Set into a Baroque universe, Granado Espada features an interesting character creation. Instead on creating and playing with a lonely character, you can create a family who's surname is used by all the characters.
No word on how many classes will be available in the final version of the game but in this beta version we were able to choose between a fighter, scout, wizard, musketeer and an elementalist. Up to four characters can be created and up to three can be used at the same time.
The character creation is very simple as you must only choose a name, a class and the outfit. Male or female, there are a couple of outfits available for each class. All representing the Baroque age, they represent one of the beauties of the game, as you can dress you character as you like. In the end, you will end up with some stylish characters, ready to face the dangers and slay anyone and anything in their path to glory.
As you start killing enemies, for quests or just for fun, your characters will gain experience and become better and better. At the same time, the stances they use will increase but only if you use them. As you heal your teammates you will increase your healing ability. Using your sharpshooter ability will increase your marksmanship and so on so it's wise to take part in the fight and not just move them on one spot and stay passive while they try to stay alive.
Each stance your characters learn or use give them some advantages but some have also drawbacks so make sure you use or learn only those who suit your style of play. For example if you like two handed weapons, you won't be able to use a shield to defend or using a shield won't allow you to use rapiers, only swords. So keep an eye open for these requirements.
The pace in Sword of the New World is very fast. Is not a normal hack'n'slash. You will execute a lot of actions in a short amount of time, giving you a thrilling, exciting experience that will dazzle you. The good news is that the characters are able to somehow stay alive if you remain in the areas that are suited for their levels.
Chopping your enemies will sometimes reward you with new weapons, new items, and of course some reward experience cards if you complete the quests. The problem is that buying anything costs a lot of money. And you will have a hard time gathering all the money needed let's say for a new stance. It will involve a lot of camping and grinding to be able to purchase the items or stances you need.
To ease your job, imcGames decided to help the gamers by setting a couple of behaviors for the team. You can select assault mode and click on a distant place and your team will fight their way to that spot. The same way, you can tell them to collect everything from the ground. It sometimes makes you think of a little bot thing but that's only a matter of perspective.
In the end, Sword of the New World: Granado Espada found a way to make grinding more interesting. Adding some interesting elements to the gameplay, the game is poised to be a successful MMOG on the market.