Initial release date: September 26, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, Mac operating systems
Developer: NCSOFT
Composer: Benjamin Wallfisch
Genres: Massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Adventure game, Free To Play, Massively Multiplayer, Adventure
Publishers: NCSOFT, Amazon Games
Series: Lineage
Throne and Liberty is a beautiful game. I’m starting with that because it is the initial impression I had of NCSOFT’s new MMO. On the surface, the draw is obvious. If you’re the type that judges a book by its cover, the opening hour of Throne and Liberty will make you think. From an opening cutscene depicting dueling wizards in a violent battle to the first time you step outside and are greeted by one of the most beautiful skyboxes in the genre, complete with an enormous flying whale, its back bedecked with rock and fauna, it’s enough to pique any fantasy fan’s interest.
However, the facade can only last so long because Throne and Liberty is an MMO, for better or worse, with all of the baggage that comes with the territory. For starters, the plot is a meandering slog through fantasy cliches in a world that looks suspiciously similar to Black Desert Online. You are the Destined One, etc., and you have a unique role that only you can fulfill. You and the other few thousand Destined Ones are racing around town, dominating the vendors. You won’t tire of seeing the character creations, either; Throne and Liberty’s character creator equals BDO’s in terms of complexity.
Regardless of the overall story quality, which suffers from the same localization flaws as other Korean MMOs such as Smilegate’s Lost Ark (which I adored), the tale provides a useful context for what you’re doing. Aside from a few unusual lines of dialogue (several discussions change between voiced and written dialogue, and the subtitles are rarely accurate), it’s simple to follow. I found some of the mission information in the UI to be difficult to read, and as with many MMOS, tasks are thrown at you so quickly that you won’t always be able to keep up. Nor will you always need to, as you can often complete two or three side missions in a single region.
Throne and Liberty features a weapon and skill system similar to New World. You will not select a class, but rather a primary and secondary weapon from a chest in the first village. I chose dual daggers and dual crossbows because I always prefer ranged damage and DPS. Once equipped, you can assign weapon-specific skills to your hotbars, including a defensive skill that functions similarly to a timed parry.
Combat is one of my fave aspects of Throne and Liberty. Clicking attack initiates an auto attack, which you can interrupt with skills and abilities on cooldown, similar to Black Desert Online. The parry window is generous, and the battle is visually appealing; it may be the greatest part because it is such an easy system to grasp early on.
Another great feature is the capacity to morph. Your character’s unique bloodline enables them to morph into animals, eliminating the need for a horse because you can become a massive wolf just by clicking the left stick. You can also transform into an eagle, among other things, to fly throughout the terrain. It’s a little difficult to handle, but it’s entertaining and effective regardless.
As a free-to-play game, Throne and Liberty provides a battle pass loaded primarily with cosmetic goodies, giving you something else to grind for. Solo play will only get you so far, but there are several opportunities to partner up with a Guild or other players, such as the mass-player Siege events.
However, I had some issues with the multiplayer component. It’s where the game suffers the most in terms of performance, and while your character is always centrally on screen, things get hectic quickly as everyone starts firing off their rotations. Organized games with a Guild perform far better than charging in as a rabble, but joining and remaining in a Guild necessitates a significant time commitment.
Handling PvP on a bigger scale distinguishes Throne and Liberty from the herd; nonetheless, Abyss Dungeons, in especially, have an extraction shooter feel at times. You raid them as a group, looking for certain loot drops like in a tiny WoW raid, and hoping you don’t run into another player team. It doesn’t make much sense as a narrative, but few MMOs do.
It will take some time to observe how Throne and Liberty evolves and grows, as it is a massive MMO that is new outside of Korea. It currently has some solid ideas, but the fighting is largely impeding progress. The performance issues and localization aren’t helping, and it doesn’t feel as addicting to me as Black Desert Online did when it first launched in the West. It’s a visually appealing game, though, and the character models and animations help sell the environment. It’s just a shame it doesn’t do enough to set itself out from the competitors.
Review Overview
Gameplay: 78%
Controls: 80%
Aesthetics: 84%
Content: 76%
Accessibility: 79%
Value: 77%
Overall: 79%
GOOD
Summary: “Throne and Liberty” offers a massive open-world MMORPG experience with both large-scale PvP and PvE activities. While the game has great visuals and an immersive universe, the gameplay might become boring after a while. The controls are smooth, but the interface may get overpowering at times, and some of the quest designs feel too typical for the genre. There’s enough of content to appreciate, but the endgame may not provide enough depth to keep players interested in the long run. Overall, “Throne and Liberty” provides a strong but conventional MMORPG experience that will appeal primarily to genre lovers searching for their next adventure.