+My P'atreon:
https://www.Patreon.com/Sokdavid
+My Facebook Page :
https://www.facebook.com/P.S.David123/ Or Sokdavid Gaming
+My X ( Formerly Twitter ):
https://x.com/PhornSokdavid
+My YT Gaming Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_o7H0XZmHnnX0UlvGP4Yg Or Sokdavid Gaming
+My YT Story Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJQRusFZcaqwoQqc132dPQ or Sokdavid Story
+My Webnovel:
https://www.webnovel.com/profile/4306272971 or Sokdavid
+My Wattpad:
https://www.wattpad.com/user/Sokdavid123
+My Archive of Our Own:
https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokdavid
-----------
On the day when the game was first launched, in addition to ordinary players like Barton, many prominent streamers on major live platforms also broadcast their playthroughs of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In addition to John's livestream of Skyrim, Sword of Kings from Essence had already received significant promotion during its early marketing phase. The hype largely centered on choosing between Skyrim and Sword of Kings. For streamers, price was rarely a concern, unlike for ordinary players.
However, just like Barton, many streamers and players made a common beginner's mistake. They attacked chickens in Westwood Town and were promptly marked as criminals by the local guards. Players took to the forums, venting:
"My god, I killed a chicken right at the start. The townspeople in Westwood hunted me down! I'm astounded!"
"Guardsmen in Westwood, just wait, I'll return with divine armor and take revenge! If you want a bribe, say it! But to arrest me outright?"
"Don't go to jail! You'll lose XP and skill levels. Better to grind wolves to level 5, then enter Westwood. You'll still get arrested, lose gear, and drop skill points."
"Y'all are still killing chickens in Westwood? I've already joined the Empire in Solitude!"
"I joined the Stormcloaks, freedom for Skyrim!"
"I've reached Snowmantle City. The scenery is breathtaking, had me in tears."
"I skipped Westwood entirely and wandered off. Found a shipwreck, rescued a bard, and got a lore book. There are tons of collectible books, definitely gonna hunt them all."
"Speechless, I killed an NPC in Westwood and instantly failed the quest."
"Mission-giver died. Had to reload an earlier save."
Thousands of players shared their experiences on the forum. Many discovered they weren't confined to the main quest's path to Westwood Town; they could roam freely, even disrupt quests by killing important NPCs, defying typical game design norms. Few games had ever offered this degree of freedom. It felt like true immersion in another world, where players acted on their own will rather than following scripted rules.
Compared to the sense of freedom Skyrim gave players, Sword of Kings from Essence was equally ambitious in scope. Its large-scale war scenes early on were visually stunning and intense.
Although John hadn't paid much attention to Sword of Kings before launch, he purchased it upon release. The graphics were excellent, the performance smooth, and the emotional tone strong. Just like the dramatic opening of Skyrim, with Alduin's surprise attack and the player's escape from Helgen, the introduction to the world was awe-inspiring. Essence clearly understood the impact of a powerful opening. Sword of Kings began with an epic battlefield experience.
"The production quality is solid, but the gameplay doesn't innovate," John concluded.
The opening battle was thrilling. John admitted it made the game feel promising at first, but soon, the pace slowed, and the narrative felt more limited. As the exiled prince of a fallen kingdom, the protagonist must gather old allies and reclaim the throne.
Though that's the core storyline, it felt underwhelming in actual gameplay. After finishing Chapter 2, John quietly uninstalled Sword of Kings. It was a competent AAA title, but not groundbreaking, even with its new features. Its shortcomings were clearer when compared to Skyrim. Having experienced both, John felt confident saying, "Sword of Kings just doesn't hold up."
Meanwhile, Luna also tried the demo of Skyrim at Essence. After just 30 minutes, during which she killed a chicken in Westwood Town and was mobbed by guards, she quit. Reading online reviews, Luna smiled and shook her head, "Freedom?"
Giving players true freedom in an RPG isn't easy, and it can backfire. Too much freedom can break the narrative structure. Without clear objectives, players may enjoy the openness initially, but after an hour or two? They become aimless and bored. Eventually, players turn back to structured quests. But when the game emphasizes freedom at the expense of coherence, immersion suffers. This kind of design isn't necessarily good.
Initially, Luna considered implementing a nonlinear quest system in Sword of Kings, but she dropped the idea. As for killing quest NPCs and triggering automatic failure, is that freedom? To her, that was chaos masquerading as player agency. If the main questline collapses, then what? You'll just be rerouted to another NPC, continuing with a disconnected sense of progression. Such randomness frustrates players.
A workaround would be to implement a massive number of side quests and alternative branches to guide player behavior organically, making the narrative richer and more cohesive. But doing so is a monumental task and extremely costly. Did Skyrim manage this? In Luna's opinion, no. Otherwise, how could it retail for so low?
Watching feedback for Sword of Kings and seeing its latest sales figures, Luna gave a confident smile and said, "Solid performance!"