Amazon’s New World is a major game that is coming out later this year but there is not much that we know about it. The devs would have us believe that the game is going to depend on player skill a lot and that is a good thing. Here are some new details that we have about the game.
Amazon’s New World Details
Powered By The Cloud
New World is a game by Amazon so it makes sense that the game is going to use Amazon Web Services. The following is what Game Director Scot Lane had to say regarding the matter:
“We made New World thinking, ‘What could we do in the MMO genre, and what could Amazon do?’ We have the power of the cloud thanks to Amazon Web Services, so we can push things in ways they haven’t been pushed before. We thought it’d be cool to take action-RPG combat, put it at scale, and see what happens.”
Combat That Is Different
Combat is a major part of the MMORPG experience but New World seems to be different. It does not revolve around clicking on things and waiting for cooldowns to refresh. Character models and weapons have been set up to respond to animation-based hit volumes. The following is what Head of Player Experience, David Verfaillie had to say regarding the combat in New World:
“From day one we wanted to do action-based combat, do combat that’s different. We will be working on combat from here until the game stops, hopefully in ten-plus years’ time.”
The combat feels like a simplified version of Darksouls. Inspiration or influence is there. You have a stamina bar, light and heavy attacks. You can even block and dodge. Game Director Scot Lane goes on to mention the following:
“Your position and physics matter in-game, to you and the world and other players. And that creates a tension that you don’t see in other games like this because you have to stay on your toes.”
The game depends on the skill of the player. Lane explained that a QA tester that knew about the mechanics of the game was able to beat real players 10 levels above him with no equipment at all. The following is what he had to say regarding the matter:
“When someone – regardless of equipment – could trounce us on the floor, it showed us this really is a skill-based game. A lot of MMO players aren’t familiar with staggering, or block-breaking, or other things you’ll see referred to in fighting games, and we’re trying to teach MMO players that as fast as possible.”
No Class System
Amazon’s New World is not going to have a class system. There is a weapons system that has magic imbued into its core. The following is what Studio head Richard Lawrence had to say regarding the matter:
“It’s a conscious decision to go after a low fantasy. The way magic exists in New World is really physical. We don’t have traditional spells, everything is worked through weapons being classless. We’ve really tried to make magic feel more substantial than ethereal.”
The Golden Age of Exploration
The game is set during the golden age of exploration. The following is what Lawrence had to say regarding the matter:
“In terms of technology and advancement for humans in general, there was a lot going on. It’s one of those unique periods of time that saw lots of different technologies intersect. There were gunpowder guns, swords and shields and other more esoteric weapons all in play at the same time. That makes for a very advantageous gameplay setting – it had nothing to do with the idea of colonialism.”
Amazon Game Studios does have a lot of talent. People working on New World have worked on other games such as Planetside, Star Wars Galaxies, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Killer Instinct, Destiny and World Of Warcraft. So the skill requirement is there. It will be interesting to see what New World is going to be like when it comes out in August 2020.