Halloween Gaming: Secret World Legends Review
Formally known as The Secret World, Funcom's 2012 MMORPG Secret World Legends takes its turn at changing the over-saturated and often rather repetitive world of massively-multiplayer games.
Fortunately, for the sake of Secret World Legends, it focuses on narrative and player customisation to remain unique through its content.
Typically, the MMO genre is heavily influenced by fantasy elements involving orcs, goblins and medieval-esque environments, whereas Secret World Legends is set in the present; its fantasy elements vary and are inspired by writers like H.P. Lovecraft, using his monstrous creations to tell a narrative that surrounds mystery and conspiracy.
The game offers three factions: Illuminati, Dragon, and Templar. Each faction holds a purpose in PVP modes, and the PvE narrative vastly differs between the factions given each faction approaches the events with different beliefs and actions.
In addition to the factions, there are a plethora of classes that mix up the movement-based combat. You can be a gunslinger and focus on weapons during the combat, or a mage that builds on the use of fire or frost to slowly burn and damage enemies; as always, it's best to play classes that can be of use to any teammates/friends you're playing with.
In regards to the movement-based combat, enemies have varying types of abilities and threats that require the player to constantly move and consider their next approach to the enemy they are fighting; not all enemies have such threats, but many do. It's a nice touch that keeps the player moving and enjoying the variety in the game instead of the traditional stand-still-and-mash-keys approach to combat.
There's a lot to do in Secret World Legends, and it's easy to appreciate its depth in lore with Halloween quickly approaching. It's an MMO that really puts the RPG into MMORPG, ignoring the dried-up traditional MMORPG features and expanding on new concepts.
Secret World Legends is currently free-to-play on the PC via Steam.
