There is a ton of MMORPGs out there and as a big fan of this game genre, I've tried quite a lot of them.
Today I would like to tell you about my experience with "Secret World Legends" (hereinafter SWL), previously known as "The Secret World" (TSW) - an online game by Funcom. They have been also known for releasing such iconic games as "The Longest Journey", "Age of Conan", "Anarchy Online" and many others. Their latest project, "Conan Exiles", is an open world survival video game which I'm also going to try eventually.
For those of you who haven't been following, TSW has been recently re-launched as SWL. Main reasons for that/main goals TSW Team had set, in a nutshell:
Today I would like to tell you about my experience with "Secret World Legends" (hereinafter SWL), previously known as "The Secret World" (TSW) - an online game by Funcom. They have been also known for releasing such iconic games as "The Longest Journey", "Age of Conan", "Anarchy Online" and many others. Their latest project, "Conan Exiles", is an open world survival video game which I'm also going to try eventually.
I've been with TSW since its Beta and further launch. So many good memories!
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| My 1st TSW Beta Invite! |
For those of you who haven't been following, TSW has been recently re-launched as SWL. Main reasons for that/main goals TSW Team had set, in a nutshell:
- make the game more attractive to new and old players. They have revamped combat, updated graphics slightly (the game is still using a custom "Dream World" engine built by Funcom which is a bit outdated to be honest so putting the graphics on par with 2017 standards isn't an easy task), revised the skill system making it more understandable to newcomers, removed a bit complicated crafting system from the game and replaced it with a brand new "upgrade" system instead. UI has been improved greatly!
Those changes make sense because, in my opinion, the aforementioned "issues" prevented new players from enjoying the game. The players would often find it difficult to actually figure out how to play. Last, but not least, they facelifted game locations which look so much better, "refreshed" and realistic now.
Look at the new skill icons as well as weapon "spenders" 
Cross that bridge ahead and you'll encounter a very unfriendly spectre! - make it affordable for players. Since it's 100% free to play without any "hidden" tricks, you can literally obtain 100% of game content without spending a penny. It was not the case previously and one had to spend some bucks on the game itself, its DLCs and subscription in order to fully enjoy it.
- Mature. The game is for 18+ and I personally think its player base is mostly 25+. This explains why you are unlikely to encounter infantile behavior among players as well as rage, curses, scam and many other downsides of the games whose actual player base consists of teenagers and kids.
Girls talking - Atmospheric. What people really love about TSW/SWL is its atmosphere. Stunning views of real world places, creepy atmosphere, unbelievably realistic and scary monsters from your most terrifying nightmares: half-eaten corpses, the undead, zombies, vampires, werewolves, scarecrows with chainsaws and shotguns, enraged spectres and malevolent spirits, you name it! You will see them all and encounter them all and, hopefully, defeat them too!
Spectre 
Streets of post-apocalyptic England
Creepy, isn't it?
Zombies enjoying their "meal"
- Modern world setup. For those of you who are a bit tired of all those goblins, elves, dwarves and orcs, swords, armor, magic and medieval game setup as a whole SWL has got something different to offer! How about shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, claws, hammers, swords, blood & elemental magic (yeah, it's still there)? When it comes to protection, you don't need armor, you use talismans and rings instead which increase your m.def/p.def. Also, when I say "Modern world" I mean cell phones, Internet, computers and hacking, cars, bikes, tanks, helicopters, hover boards and much more!
Hope lost? I don't think so! - Unique questing system. Quests in TSW aren't only about "Go kill 30 mobs A, 50 mobs B and collect 100 items C. Most of the tasks NPCs give you are meaningful. You don't just go doomed to be mindlessly killing mobs and waiting for the counter to get to 30/30 or 100/100. They may ask you to assemble a flame-thrower, test hand-made explosives, restore surveillance system, hack the security system and retrieve important data from a mainframe! Believe it or not but SWL is the only game where my brain literally melted while I was learning Morse code or figuring out music notation in order to finish a quest or listening to music and then had to reproduce it with 100% accuracy! Search the Bible to find a key to enter an electronically-locked basement! God, I could shower you with more examples but this would turn this quick review into a mammoth manuscript. It's just the tip of the iceberg. SWL is not only about your mouse-click skills but also your wits which define whether or not you will be able to unravel all of its secrets and proceed further into the game!
One of the bosses. Shall I approach IT? - Roleplay-friendly. Yeah, you've heard it right, if you are one of those weirdos who love roleplaying SWL is just for you! More than 4k (four thousand) clothing pieces to your liking, pets and mounts which allow you to ride in style! No boring armors, wear what you want, look how you want to look, be yourself!
One of those numerous mounts - the Ghost Bike
As a grown-up who has family and business to run, I don't have that much time for grinding as I used to have earlier (lol, those were the days!). Instead, I want to be able to log in to the game, spend a few hours relaxing and enjoying the content. In order to complete the storyline I don't want (and I actually don't have to) spend a gazillion of hours monthly in SWL. What I actually can do is use my wits to solve puzzles and my cabal (that's what a "guild" is called in this game) to run dungeons and stuff. Worry not, if you don't have a cabal, you can still do dungeons and raids using a dungeon/raid randomizer and get additional rewards for doing it!
Epilogue.
SWL is all about story, atmosphere and questing. It will bring you hundreds of hours of excitement, fun, breathtaking moments and sometimes depression (when you aren't able to do investigation missions at the first attempt:-)) as the storyline unfolds before your eyes. You ought to try it!
PS: Were you afraid of the Boogeyman when you were small? Well, you can kick his ass now!
I'll see you in the game, sweetlings!©
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| How about Tron-themed outfit with Terminator shades? Oh, and that floating drone is my pet! |
Epilogue.
SWL is all about story, atmosphere and questing. It will bring you hundreds of hours of excitement, fun, breathtaking moments and sometimes depression (when you aren't able to do investigation missions at the first attempt:-)) as the storyline unfolds before your eyes. You ought to try it!
PS: Were you afraid of the Boogeyman when you were small? Well, you can kick his ass now!
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| Mr Boogeyman |
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