Sword of the New World - hands on

So why is there so little buzz on mainstream sites regarding this title? After all, SOTNW was well received in Korea when it debuted there. Perhaps that's part of the problem. Westerners still seem to perceive Korean born MMOs as cheaply made bare bones products that are free-to-play but suck. Indeed, a quick Google search for free MMOs will yield a glut of soulless fantasy hack 'n slashers from Seoul that you can jump into at any given time. Fortunately, titles like SOTNW may be the first step toward fighting this stereotype.

However, without the weight that larger publishers can throw around to wow the mainstream media, we expect that SOTNW will pass on by, unnoticed by the masses. Although the game has a ton of style up its sleeves, it still lacks that extra bit of shine we're seeing in other larger productions. Everything looks great in terms of design. But from a technical standpoint, it's clear that the game's graphics just aren't quite up to par with some of the other big budget MMOs on the horizon.

And while it's full of wacky personality and pomp, getting the hang of the game's hotkey centric control scheme may make the learning curve a bit frustrating for a Western audience. Still, we're very much looking forward to the release of Sword of the New World and are convinced that it will join the ranks of other sleeper hits like Valkyrie Profile. Do yourself a favor and head to thegame's websitefor news on the beta, andclick herefor some exclusive images.