Shudder, thinking along, Discover

Caveat: If you expect with 'The Secret World' is a MMORPG of the usual school, will be disappointed. Who wants another WoW, must pass by this game, without missing anything. Who starts to drool at the thought of standing around in epic equipment in a capital city, must go too: in the secret world there is nothing for them to see. Last but not least: The game is addressed to adults, and it shows. Not only when swearing or a few scenes indicated. Not only when blood or other graphic violence. No, the game also treats the player as adults: one is often not taken by the hand, but really need to put effort into solving some tasks. And that's fun.

So if you want to enjoy an adult game, which is right here. Who wants to worry about wily puzzles standing on the number under which the lights go on. Who wants to shudder tidy, let him be absolutely invited to read on.

The scenario:
TSW takes place in the present time, and has a simple premise itself: All of our legends, fairy tales, stories, legends and conspiracy theories are true. The Illuminati? Is there. Bigfoot? Real. Vampire? Have a guess ... But the average person gets nothing with - the mysteries of this secret world are well guarded and covered up.
As a player you will be recruited by one of the three factions. The three organizations -Templer, Illuminati and Dragon are not quite green; When others look on, is smiling, and perhaps even helped each other. But if none hinguckt ...
The game world itself is kept realistic and grim. There are day and night cycles (the DirectX 11 look real gigantic), and a rather brilliant dynamic light-and-shade system. Zappendustere caves are not a problem, just as scorching desert sun, and everything in between. And without saying too much to want: Although the game is a MMORPG, it has missions that need to atmospherically not in front of a Silent Hill, Dead Space or Thief 3 (the infamous 'The Cradle' Level) hide. Inspiration the game gets here by EA Poe, John Carpenter, Lovecraft, just to name a few.

The character and the combat system:
What can the game character, depends on the weapon he carries. There are nine of them, divided up as follows:
-Nahkampf: Claws, swords, hammers and axes
-Magie: Blood, Elemental Chaos
-Fernkampf: Shotguns, pistols (and machine guns), guns
Most weapons are based visually on real-world (eg there Lugers, Beretta and Desert Eagles, or the rifle AK-42, FAMAS and G3). All weapons can be played in different ways (for example, you can damage blood with magic both cause -primär on DOTS and healing), and you can have equipped two weapons at once. So the goal is to find two weapons that harmonize well with each other for their own style of play. A typical example tank could work with hammers and shotguns, a healer with guns and blood magic. But the trinity of healer, tank and damage is very watered down. There are many ways to avoid damage. There are many ways to do to heal or harm. And also control their own people (and opponents) is not to be despised. In principle, the system of one demanded to deal with it really what you want. A character is not more powerful for a time, but above all flexible. Indeed, it is quite possible to learn all 525 abilities in the game. There are no Level!
One can only 14 of these skills at the same time equip (7 active, passive 7). This "build", you can save, and change at any time.
Many of the opponents have attacks that require the player to move. The whole (Mana or other resource does not exist) plays -especially when one has arrived at the 'advanced ring' of weapons, very action-packed and tactical at the same time. You have to constantly watch his opponent, his surroundings, and thereby use his own skills targeted. Otherwise it will be the latest in the third zone (Blue Mountains) hairy.

Equipment and crafts:
There are two types of equipment in TSW: One that makes a powerful, and one that you see. Both are totally independent of each other. The "Stats" equipment are mainly rings, amulets, and talismans that can be seen only on the character sheet, but not on the character itself. This equipment is obtained through quests or PvP, or they are tinkering yourself. The clothes you see, you can buy with play money in the game. At the moment there is in London for a shop that leads really much. From cheap denim short skirts and tank tops on shirts and suits to leather outfits and mountaineering equipment. Glasses and caps are also available.
In addition, you get equipment for in-game achievements donated. Helps to a university, you may later bear sweater and jacket university. Copes you the basics of fist weapons fight, you get a sweater with skull motif - like a street fighter plane. And you done missions for their own secret society, have ready the uniforms.

The quest system:
Caveat: It's different than in most of today's MMORPGs. You can edit more than a handful of missions at the same time, what the individual mission gives much more weight. Often you walk back and forth across a zone, and the first MMO veteran might think: "Why can not I take X quests simultaneously then I would have here only once!"
So I thought at the very beginning also. Until I found it like scales from the eyes: This focus on one or two quests simply means that you are much more concentrated in the matter, and the individual quest (also experientially) accounts for much more. Immerse rather in history, and is well aware of why what you are doing, actually does. The whole gives the game an incredible depth of play.
In addition, the zones are designed so that it directly makes fun, because often go through than once. One discovers something new, and much of it is relevant for future quests. Indeed, there are so-called "Investigative Quests", also simply times which require the player of deduction, skill of brains. Who is spoiled by WoW, will curse that a not everything is served on a silver platter. Who thinks like himself, who is happy. It is an especially good feeling when you have solved a mystery itself, in which it was thought at the beginning: "Häää What shall I do next I'm feeling sooo stupid ...?" It is not the way unusual that you will not find the solution to a puzzle in the game itself, but on the Internet. the game has therefore a built-in browser (after all you have in the game a smartphone - logical that you can therefore also use the network as an information source). Quests can incidentally also make a smartphone - you do not need to run back to the quest givers, but the phone directly with his secret society, and the debrieft a then locally.
Quests à la "Bring me ten monkey butt" Incidentally, there are quite rare. Sure, in the end, most quests in MMORPGs can in "Kill X" or "Y Hole" classify, but TSW creates the work of art that one absolutely does not notice. Each quest is more like a little story. And if you know enough little stories, then they slowly give a large ...

The Story:
Yes that gets its own sub-item. First, because it is very good, and sweeps. Secondly, because it is also well written. Most of the characters are real personalities, and not merely quest givers. many of them even have extra "flavor text", which you can listen in interest. And I really hear me on the like for most people. Although you do not need it in order to make the quests. And so TSW works with a lot. it keeps ready oodles of information. The are a but not tied to the nose, but the player can pick them as much as he wants. Responsible for the story is the way Ragnar Thornquist, whom some might remember from The Longest Journey.

The sound:
In brief: Super! The music fits to 100 percent for the environment (and is adapted to the region), often melancholic sounds, and somehow she has a very special flair. For me, besides music to Diablo, Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect one of the most outstanding music scenes. But of course there is much more to hear. After playing the game in the present. And as you can hear in the survivors every now and then music from radios and stereos. It has for me somehow almost something epic when the Indians guarding their settlement, to relax listening to heavy metal, and then the next Zombie has a fantastic around the corner, and is greeted with a hail of bullets.
The combat sounds are good, as far as I've heard it. My rifle barks hoarsely, the explosions tubes, and in between you can hear the silvery bells-bells and a sword. A bit annoying but it is when people start spamming their skills out of combat (goes in some).
But if you have only heard the song of the sirens, then you are The Secret World eh expire with head and hair.

Conclusion:
I have since 'the good old days' of Half-Life, Quake and Diablo with no computer game had so much more fun and the time to forget me as with TSW. Technically very good (I have not seen a MMORPG with better graphics, but I have not played Tera), the world simply invites you to explore. One would like to know constantly what is behind all events: Everything in the game has an explanation that is often but must be even looking. And so one gathers slowly the puzzle pieces that will arise over time a whole (I hope - at the moment I have two hundred pieces that tell me that I am something of enormous at the very beginning ...).
For me TSW is the absolute surprise of this year in the games sector. I advise anyone who is a serious MMORPG can befriend draft to remotely access. The game surprised me almost every hour again positive: 5/5 stars, although I would be happy to 6/5. I am absolutely thrilled!