I’ve been playing Throne and Liberty for a few days, the promising Korean free-to-play MMORPG that will arrive in Western lands by Amazon Games in a clear attempt to replicate the success that the latter had in 2021 with the adaptation of Lost Ark. If you are reading these lines, you may already be somewhat familiar with the title; either through the original NCSoft servers or through the betas that have been held in recent months for this release. Otherwise, you should know that the game in question takes us to the world of magic and fantasy of Solisium, with the variety of PvEvP content that you would normally expect from this kind of releases; as well as a more than notable technical section and all the comforts that developers with established experience in the genre can provide.
One of these novelties has to do with the general control of the game: you have a “classic” camera — that is, you use the left and right click to move and change perspective— and another “action” camera more aligned with RPGs with enemy lock-on (e.g. Elden Ring, New World) in which you move automatically in the direction you point with the cursor, which is also used to target enemies in combat or interact with the world.
Personally, I find the classic control of MMORPGs more comfortable because at this point one has their head configured in a certain way after many years of WoW, FF XIV, or GW2; but the alternative is attractive enough for me to switch between one option and another at times (which is done with a simple key assignment). A similar philosophy has been transferred to the combat system as well, combining a bit of both worlds.
Each weapon has its own blocking mechanic, and you can switch between two archetypes.
Combining MMO with action RPG
Notably, Throne and Liberty has a certain arsenal of weapons, each with its own list of skills and its own blocking mechanic; the latter serving as a parry. In turn, this is quite intertwined almost like a QTE in the traditional combat system of MMORPGs, adding another layer of depth above your rotation.
In cases like this, you have to see memorable dungeon fights to be completely convinced
It looks like something secondary most of the time, but in some cases it is better implemented: for example, every time you awaken a mandrake, it jumps violently from the ground forcing you to counterattack to defend yourself. Is it a revolutionary novelty? You can be sure that it is not, but it is clear to me that in Korea they are interested in giving a little something extra to the traditional formula of the genre and it has turned out somewhat interesting at least which in my humble opinion, is worth trying (because it is free, especially).
In many ways, the experiment feels a bit like that time when Final Fantasy made every imaginable effort to inject some action into its turns; it’s not bad, nor is it a big deal. Just a new tool that developers work with and sometimes it turns out better or worse. As I said, for now I like the combat in Throne and Liberty; but in cases like this, you have to see memorable dungeon fights to be completely convinced: time will tell.
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