Worlds Adrift is something unique in the MMO world. Imagine a game where 90% of the landmass is created by players. Where the ecosystem reacts to the players’ actions – animals go extinct, become aggressive in response to encroaching players, and so forth. And with thousands of islands floating in the sky, all of the players play on one server. Thousands of adventurers, crafters, and explorers, all cohabitating an endless sky-sea of uncharted territory. This is Worlds Adrift, and it’s pretty fantastic.
The team at Bossa Studios (Luke, Herb, and Olivier are who I spoke with), are all longtime MMO fans and WoW players. They remember loving the beginning of their adventures in Azeroth (or any new game) where the exploration and discovery is at its freshest. They wanted to have that kind of experience in their own game – only they wanted it to never end. There’s no world map in Worlds Adrift, and the world itself is a never-ending sky of islands. Players don’t start in one place, this is no linear adventure. You get dropped into the world, and from there – the choice of where to go and what to become is entirely up to you.
This isn’t another lame survival game though – you don’t need to scavenge for berries for hours on end, or find water every five minutes. Food in Worlds Adrift is used only to refill your health. The world in Worlds Adrift is truly persistent too. Whenever you log in, construction items and discarded ship pieces can and will litter the islands. Best part is? You can use them yourself, so one man’s trash becomes your treasure.
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One of the more impressive things about Worlds Adrift, aside from the massive world created by its players using the free Island Creator, which has already helped the Bossa team collect and implement thousands of islands into the game. As you explore them, you’ll use your scanner to learn about the world, its rocks, its trees, its animals, its ancient technology. There are no levels, just an ever-expanding Knowledge tree that opens up new things for your character to create and use. Eventually the Island Creator will also get environmental hazards, different enemies to place – this way UGC becomes even more important.
The focus in Worlds Adrift is on exploring, not surviving. Crews, like guilds, are important because bigger ships and more dangerous storms you sail through will require friends to help. And while Worlds Adrift is technically an open PVP game, the world is so massive that you won’t always be running into tons of people looking for blood. Indeed, in the beta, most players avoid direct conflict and instead start working together – “I know this recipe, and I can make it for you.” Becomes a way to make sure blood doesn’t boil.
I’ve only had a brief time to play Worlds Adrift myself, but you can buy into it now in Early Access, and it’s honestly one of the most unique and exciting MMOs being made right now. If you lean towards exploration and crafting as your preferred MMO activities, this one’s for you. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Worlds Adrift, and recommend you do as well.
