Wolcen: Lords
This is an appropriate inclusion in an issue so focused on Valve. Wolcen is, in many ways, the quintessential modern Steam game; developed in early access, it has risen to a surprising prominence upon full release thanks to curative algorithms – news of its launch doubtless served to anyone with Path Of Exile, one of a few obvious inspirations – and its popularity snowballing from there. And as is often the case, it doesn’t necessarily deserve its lofty position in the Most Played charts.
It’s easy to see why so many people have latched on to it, however. Wolcen sets out to scratch a particular itch: indeed, in a parallel universe it bears the name While You Wait For Diablo IV. It’s a very familiar sort of game that stands out not for what it adds to its genre, but by simply being its latest entry. It is beautiful in places, its environments arrestingly detailed, its array of attacks and spells swirling with fancy alpha effects. It is a glimpse, if only surface-level, of the next generation of action-RPG.
That extends to the mechanics, in theory. Wolcen’s central hook is that it has no class system; once you’ve created your character you choose a starting weapon, and are free to chop and change as you see fit. As you play, you acquire gear and spells that suit a variety of styles of play. The sprawling skill tree, which flits between styles whichever path you first choose to spec yourself down, all but insists upon a hybrid approach. Attacks and spells are performed using a resource meter split into two halves, dubbed Willpower and Rage. Spending one meter refills the other: our spellcaster relies on Willpower to fling out her magical laser beams and healing fields, and must top it up with her Rage-consuming basic attack.
It’s a smart enough concept, and demands more thought than the standard ARPG approach of cycling through cooldowns and watching everything explode (though there’s plenty of that). But the classless set-up slaughters the loot game, overloading you with gear that’s poorly suited to your current build. You can respec at any time for a fee, but the cost is substantial enough to mean you can’t keep doing it on a whim. Rather than taking the ARPG in a new direction, Wolcen merely proves that the genre is at its best when it allows you to specialise.
The campaign is a messy old thing, sorely overlong and punctuated with some absolutely brutal boss-fight difficulty spikes. And the game is a technical disaster, with prevalent movement bugs, constantly stalling enemy AI routines, audio drops and… well, just about everything you’d care to name. The resounding impression is of a game that has not emerged from early access because it was finished, but simply because its developer needed it to. Wolcen’s early success may suggest that was a wise decision. We do not expect it to last for long.