Exactly 10 years ago, The Secret World was released, an MMORPG like no other since. A completely new experience that MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus extensively played back then. For the anniversary, he wants to take another look – and hopefully can handle it.
On July 3, 2012, The Secret World was released. My account for it is even a few weeks older, as you could sign up earlier and secure some advantages. The MMORPG completely captivated me back then.
In The Secret World, I play in an alternate reality with Lovecraftian flair. Monsters from the Cthulhu Mythos are real, just like magic and all sorts of conspiracy theories.
As a player, I can join the famous Illuminati, the Templar Order, or the Asian “Dragons”. Strange things happen all over the world, and I must uncover them together with my companions.
In this, I am one of the chosen ones who cannot easily die, as glowing “bees” bring me back to life repeatedly. Dark, bizarre, spooky, and with a good dose of dry humor. Exactly my kind of game!
So why is it a mistake to install the game now? Quite simply: because it failed and for good reasons. I know that nostalgia will drive me to play again. But I also know that I will be bitterly disappointed.
The Secret World is a dream for all nerds, and that was the problem
The fresh approach to the genre, the completely unspent setting, and the MMORPG market that wasn’t so flooded back then were enticing for many gamers, including a group of friends and myself.
The Secret World had – or has, as it’s still running – many mechanics that are absolutely unusual for the MMORPG genre.
But exactly these factors ensured that the game never really reached the broad masses.
MeinMMO editor Jürgen Horn played the relaunch of The Secret World 5 years ago. By the way, there are quite a few old MMORPGs that are still played a lot:
Unique quest design with augmented reality
One of the biggest innovations of The Secret World was the “Investigation” quests. With just a few clues, I must uncover a secret, discovering more and more hints that lead to the solution – like a real investigator.
I follow trails, speak to NPCs, or – which is absolutely wild – I have to use the fully functional web browser integrated into the game to access company websites created specifically for The Secret World. Even NPCs have their own Twitter accounts.
Such a thing has never happened before. I’m not talking about looking up a quest on wowhead. I actually had to check which employees were at a company because I was supposed to search for their names in some secret files.
Very cool for someone who wants to immerse themselves in the world. Super annoying if you just want to play casually. Because these quests are also the ones with the absolute best rewards. But no one wants to puzzle for so long for XP and a new weapon…
The “Kingsmouth Code” is the first investigator mission you receive. Here is a walkthrough of the quest:
Weapons were also a pretty cool idea. For healing, you wielded an assault rifle or claws, because what else would make sense, right? Chaos magic is there for tanking and you deal damage with pistols of course.
For me, as a relatively young gamer at 19, it was all really cool. A change from WoW, an interesting world. I played intensely for half a year.
It was damn cool to join the Templars or see what the Illuminati headquarters looks like. How the secret organizations operate to lead supposed conspiracy theorists around by the nose.
Or simply to dive into a world where monsters from Lovecraft are real. What would well-known cities look like if they were suddenly overrun by disgusting creatures? An enticing thought.
But eventually, something was simply missing. Today I know what caused the failure of The Secret World.
Although The Secret World never intended to
