The Secret World is one of those massively multiplayer online games that probably should have been more popular. It featured strong storytelling and interesting game mechanics, but struggled to find a large player base, some claim because of a problematic combat system and a few irritating bugs.
Funcom clearly has faith in its five-year-old game, though, as it’s re-releasing it with a fresh coat of paint and a few major tweaks to its gameplay. It maintains the same setting and story of its original, though with the many DLC packs released after the original Secret World.
The big changes, we’re told, come in the form of a revamped combat system, which is said to be much more contemporary in design, as well as feeling more “natural,” and easy to pick up for new players. Quest flow is also said to be much improved.
Perhaps the biggest change though is that the game will be entirely free. All in-game content will be playable, whether it’s already been released or will be in the future. In-game micro-transactions will focus on quality-of-life changes like extra inventory slots or vanity items.
Although the game is being built to be more accessible to new players, older players may not be so pleased with the announced changes. All story progression will be lost when moving over to the new game, but that’s not a necessity. Original Secret World servers will continue to run for those who want to continue playing the older game.
If players do come over to the new game, vanity items like pets, mounts and vehicles can come, too. There are also benefits for bringing over your subscriber account. Funcom tells us that more information about the transfer will be available in the future.
While we await more details about Secret World Legends ahead of its spring launch, a closed beta is coming in the near future, with Funcom currently looking for signups through its official site.
