If you’re not particularly interested in New World, you may have seen the preview for New World: Aeternum and wondered what it really is. Is it a new game? Is it an expansion? What impact does it have on the original 2021 version? The simple answer is: New World: Aeternum is New World, nothing more and nothing less. This is an updated and slightly improved version of the original MMORPG, tweaked and twisted in places where improvements can and should be made, all as part of an effort to prepare the game for its release on consoles. Yes, you heard that right, New World is now available on consoles, and if you’re wondering what that means for the PC version, then… apparently not much. You get the improvements mentioned above in a complete package that combines the base game and the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion, but without all the complications and extra effort that was necessary to make this project both controller play and action one to unite halfway to the room.
In fact, New World: Aeternum is a console version of New World and therefore I will not analyze the title as usual, but will focus my efforts on how this game works and plays in 2024 as an improved version experience and in the console; If you’re looking for something different, you can check out what we originally thought of New World in 2021 here.
First things first: New World: Aeternum is still an MMORPG. Now it’s a less overwhelming MMO and more of an RPG game, meaning you can experience most of this title on your own without having to band together in guilds or anything similar. If you like that social aspect, it’s still very present, but if you’d rather experience the incredibly long story and explore the huge open world without having to keep up with other players, you can easily do so.
Advertising:
As far as gameplay goes, Amazon Games has done a great job turning a PC MMORPG into a product that feels comfortable on a controller. The mechanics have been simplified to the point where they work without complications or frustration, perhaps even to the point where they often seem too simple in practice. Controller action works seamlessly, with melee action reserved for triggers and skills for bumpers, while basic interaction is reserved for the four main buttons. There has also been work on the user interface, which has been optimized and redesigned so that it is now centralized rather than jammed into a corner of the screen, giving you easier control over which skills are available and ready to use. All of these pieces show that New World: Aeternum has a place on consoles, but that doesn’t quite translate to the menu design.
There’s a special place in hell for controller games that use cursors as a form of menu navigation, and thanks to its MMO roots, New World: Aeternum uses this practically everywhere. Whether it’s crafting items, navigating skill trees, managing inventory, or even choosing the right bait for your fishing rod, these frustratingly slow cursor systems pop up and make your life a nightmare. However, this is not the only problem with the menus, as I think Amazon Games needs to improve the font selection and even the size. There are limited or no problems while sitting on a monitor a few feet in front of you, but when you sit on a couch and watch TV a meter or two away, the problems become worse and cause you to lean uncomfortably. Squint your eyes and read the fine print on the weapon you just looted, which has several unique and random effects.
Advertising:
This problem also extends to the social elements, which are found to be more annoying for the controller user. At the bottom left of your HUD, you’ll see a world chat moving at lightning speed as keyboard users nimbly type replies as you navigate a pop-up keyboard like a caveman. These systems work, and there’s something to be said for that, but in 2024 we can certainly find better solutions for communication and menu navigation that don’t make the controller user bang their head against the wall.
As far as graphics go, what Amazon Games has done overall is pretty impressive. MMORPGs are notoriously ugly, and as games get bigger they get uglier to make them less performance intensive. This is undoubtedly one of the main reasons that World of Warcraft still looks like it was designed for a PC since the mid-2000s: Aeternum doesn’t look nearly as rudimentary, but if you focus on the details , it shows large cracks. The character and enemy models are downright ugly to look at, more so than ever in the cutscenes, but the same can’t be said for the environment design. As you wander around the world, you will be amazed by some aesthetic aspects: golden beaches, dense forests, snow-capped mountain landscapes, densely populated cities – this country offers a lot of variety, and that is certainly a highlight. It’s also worth noting that performance sometimes suffers on the Xbox Series. Needless to say, that’s difficult for a brand new game in 2024.
On top of that, New World: Aeternum honestly has too much content at the moment, be it the long campaign, too many side quests to count, large-scale multiplayer events, PvP, and even seven unique character archetypes to find You can choose and change whenever you feel like it. There is absolutely no argument that you will run out of things to do in this game. Well…unless you simply live and breathe the New World and the New World. Of course, you can argue against New World: Aeternum and its “grueling” nature, but these are concerns that were also present in the original game, and you can learn more about them in our full analysis of the original above.
Considering that the console MMORPG sector has been pretty poor compared to the PC sector over the years, New World: Aeternum is certainly a good candidate for interested controller gamers to take a look at. It’s packed with content – overflowing, even -, works quite well with a controller, has useful and often impressive graphics, and offers full crossplay between PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S so you can collaborate with your friends no matter where they are are playing. But it’s not without its limitations and problems, and for these reasons New World: Aeternum could use a little more refinement and fine-tuning to ensure it does the job of being a comprehensive, unhindered console MMORPG.
