When Amazon Games first announced New World: Eternalthe “spiritual sequel” to its flagship MMORPG, New World, I think we were all a little confused. Is it a remake? Is it a full sequel? Is it an ARPG overhaul? Why now? Questions, questions, and more questions. As one of the millions of people who tried New World at launch, I was intrigued, especially given its apparent shift to ARPG-style combat; I imagined the New World universe with an injection of Diablo and the fluidity of Lost Ark. I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down at Summer Game Fest to take Aeternum for a spin, but I ultimately came away with more questions than I started with.
Our journey begins as it always did: in the bowels of a dilapidated old ship on its way to the mysterious island of Aeternum. Cutscenes aren’t available in the Summer Game Fest version, so I’m thrust into the character creator and then onto the upper decks. As thunder rumbles and waves continue to crash against the sides of our ship, a barrel explodes in front of me, revealing what I assume was once one of my crewmates, who is walking toward me menacingly, weapon raised. New World: Aeternum throws you right into the action, and I like it.
As I hack my way through my fallen friends, the screen cuts to a cutscene, which is once again obscured. When I wake up, I’m gasping for air as the broken bones of my ship sink around me, fire raging, casting ominous shadows across the dark, mirrored surface of the ocean. After nearly two and a half years of waiting, I watch as our protagonist swims to shore—yes, Amazon’s MMORPG now lets you swim, rejoice! The amber of the flames gives way to a magnificent waterfall, surrounded by emerald plants. Visually, it’s breathtaking—the sun’s rays peek over the mouth of the waterfall, and the water sparkles as it parts around you. New World has always been a beautiful game, but this one really feels like a level-up.
Luckily, my supplies floated ashore, allowing me to equip my very first set of gear. I chose the Musketeer, which, while I won’t say I inspired it, features both of my primary weapons from my early days, so I’ll let you make the connection. Armed with my trusty rapier and musket, the cavern before me takes me on a winding journey through the rock, landing me on a ledge overlooking this strange new world. It’s a throwback to the original tutorial, and it makes me smile; now I’m starting to understand why game director Scot Lane called it a “spiritual sequel” in our exclusive Summer Game Fest interview.
But beyond this quiet space once stood Captain Thrope, the man in charge of the tattered remains of our once-proud ship. I find him hunched over the box Father Russo gave him in New World’s first cutscene, struggling to open it. A mysterious voice whispers in his ear, “You must become something greater. The fountain; drink and accept my gift.”
From there, the boss fight ensues with a greater grandeur than its predecessor. Where Thrope once felt like a boss for the sake of being a boss, he’s now a well-rounded character that I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of. I won’t tell you what happens, don’t worry.
While it’s just the tutorial, it feels like an upgrade over its predecessor. Amazon has championed its new narrative approach, and New World: Aeternum certainly feels like a more cohesive story from the get-go, whereas the original New World felt rushed to get you from point A to point B, which hurt the pacing.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t prefer the original New World ship graveyard to the one in Aeternum. I love the “dead men tell no tales” vibe of Pirates of the Caribbean and would have preferred to see this area revamped rather than completely redesigned. I can’t deny, however, that it’s a much more exciting introduction to the game. Graphically, it’s gorgeous and narratively, it’s much stronger – if I were playing this game for the first time, I’d be in awe.
After my run-in with Thrope, I respawn in the middle of the battle, as our new starting quest giver, Alestrom the Ruined King, shreds a corrupted mariner with a heavy two-handed sword. His personality matches the intensity of his somewhat bewildering stare, and he promptly sends you off on your first quest: skinning wild boars. From here on out, things are pretty normal, until we meet Grace O’Malley.
Grace, the heroine of Fellowship and Fire, New World’s first season, is now the one sending you out to scour shipwrecks for records and loot. In our interview, Lane told me he’d encourage players to replay “just to spend time with Grace,” and I agree that she certainly breathes a little more life into the initial fetch-and-return quests.
This section is also my first real combat experience outside of the tutorials, as I run into a slew of corrupted marines. Having played way too much New World, the combat immediately feels more dynamic, with the transition from rapier to musket almost seamlessly. I take on heavier enemies, sidestepping them, and chipping away at their health bars from a distance. As a player who likes to hit hard and come away unscathed, this is perfect.
It’s worth noting that I played New World: Aeternum on Xbox instead of PC, as only the console versions were available.
But I have to go back to my previous question: why now? While New World has seen a resurgence of interest around Rise of the Angry Earth and various Steam sales, this all feels very sudden. The announcement of Aeternum has led to a barrage of criticism, implying that this overhaul is simply not what hardcore players wanted – especially considering the additional cost of the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion, which is required to play Aeternum.
What I’ve seen of Aeternum feels like the “ultimate version of New World” that Amazon promised, but is it too little, too late? While competitors like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14 have continued to thrive, New World has fallen short. Amazon may have taken a risk in going after a mass audience with this reboot, upsetting its admittedly small core audience in the process, and while the console release will bring an influx of new players, Aeternum has an uphill battle to win back the original’s fans.
New World Aeternum will be released on Tuesday, October 15th, replacing the current version of New World. Much like Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the original New World will cease to exist once Aeternum arrives.
Additionally, as part of the Steam Summer Sale, you can also pick up the Standard Edition for 60% off ($15.99 / £13.19), or get the Elysian Edition, which includes Rise of the Angry Earth, for 43% off ($39.98 / £33.18). If you’re planning on diving into Aeternum, the latter option may be the best.