The flood gates open on The Secret World

The information embargo on the highly anticipated Funcom MMO called The Secret World has been lifted. Although more information will to be released on March 25th, a teaser trailer and several first hand accounts have hit the internet. Keep reading for the trailer and further details.

One of the main main items that was pushed heavily in the presentation was individual customization. With hundreds of skills to choose from and a large assortment of appearance personalization, The Secret World really lets you be whatever kind of character you want to be.

In terms of actual game play, you are allowed to have a total of seven active and seven passive skills equipped at the same time. Since this is a level-less MMO, your power will depend heavily on the combination of skills that you have equipped. In addition, skills don’t “rank up” like in more traditional games, but rather grow more powerful depending on what items you have equipped and what “state” an enemy is in when you attack it (for example, a zombie that’s been left burning by an ally will explode if a healing spell if used on it). This ultimately means that item hunting and strategy, rather than flat-out grinding, will play an important role in the game.

Another very important aspect of the game is factions. What faction you join (Dragon, Templar, Illumanti) determines who your allies and enemies will be. Player versus player combat will also be another element of the game that roots from what faction you hail from. Many (including me) have speculated the potential for immense inter-faction wars.

The storyline of the game will be mostly driven by NPC quests. There will, however, also be mini-dungeons that also move parts of the general storyline along. At this point, most of these quests and dungeons are geared towards solo player activity.

Kingsmouth was the only area shown in the demo, but many were surprised at how expansive this one area was. Many have extrapolated that the entire world map is going to be immense, providing for greater variety and exploration.

All in all, this really sounds like it’s going to be a great game! I have always wanted a contemporary MMO based on “urban legends,” and, low and behold, The Secret World pops up. The game is still in alpha-stage development, so I wouldn’t expect the release anytime soon. When it does come out, however, I’ll be ready to get my hands on it!

For more information and screenshots, click here and here.

Source: IGN