Secret World Legends Review

Secret World Legends invites you into the world that exists beneath our own, full of the mysterious, the unexplained, and the things that go bump in the night. Released in 2017, Funcom’s MMORPG revitalizes the original Secret World, transitioning the game to a free-to-play model.

Improvements to gameplay and graphics give the game a modern feel. While some elements still feel outdated, what Secret World Legends offers in story and environment makes up for the rough edges.

Story

Since the dawn of time, a war has raged between the forces of light and dark. Throughout history, secret organizations vie for control, pulling the strings in our world and battling the forces of darkness in theirs. The Templars, the Illuminati, and the Dragon work against each other in this eternal battle of good and evil. Starting out, the player chooses one of the three factions to pledge their allegiance to. After that, the story begins and from there the secret world reveals itself.

Fully voice-acted cutscenes drive the story along with impressive cinematography and animation not often seen in MMOs. The voice acting stands out, bringing to life the outstandingly-crafted characters and sharp dialogue. The smaller side quests showcase the care put into the character writing, one of my favorites being Henry Hawthorne. This small town priest thinks he’s an honorary member of the Illuminati after “extensive research on the net” where he found “forums that don’t show up on Google.”