series X/S, or PlayStation 5. The open beta is not just a sneak peek but an “opportunity to share feedback and shape the future” of the game.
Following the beta, the game will officially launch on 17th September. This free-to-play MMO will be available on the same platforms and regions as the beta, with full cross-play support. This means players across different platforms can interact and compete with each other, enhancing the community and gaming experience.
Key Features of Throne and Liberty
Throne and Liberty is poised to deliver a unique gaming experience with several standout features:
- Massive Multiplayer Integration: Engage in battles and explorations with thousands of players in real-time.
- Dynamic World: The world of Solisium changes dynamically, influenced by weather, time of day, and player actions.
- Strategic Combat: Adapt and strategize in PvP and PvE battles to survive and thrive.
- Guild System: Form and join guilds to dominate the world, fight for territory, and achieve collective goals.
- Cross-Play Functionality: Enjoy seamless gameplay across PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.
But Still, People Seem Not Happy with Throne and Liberty
One of Reddit user, Kuroyukihime1, just fast-reviewed the experience of playing Throne and Liberty a year ago. He said:
“If you’re looking to play TL right now, just download any other NCsoft mobile game like Lineage M2. They’re practically identical. Or, you could do something far more entertaining than playing TL, like watching NCsoft’s stock plummet.
For those who believe AGS could save the game by removing autoplay, you’re mistaken. The combat is so atrocious that autoplay is the only thing that makes it bearable—or in this case, watchable. It’s so bad that you’ll be relieved you don’t have to play it yourself.
The animations look like they’re straight out of a PS2 game, the optimization is terrible despite running on UE5, and it looks and performs worse than Lost Ark, which runs on UE3. The quests are dull, the atmosphere is lackluster, and the sound design is awful. It feels like an early tech alpha demo of a game that isn’t supposed to be released for another three years or more.
Currently, the game gives off strong Bless Online vibes—a game rebuilt multiple times until the developers ran out of budget and released an unfinished product. On top of that, they’ve shamelessly added heavy monetization and extreme pay-to-win elements. This behavior from NCsoft is absolutely disgraceful, and I hope they face consequences for it, leading to the game’s rapid demise and a significant financial disaster for the company.”
A Youtuber named, Force Gaming, literally said the same about the development and gameplay experience. It seems the newest MMORPG game from Amazon will have a struggle on launch day once again.
Arya Kamandanu