Key Takeaways
- Throne and Liberty’s fast-travel feature impresses fans, rivaling other MMO titles.
- The game’s seamless travel mechanics utilize an old loading technique from classic games.
- Despite challenges, NCSoft’s Throne and Liberty has garnered praise, becoming a genre hit.
Fans are praising Throne and Liberty‘s no-loading fast-travel feature, and many fans are claiming that it surpasses the genre’s dominant titles. In recent years, many high-budget MMO games have struggled to satisfy players, with numerous titles fading away or shutting down servers shortly after launch. However, things are looking up for Throne and Liberty, the South Korean rising star in the genre, as its fan base appears content and frequently emphasizes its impressive features.
After a rocky development journey that began in 2011, Throne and Liberty was finally released in October 2024. Despite the controversies and challenges during development, the game had a solid launch, attracting over 300,000 players on Steam. NCSoft’s MMO also received praise from critics, garnering mostly positive reviews. Among the many highlights noted by both reviewers and players, the game’s visuals have particularly stood out. Fans have even suggested that its stunning graphics could rival any current-gen title. Now, one fan’s online post seems to provide evidence supporting this claim.
Reddit user Ohkaybodyrestart shared a short video showcasing Throne and Liberty‘s impressive fast-travel mechanic. The video shows the player opening the overworld map and teleporting to a new location, all in under 15 seconds, without any static loading screens. In their post, Ohkaybodyrestart expressed surprise at how smoothly the game handles travel without forcing players to endure long loading times. Other Reddit users joined in to praise this feature, suggesting that Throne and Liberty is one of the few games that fully utilizes Unreal Engine’s capabilities.
Throne and Liberty’s No-Loading Fast Travels Aren’t New
While Throne and Liberty’s no-loading transitions are impressive, they utilize a relatively old technique seen in classic titles like Final Fantasy 7 from 1997. This method involves hiding the loading screen behind real-time action, creating the illusion of seamless travel. In reality, the action players experience serves as a loading screen. In Throne and Liberty, the character’s nearly ten-second spell-casting animation actually acts as the game’s loading buffer. Similarly, Final Fantasy 7 used this trick by panning the camera in different directions before each fight, providing extra seconds for loading.
Of course, reviving or improving an old technique doesn’t take away from the credit that NCSoft deserves. One thing is certain, Throne and Liberty is already a big hit for its publisher. And if it continues on this trajectory, it has the potential to become a household name and attract an even larger audience. The game’s success may also serve inspiration for major companies that often seem to prioritize monetization over creating enjoyable gaming experiences.