New World: Aeternum review: Amazon's ailing MMORPG gets a much-needed second wind

Same world, new tricks

New World: Aeternum screen shot
(Image: © Amazon)

TechRadar Verdict

Engaging and approachable, New World: Aeternum mostly nails the modern MMORPG experience with its refined and cohesive game world and intuitive combat system. Crafting and gathering remain a highlight here but all types of players will find this game worthy of its upfront price of admission. That said, those looking for a wide range of high-end raiding content will be better served elsewhere and the game also suffers from an unfocused and muddled art style.

Pros

  • +

    Extremely approachable

  • +

    Competent and varied content throughout

  • +

    Superlative gathering, crafting, and profession system

Cons

  • -

    Muddled and generic art style

  • -

    Fewer high-end PvE raids than well-known competitors

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Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: October 14, 2024

You've seen New World before, sure, but have you seen New World: Aeternum? This soft relaunch of Amazon Game Studio's flagging 2021 MMORPG is what the company is calling a 'spiritual sequel' to the original. In layman's terms, that means next-gen console support, new story campaign cinematics, and a refined controller-friendly combat system that doubles down on the game's action RPG setup.

This is, spoiler alert, mostly the same game as before - but New World: Aeternum already had a solid foundation and the inclusion of console players could potentially breathe fresh life into this game.

Some of the best MMORPGs have been years in the making and Amazon's stubborn dedication to improving its first big MMORPG title is commendable. With a vast game world and diverse array of player versus player (PvP) and player versus environment (PvE) content, there's certainly a lot that New World: Aeternum offers - especially for a fresh player.

New World: Aeternum screen shot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Getting it right the second time

New World: Aeternum is in some ways an MMO that’s stronger than the sum of its parts. It is, in a nutshell, an extremely competent and refined effort that skates close to excellence in so many areas yet doesn’t always stand out.

It’s a rework that’s a culmination of three years of tweaks and painfully learned lessons from Amazon. It isn’t, however, a radical departure from what was offered before - you’ve got the same weapons, the same art style, and the same world - with a few exceptions like new cutscenes. In some ways, it’s a little awkward reviewing this title as a new player in 2024.

So, if New World doesn’t stand out - then why is it just so damn fun to pick up and play? There is an intangible sense of fun to New World that makes it both an approachable and incredibly cohesive MMORPG experience. There's nothing new here, but there's something about this game that just works.

For example, there’s an intuitiveness to the open world in New World: Aeternum that makes sense right away. The game’s core gameplay loops of questing, PvP, and gathering all integrate seamlessly into a game world that just begs you to get out and explore. The world of Aeternum is full of trees, plants, and ores ready to harvest and if you don’t find yourself wandering off in search of hemp, herbs, or lumber, then you’re simply missing out on one of this game’s strongest aspects.

Even without the superb gathering and crafting, there’s no doubt that New World is one of the most pick-up-and-play MMOs I’ve played in a long time when it comes to the overall experience. There’s a little bit of something for everyone here - dungeons, player-owned housing, and excellent crafting all wrapped up in a well-thought-out and refreshingly simple manner.

New World: Aeternum screen shot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Your favorite MMO, now with cutscenes

One of the biggest additions to New World: Aeternum is the inclusion of a more cohesive main quest storyline - one that’s now complete with cutscenes, improved world-building, and a streamlined questing experience.

I played through the entire main story quest line for this review and my thoughts are that it’s pretty good but not outstanding. The story isn’t anything mind-blowing but there are decent characters, compelling boss fights with actual mechanics, and a modern quest design that breaks away from the usual MMO tropes of killing ten skeletons and such.

New World: Aeternum screen shot

(Image credit: Amazon)
Best bit

New World: Aeternum screen shot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Exploring the world of Aeternum is constantly entertaining. You'll be questing, fighting enemy players, and gathering any number of players along the way in a vast and interactive game world. Rarely will you be stuck hanging around in camp.

If you really beeline it through the quest, expect it to take you around 30 hours until you hit the final boss fight - which, I have to say, is rather excellent (no spoilers, sorry). It’s an experience you can completely take on solo in the vein of a single-player action RPG but I’d highly recommend taking the time out to engage with the game’s excellent side-quests, crafting, and PvP aspects along the way. You can play solo, sure, but New World’s strong suit remains the extracurricular activities.

The beauty of Aeternum is in the myriad distractions it offers. Plus, I’d note that while the main quest does introduce you to the vast majority of zones and themes within the game, it doesn’t really deep-dive into PvP, group content, or end-game gearing. You'll have to work those out for yourself or ask a member from New World's vibrant community of console and PC players.

New World: Aeternum screen shot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Jack of all trades

As previously mentioned, there’s a wide range of both PvE and PvP content within this game, ranging all the way from basic dungeons and solo world PvP to 10-man raids and 20 vs 20 player battlegrounds. There is, quite simply, a lot of content in New World: Aeternum and it’s all underpinned by a refreshed console-friendly combat system.

