Guild Wars – Third Play – The Wilds

The bottom dropped out of Diadra’s heart as she peered over the ridge at the Char encampment below. Ritual fires stretched out for as far as the eye could see, and the smell of raw meat permeated the surrounding air. Diadra inched closer on her belly. The warrior caste was dressed in full battle armament, already smashing their weapons together in preparation. The wall would be lost, and the brave warriors of Ascalon would fall.

Something is missing from this cinematic scene. The music has gotten lost somewhere; meandering through the hills and valleys of Ascalon perhaps. It continues to sway through various flowery orchestral pieces or lapse into complete silence despite an obvious opportunity to provide some emotional backdrop. The music also misses every opportunity to add to the setting. There are a lot of stylistically diverse areas in Guild Wars, but the jaw dropping backdrops receive zero distinction from changing styles of music. On the other hand, I keep going back to the soundtrack for Diablo II. Even years after its release I still remember the haunting vocals from the harem under Lut Gholein. A great sound track would have pushed Guild Wars on its way to being a masterpiece. Instead we have another opportunity for Itunes to ironically play the Diablo II soundtrack in the background.

Diadra hefted the seed experimentally. It weighed at least 30 stone. She looked out over the wilds as her party receded into the distance.

“Amadan,” she called out into the damp air, “why do I have to lug this thing?” Her voice was swallowed by the purple tinted vegetation. Diadra shrugged it off and ran awkwardly after her party of explorers. By the time she caught up, Amadan was in the process of eliminating a group of Wind Riders led by a giant Jungle Troll. Diadra dropped the seed to join in the fray and was surprised to find the seed leap up into a flower faster then she could draw her weapon. The flower seemed to look around briefly, then it retracted seamlessly back into its protective shell. Diadra was too stunned to fire a shot.

“They grow quick,” Amadan said after the last of the Wind Riders had been beaten into writhing submission, “try planting it by the cliff.” Diadra did as requested, and watched the seed explode into a bridge of grasping vines and tendrils, reaching for the opposite side of the gorge. Would the wonders of the wilds never cease?

Guild Wars is full of interesting details like these seed bridges that struggle to grow whenever you drop them. In another memorable mission, the characters are required to carry a burning torch through a mountain snowstorm, and light the signal fires one by one. There has been virtually no repetition in the missions so far. Also, the missions have an urgent feel to them that really adds a lot to your emotional involvement in the game.

The cut-scene portions of the story in Guild Wars also continue to excel. Special attention is paid to your character’s changing allegiances as new information is revealed. The characters in Guild Wars actually have an arc to follow, complete with enough backstabbing, double-crossing, and intrigue to keep everyone interested.

There has been endless debate on linear vs. non-linear gameplay since the dawn of gaming. Guild Wars has made its position clear, standing well on the linear side of the fence. The truth is there are pros and cons to using each approach. The tradeoffs are generally between realism and purposefulness. For example, in non-linear games you tend to spend a significant amount of time wondering where the heck you are. In linear games, you won’t feel lost, but you may feel like a digital sheep being shooed through the game world. Although there are often several paths through a given level in Guild Wars, the linearity is painfully clear.

What concerns me about linearity is the way it effects level design. You’ll notice in Guild Wars for instance, that the levels have way too many winding, high walled canyons in them. This serves the purpose of keeping players on the right path, but it places severe constraints on realistic terrain. You’ll never get the feeling in Guild Wars that you’re walking into a real forest. You’ll also never experience those nervous butterflies in your stomach when lost behind enemy lines. I feel like this is subtracting something from my experience. I like to be lost every once in a while.

Check back for my fourth play rating to learn more about the endgame of Guild Wars. Also find out how Amadan and Diadra pool their resources to create their own Guild.

About the Reviewer’s System

For reference, the reviewer used a Athlon 64 3000+, 1 GB RAM, and a GeForce 6800 GT with 256 MB RAM.