Following the smashing success of Genshin Impact, many developers have tried to catch the wave and release free-to-play games that could rival the game developed by HoYoVerse. Although reaching the same level of success is definitely a daunting task, many upcoming games are showing a level of quality that rivals not only that of the HoYoVerse game but also of premium games, such as Neverness to Everness, which combines a modern city setting with clear Persona series-inspired vibes, which could do wonders for the experience as a whole.
Another game to watch for fans of the genre is Honor of Kings: World. Based on the extremely popular MOBA Honor of Kings, the open-world action RPG promises to deliver an engaging experience with a beautiful and massive world to explore and gameplay that's a little more involving than current free-to-play open-world RPGs on the market.
During last month's Gamescom, I had the chance to briefly try out the game with a demo that featured the very beginning of the game as well as content from later segments of the experience. After a flashy introduction which serves as a tutorial, I took on the role of a new student at Jinxia Academy, meet some of my fellow students and embark on a first adventure through the world of Primaera. Right from the beginning, Honor of Kings: World seems to get the scale of its world right, as both the Jinxia Academy and its surroundings looked vast and gorgeous, promising to offer tons of different activities like crafting, house-building, and more.
With my short time, I couldn't explore much of the world, preferring to focus on one aspect of the Honor of Kings: World that seemed well-done from the brief tutorial: the combat system. Being a free-to-play open-world game, things are obviously going to be kept accessible, but I couldn't help but notice how fighting enemies is slightly more involving than in other similar games, featuring some advanced mechanics like perfect dodges, multiple skills with very different effects and synergy potential, weapon switching, and more. While Honor of Kings: World is hardly going to be on the same level as character action games like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, or Ninja Gaiden, the game sported a surprising amount of depth that made the couple of boss battles I got into in the demo very fun and, at times, quite challenging, as enemy design definitely seemed to be on point with varied movesets. Sadly, I wasn't able to try out any of the game's multiplayer features, which will be optional and won't prevent solo players from accessing any content, but the feel I got trying the game was that of an engaging mix between a lite character action game and the Monster Hunter series, enhanced by a competent dungeon design featuring some simple puzzles and plenty of alternate paths featuring treasure that inceintivize exploration.
With not much information on how monetization and gacha mechanics will be handled in the first release, it is difficult to say how Honor of Kings: World will end up faring against similar games when it launches on PC and mobile platforms before the end of the year, and if it will be able to charm even those who do not know the massively popular MOBA it is based upon. At its most basic level, however, I can safely say that Honor of Kings: World has everything it needs to go head-to-head with other F2P open-world RPGs and even with premium games.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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