With the new combat - it’s a mixed bag but mostly good. As previously stated, New World has a relatively stripped-down action RPG system that encourages movement and dodging rather than providing a piano-like array of spells and abilities. You’re essentially going to be switching through two weapons, both of which have just three abilities on the bar at once. There’s nothing wrong with this (in fact, it’s perfect for controller support), but don’t expect an incredibly in-depth set of abilities to use as per the traditional MMORPG experience.

I gave all sixteen of New World’s weapons a whirl during my playtime and every single one brings something to the table in regard to class fantasy, mechanics, and abilities. Want to bonk your enemies on the head with a giant hammer? No problem. Conversely, you may want to plink at your enemies at a distance with the musket or bow. All weapons are fine choices and offer a diverse range of builds and play styles. I personally like the musket, although I found hitboxes to be frustratingly inconsistent unless I was using the game’s Dark Souls-style lock-on system to track my enemies.

New World: Aeternum screen shot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Fans of action-orientated combat will find a lot to like with New World: Aeternum; especially if you’re the kind of person who likes to try different builds. Not only is changing your character’s attribute points incredibly cheap but you’re never locked into one particular weapon or armor type with New World. Don’t hesitate to try out the various weapons and find the right one.

In terms of content, this game is chock-full of stuff that’s readily available to both solo and group players. While a chunk of the high-end PvE stuff is locked behind the maximum level of 65, an easy-to-use matchmaking system means it’s easy to get a group without the need to join a guild or clan. New World is one of the most solo-friendly MMOs I’ve played for a while - and one that respects your time if you’re looking for something relatively casual.

New World: Aeternum screen shot

(Image credit: Amazon)

A bland new world

Earlier in my review I alluded to the fact that New World is a perfectly competent MMO but it doesn’t particularly stand out in one area. The PvE? Well executed. The PvP? Yep, that’s pretty good too. There's not one single aspect of New World that really knocked me off my seat during my initial 40 hours of gameplay, however.

If there’s one area where I think New World falls down on, it’s that it lacks a solid identity. All the boxes are ticked here to make an incredibly engaging MMO but nothing feels special in the way that, say, World of Warcraft circa 2004 did.

Take the overall art style and premise, for example. New World is loosely set in the age of sail but Amazon deemed it fit to stuff in as many generic fantasy and historical tropes as it could into the world of Aeternum. One minute you’re fighting pirates, the next minute you’re fighting Roman Legionaries, the next minute ghosts. There’s a lot of variety in the game world but it feels like Amazon just threw together generic historical Assassin’s Creed-like concepts rather than building something with a really cool and unique angle.

There’s no doubt that the development team can design engaging environments and game mechanics but I never really felt that strong sense of class fantasy that you get with some MMOs. The world is a little bland, unfortunately, and New World doesn’t particularly stand out as either a PvP game par excellence or a PvE powerhouse in the way that modern retail World of Warcraft does save its superb crafting and gathering system. Still, this is a good game with an intangible sense of fun and one that no doubt has a solid future should Amazon continue to commit to content updates.

New World: Aeternum screen shot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Should I play New World: Aeternum?

Play it if...

You want an approachable MMO
New World: Aeternum features an extensive array of content that can be enjoyed both as a solo player and as a group. The barrier to entry for most content is relatively low and the world is also intuitively built around an excellent gathering and crafting system.

You particularly enjoy crafting and professions
There's something just really, really fun about New World: Aeternum's crafting system. Exploring the game world for valuable resources, building a camp, and crafting your own gear. There are plenty of professions to explore in New World and they all work together to create a superb in-game economy that's unaffected by the micro-transactions common in other MMOs.

Don't play it if...

You want to push high-end PvE content
New World: Aeternum has a 10-man raid at max level but it's not as packed as its competitors when it comes to high-level PvE content. It's a jack-of-all-trades game that's suited to players who value variety over one particular end-game content type. Watch this space though, as raids are a relatively new addition to the game and could be expanded upon going forward.

Accessibility

New World: Aeternum has an extensive list of accessibility features, including text-to-speech, font size scaling, and colorblind modes. It also has some superb aim assist options for both controller and mouse and keyboard setups. All these options are easy to find in the 'Accessibility' menu within the games settings menu.

How I reviewed New World: Aeternum

I played New World: Aeternum for 40 hours before writing this review. That was enough time to play through the entire main story quest line, see most of the zones in-game, and test out the game's PvE and PvP content. While the game is incredibly vast, I made sure to sample most of what New World has objectively before making an assessment.

When it comes to reviewing MMORPGs, I draw upon almost two decades of experience to determine how New World: Aeternum stacks up. Just a few of the titles I've played include World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, Black Desert Online, Lost Ark, Eve Online, ESO, and most recently Throne and Liberty.

The peripherals I used during this review include the Logitech G Pro wireless gaming mouse, the Logitech Pro Tenkeyless gaming keyboard, and the Logitech G735 wireless gaming headset. I also tested the game using the standard Xbox Wireless controller (2024). My monitor is the 27-inch LG 27GP850-B, which runs at 1440p/185Hz.

First reviewed October 2024.

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