Helm’s Hold looks like a nice place, but there’s some bad juju going on inside.
It’s been a year since we last heard from Neverwinter, when big changes at Cryptic led to the game being converted into a full-on MMO and, naturally, a lengthy delay. But work is progressing, and Perfect World lifted the veil on a new trailer yesterday at New York Comic Con that takes a look at some of the shenanigans going on inside the ancient fortified temple of Helm’s Hold.
It all seems very hack-and-slashy and I’m not sure how I feel about the “Unstoppable” pop-up in a D&D context – although I suppose it’s better than “Wicked Sick” – but it does fit the game’s description in the FAQ as an “action MMORPG.” The FAQ also promises that Neverwinter will offer “classic roleplaying,” but while I’m keeping my fingers crossed I’m not going to hold my breath.
We’ve also got a pile of new screens to look at, including a couple shots of the Foundry, the in-game editor that players can use to create and share content, and that may ultimately prove the best hope for a “real” roleplaying experience. They’re nice enough, if completely generic, but I suppose that’s just about inevitable when you’re in the fantasy MMO business.
Neverwinter is currently scheduled to launch in the final quarter of 2012, but given that we’re in the final quarter of 2012 and the closed beta hasn’t even started yet, I would expect that to change at some point. You can register for the beta and learn more about the game at playneverwinter.com.
