Sword2 News & Events & Guides

Today online game publisher K2 Network announced the open beta for Sword of the New World: Granado Espada is now live. A persistent role-playing game, SotNW puts players in charge of three characters simultaneously with the Multiple Character Control system as they explore medieval Europe.

Interested parties can sign up for the beta over at the game's official Site and start playing right away. But hurry -- the beta is only open until early July.
Sword of the New World is developed by imcGAMES, makers of Ragnarok Online. The proper game is scheduled for release on July 10.

One thing's for sure--Sword of the New World: Granado Espada won't waste anybody's time. This new massively multiplayer online game from Korean developer K2 Network is all about grinding away at killing monsters and gaining levels from the very moment that it begins. Despite interesting design twists and an offbeat storyline blending swords and sorcery with the colonization of a fantasy-tinged new world, the game collapses under the sheer weight of its monotonous gameplay.

Story and setting are arguably the most intriguing lures, and certainly what makes the Sword of the New World Vis  game stand out the most from the MMO crowd in the beginning (that and the innovative pricing model that scraps monthly subscriptions for a Free2Play system bolstered with cash shops for in-game items). The plot mashes together a number of historical themes to create a unique whole featuring elements of the age of discovery, medieval fantasy, and foppish Victoriana. Added elements like a budding civil war between Royalist and Republican factions and a religious feud between the mainstream church and the new faith of Solioto even establish something of a real-world political backdrop. Still, K2 doesn't make the most out of this setting. The politics aren't pronounced enough to have much of an impact on your actions, and might as well not really even be there in the first 20 levels or so. Also, window-dressing NPCs and weird translation issues make your dealings with people a bit surreal. Typos are common, as are NPCs who respond to conversation attempts with apropos-of-nothing retorts like "Sounds good!" or pure nonsense such as "These good chances are not always like this(snw vis)!"