With the game’s closure fast approaching, New World‘s players are scrambling to look for a new home. While rogue servers offer a glimmer of hope, they can’t replace an actively developed game.
One title I’ve seen floated as a potential New World replacement is ArcheAge Chronicles, so while I never played the original ArcheAge, I was keen to try out AAC‘s recent Steam NextFest demo. It’s certainly not an exact replacement for New World, but I did find it shares some similar DNA.
Unlike New World‘s classless system or the original ArcheAge‘s multiclassing, AAC uses a more traditional class system with four options currently available: Berserker, Mage, Ranger, and Warrior. Each class is currently gender and race-locked; the devs have recently confirmed that the gender locks will ultimately be removed, but I’m not sure the same is true for the race locks. Right now Mages are Elves, Berserkers appear to be some kind of Orc or half-giant (a proper ArcheAge fan can probably clarify in the comments), and the rest are humans.
Four classes might seem like a very small number, but it’s not as limiting as it sounds. Every class will eventually get access to three weapons each (two each available in the demo), and the weapons all have completely different move sets and combat roles, so it’s more like twelve classes in actuality. I’d still like more weapons/classes eventually, but this isn’t a bad start. There is also weapon-swapping, so you can toggle between two “classes” as you wish.
AAC doesn’t use hotbar abilities but instead relies on precisely timed input combos of the sort I’m very bad at, but I was still able to muddle along okay-ish. Some classes, like Mage, were more forgiving than others, so there seems to be some flexibility if you’re not into super complex combo play.
I started out as a Ranger because I wanted to see if archery felt as good as it does in New World. Long story short, no, not even close. On paper the mechanics are similar, but in practice aiming charged shots felt very janky, and it completely lacked the realism and precision of New World‘s ranged play.
I then briefly tried out the other classes. While I didn’t like the “Hulk smash” aesthetic of the Berserker at all, its mechanics are decent and the closest thing to New World‘s gameplay I found. Its axe and shield set up allows you to get into the same block and strike weaving you do in New World, and it has a very satisfying combo wherein you can knock back enemies with a battle cry after blocking, opening them up for a powerful follow-up strike.
I ultimately spent the most time playing a Mage, though. Their staff weapon has an interesting mechanic where you cast different spells based on how long you hold down the attack input. There’s a risk/reward calculation, as you’ll be interrupted if you get hit mid-cast, but if you finish the full channel you can unleash some really devastating attacks. Meanwhile their other weapon in the demo, a curved greatsword, offers a tanky battle mage playstyle with a completely different feel. Being able to do both on the same character was quite neat.
However, the combat has a long way to go if it’s to equal New World‘s quality. Even putting aside my struggles with combo play, the animations in AAC feel floaty and unnatural, and the sound design is well below the level of quality New World offered. To be fair, though, nothing really equals New World on those fronts.
Another thing I didn’t like is that this is one of those games where everything you do, including basic attacks, costs stamina. I know that’s not uncommon for this kind of Soulslike combat, but it never feels right to me. Needing to just walk away for a moment mid-fight so your stamina can regen feels so unnatural.
The plot seemed pretty incomprehensible. I assume it might make sense if you played the original ArcheAge. All I got out of it was that my character had amnesia and was on a quest to regain their memories. Sigh.
The story seemed to be a pretty small part of the game, though. Mostly the demo just involved exploring, with quests often being automatically granted as you encounter points of interest. At one point I talked to an NPC that told me there was a pirate lurking in a nearby cave, and when I arrived, the quest to slay the pirate appeared. It’s not that much different from just getting a quest normally, but the fact nothing told me to talk to the NPC or move in that direction made it feel more organic in a way I appreciate.
I like this way of approaching content, but I wish it was also paired with a stronger narrative throughline. I’d like a balance of the purpose of a main quest while also being rewarded for stepping off the beaten path. I also found that the points of interest in the demo were all crammed a bit too close together. You don’t want too much wandering empty space, but it also removes a bit of the sense of exploration when you know you’re going to find something around literally every corner.
If you get tired of hoofing it, you can also uses gliders to help you get around, and there’s plenty of meaningful rewards for your exploration. Skill points for your weapons are earned by defeating mini-bosses, and there’s also cosmetics up for grabs. Like in The Secret World, stat gear is separate from what your character visibly wears, so you can freely dress as you choose.
Aesthetically, the world design is a real strength of ArcheAge Chronicles and probably the area where it feels closest to New World. The graphics are very pretty, but in a detailed and realistic way that doesn’t have the over-polished look a lot of Korean games can have. Grass parts as you move, birds chirp in the distance, it’s very immersive.
While I didn’t get very far into the lifeskilling in the demo, it does seem to be an important part of the game, and like New World the world is brimming with bushes to harvest and trees to chop (though, again, the sound design isn’t as satisfying).
World PvP is an option in AAC, but it’s purely opt-in. It’s another game that uses separate instances of the world, and you have to deliberately choose to join a PvP instance to be at any risk of being ganked.
I can see potential in ArcheAge Chronicles, but the demo showed a game that’s still in a very rough state. Aside from the various points of criticism mentioned above, the demo featured a severe lack of polish. The voice acting is still all in Korean (with subtitles), and bugs are plentiful.
The most dramatic I encountered was with character creation. It has a lot of options, but most of them didn’t seem to do anything, and then when I zoned in my character bore little resemblance to what I’d made on the character creation screen. I suspect what happened is that all those sliders I fiddled with that didn’t seem to do anything actually did do something, but the character creator just wasn’t showing it.
I think ArcheAge Chronicles is worth keeping an eye on, but it has a long way to go before it would earn my unvarnished recommendation. In terms of being a replacement for New World, I think it’s the closest I’ve seen anything come so far, but I also have to say that’s a low bar to clear. New World really is one of a kind.
