Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

“Imagine if every myth, conspiracy theory and urban legend was true. Imagine if your worst nightmare came to life. Imagine a world where vampires hunt for mortal blood in dingy London nightclubs, where werewolves lurk in the sewers beneath Seoul, and where the undead prey on the living in the shadows of New York City.”

Beyond this slightly Buffyesque summary – surely we could replace NYC with Sunnydale and the episode writes itself? – there’s something inherently intriguing about Funcom’s latest offering, The Secret World. Eight years in the making – four of which have been spent on production – this ‘hard to categorise’ game purports to provide a blend of Lovecraftian horror, fantasy, myths and legends, all packaged together in a sociable and engaging MMO. Lofty claims from a story that seems to have stepped out of a Dan Brown paperback, don’t you think?

Ealdwic Park

Horned God. Apparently.

Actually, from the little that we’ve seen, the title may be living up to the claims – lofty or otherwise.

A lot of information was shoe-horned into our Gamescom appointment with Funcom. A lot of information that didn’t tell us very much, actually. But while we didn’t get any hands-on time with the title, we did get to talk directly to developers Ragnar Tørnquist and Martin Bruusgaard about the how the game was going, and we left peculiarly intrigued by this ambitious title.

Packed with secrets and ‘darkness’ and inspired by real myths and legends, TSW is a story of heroes – of being a chosen one, not the chosen one – and offers a cast of many as unite together with London placed as the social hub. There are no classes. No levels. The cinematics are grand, the score rousing and emotive. Whilst there is a story mission – a story that changes for each different playable character – gamers can also choose to explore off-narrative, discovering the ‘huge jigsaw’ of the story at their own pace, dipping in and out of the games many secrets and hidden areas. And whilst you can opt to play as traditional MMO roles like healers or priests, we’re told that it’s possible to mix this up a bit for a touch of individuality, too.

The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club

Flash Forward. Aa-ah.

Our impressions? There’s no doubt that the dev team and Funcom itself have poured a lot of time, money and love into this project. The voice cast, featuring Jenny O’Hara (my second Buffy reference of the article), is quietly impressive. The visuals are good if not gobsmackingly amazing, but what the next-gen visuals may lack is more than made up by the thunderous, soaring cinematic score. As for the story itself … well, as the interviewees remained tight-lipped on details we know about as much as you do. But it certainly seems to be shaping up as something worth checking out.

So here’s a low down of what Funcom want you to know, straight from the horse’s mouth:

Urban environments – throw yourself into the bustling urban environments of New York, London and Seoul. Shop for clothes, weapons and accessories. Stop by the local nightclub to socialise with your friends before heading out into the darkness that is slowly encroaching on the city streets.

Real-world locations – discover real-work locations throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and America. From New England to Egypt, explore vast lands full of detail and story as you unravel the myths, legends and conspiracies of the world through a unique, story-driven gameplay experience.

Freeform gameplay – experience a game that has no classes or levels. Truly freeform character customisation allows you to create the alter-ego you want to play, and gameplay that goes beyond the usually rigid MMO structure allows you to play the game the way you want to play it.

Hundreds of powers – wield firey katanas, gold-plated pistols, and deadly automatic rifles. Learn martial arts, black magic and voodoo. Choose from hundreds of powers to create a character completely customised to your liking.

Going Underground

Action-packed combat – lose yourself in the most intense real-time action-packed combat system ever. Aim, strafe, shoot – movement is key as bullets fly past you and explosions threaten to tear you apart. Swords of firearms, magic or melee, each offering a similarly intense, reactive combat system.

Secret societies – join the Illuminati, the Templars or the Dragon – the three secret societies that pull the strings of our world. Work your way to the top, earn titles and rewards, and play a key role in the battle for world domination.

Player-made organisations – create or join player-made organisations called cabals. Create your own headquarters, and decorate and furnish it to your liking. All cabals are ranked against each other, and a cabal’s success will bring fame, fortune and power to its members.

Track your progress – earn points for everything you do – from combat and exploration, to trade skills and PvP – in order to tank high on both local and global scoreboards, gain titles and worldwide acclaim, and help make your secret society the powerful and influential of them all.

Intense player vs. player combat – take part in ferocious, non-stop player vs. player action in the Battle for Hollow Earth. Fight to control anima, a priceless resource deep within the bowels of our world that will bring unprecedented power to whichever cabal that collects it.

Next-generation graphics – featuring the latest in cutting-edge graphics technology, explore beautifully realised real-world locations that will truly set the standard for next-generation massively multiplayer online games. Prepare for an audiovisual experience unlike anything seem before.

So will I buy it? To be frank, I’m not sure. But considering I don’t play MMOs of any description – and the fact that this game has me quietly intrigued – take this as praise indeed. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Funcom put out there to help me make up my mind for good.