Funcom’s Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is a game that has its eyes on revolutionizing much of the dulldrum state of MMO games. Aside from being the first MMO tailored specifically to a more mature audience (17+) with an M rating, Age of Conan introduces many game play concepts that make it exciting to log-in and adventure. The basic formula for most current massively multiplayer online (MMO) games is as simple as walk, target, auto attack, click for special move or two, loot, and repeat. For the past 4 years, this formula has been sufficient enough to fuel the MMO gaming community through games like World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures puts that formula to shame by introducing game play mechanics that, up until now, have been seen only in console games like God of War and, more surprisingly, mortal combat.

Gameplay

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is set 10,000 years in the past during a dark time of conflict. You start the game as one of hundreds of slaves on a ship that crashes off the coast of an island named Tortage. Being the only survivor, you begin your adventures with only the slave clothes off your back, and some broken parts of the crashed ship as weapons.

As the game begins, you are given the option of choosing from 3 races (each with their preference of physical or magical combat) and classes split up into the Rogue, Soldier, Mage, and Priest archetypes. Funcom put in an extra effort to make classes that go beyond the standard healer/tank/mage combo. Although there are some standard classes in each archetype, many of the classes offer a fresh take on game play. The guardian (the standard heavy armor and shield wielding tank class), the conqueror (a two-hand or dual-weapon wielder that provides combat boosts to the group), and the dark templar (a heavy armor and shield wielding sorcerer) make up the soldiers. The rogue archetype consists of the assassin (a dual-dagger and crossbow wielding damage dealer that can sneak past enemies), the ranger (ranged weapon specialist and the only class that can combo with ranged weapons), and the barbarian (a lightly armored – damage dealing melee specialist). The priest of Mitra (the epitome of the healer with spells to aid allies), the tempest of Set (an area of effect healer that can also use destructive spells), and the more hands-on bear shaman (a medium armor wearer that evokes healing spells and buffs through hand to hand combat) round out the priest archetype. The sorcerers are made up of the necromancer (that can control the dead and cast a variety of unholy magic), the demonologist (which can control a massive demon to do their bidding as well as commands the knowledge of direct damage spells), and the unique herald of Xotli (which is a mage/soldier hybrid that wields two handed weapons, cast a variety of spells, and can transform themselves into demons for massive melee damage).

Unlike the current crop of MMO titles available, Age of Conan gives the player an unprecedented amount of control over how combat is performed. Instead of blindly using an auto-attack function, Age of Conan requires the player to actively swing their weapon to cause damage to enemies. Every weapon has a specific range in which it can do melee damage. Any enemy within that range during the path of the swing takes damage. Players have the option to swing their weapon in 3 directions initially, with two more directions available at higher levels.

The special moves in Age of Conan for melee classes are called combos. After selecting a specific combo to use, a dialog box displays a sequence of swing attacks that the player needs to perform. Once these swings are performed, the special move is unleashed, causing higher damage or a variety of special effects. Combos help to keep the player involved in the gaming experience. No longer can an MMO player just sit back and click away to perform attacks. If you don’t perform the correct sequence of swings, the combo will not be performed – which could make the difference between surviving with a few hit points left and dying.

One of the most notable additions to the combat system is fatalities. That is right – FATALITIES. Many times during combat, your avatar will go into a special move sequence that will stab through your opponent’s heart, slice their neck, or even cut off their head. When one of sequences is performed, blood splatters all over the sides of the display, and your character gets a short adrenaline boost – making them even more deadly in combat.

Along with the innovative attacking system is the introduction of an active shielding system. Each player-character and non-player-character in Age of Conan has three shields – represented by grey arcs around them – which can be moved to protect different areas. If, during combat, you continually swing your weapon to hit the right side of your opponent, they will react to you by reinforcing that side with extra shields – reducing the amount of damage you inflict. But, by reacting to this shift by swinging to their unprotected left side, you can deal extra damage after bypassing their shields. Throughout combat, especially during PVP battles, players can easily shift their shields from one layout to another. This, along with the attack system, provides for a very active combat experience.

Spell casters are not left out of the active experience, too. Instead of just selecting a player or enemy to cast on, many spells are dealt in a conical area of influence. This means that any enemy or ally within that area of influence will be targeted.

For combat and special abilities, Age of Conan uses the three standard point “pools” that were introduced in many other games – most notably Diablo and Diablo II. These three “pools” are hit points, stamina, and mana. Most MMO’s require a player to use healing potions or get the help from a healer class to restore hit points. Age of Conan does this as well, but to keep the pace of combat fast and furious, hit points can be quickly regained in between battles by using the included “rest” ability. By using this ability, players can recover all of their health, stamina, and mana in a very short amount of time. Stamina is used in Age of Conan to perform combo moves as well as a variety of special combat moves - each taking some stamina to use. If you want to actively block an incoming attack, you can perform a block, or you can actively dodge away from incoming attacks. A player can even charge an opponent, giving an increased chance to hit. If the situation is turning bleak, you can turn around and sprint away from your opponents, at the loss of massive amounts of stamina. Spell casters, like most other RPG games, will use their mana pool to perform their abilities.

Graphics

The graphics in Age of Conan are some of the best visuals to ever grace the screen of MMO players. Cities are fully rendered, with NPC’s all over the streets, beautiful ships anchored in the harbor, and shops galore. Players will find that each individual piece of armor has its own unique look. If you change any piece of equipment on your character – even down to the rings on their fingers – the change can be seen as you play. Outside environments glimmer with bloom lighting effects, a robust shadowing system, and a large amount of particle effects. Most every special combo attack and spell has a unique set of particle effects that go along with them, making for a very unique game play experience between different classes.

One of the most notable additions to Age of Conan, graphically, are cut scenes rendered fully in game. Any time a player talks to an NPC character, the camera zooms to a preset angle so that the fully voice acted conversations are played. Every NPC actually ‘talks’ to the player – akin to games like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion – making for an ever more immersive experience.

With the great scale of the graphics is also a large downside – although the game is playable for older PC’s, this game does require some of the latest and greatest graphics cards to show the full spectrum of what there is to offer.

A Rise Above the Rest?

Age of Conan has the potential to set a new standard for the MMO genre. With the inclusion of a very active combat, defense, casting, and dodging systems, the game pushes the envelope of immersion in MMO titles. Since the game is geared towards a more mature audience, the M rating has allowed for Funcom to explore different game play elements – like fatalities – and visual elements – like nudity. The combination of the immersion in game play with a stunning set of graphics makes for a truly interesting mixture. When the game releases later this month, expect a large amount of players (with over a million participating in the beta) to be alongside as your adventures in Hyborian begin.

Written by: Gabriel Goldman, Contributing Writer