In South Korea, Sword of the New World: Granado Espada won awards for best graphics and the 2006 Presidential Game of the Year. This unique massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game, developed by Hakkyu Kim (Ragnarok Online), employs a truly unique and stylized game with easy to learn controls. However, in spite of these accolades, something was lost in translation when the game was brought over to the West, since certain aspects of gameplay leave much to be desired.

[IMG align=right]http://media.gamedaily.com/games/sword-of-the-new-world-granado-espada/pc/14.jpg[/IMG]Unlike many MMO's, where a single hero is the central focus, Sword of the New World (SNW) allows players to simultaneously control multiple characters to form a "family." This gets rid of much of the redundancy normally associated to class-based games. Where players would normally need separate character slots to play as a warrior, healer or wizard, they can now play them all at once. Instead of waiting and hoping for important characters like healers to become available, players immediately have one on hand and can customize their teams as needed. Players start with four family slots, and may purchase additional ones later on, but can only select three to form a team per adventure. Unlike the hero system in Guild Wars Nightfall, players exert direct control over party members and switch between them at any time while the computer operates the other two. With this system, the game offers an incredible amount of solo play, and players that team together to form a sort of extended family have a small army at their disposal.

Inspired by Europe's exploration of the Americas, the heroes colonize and pioneer the land of Granado Espada. Kim based the game's art on Europe's Baroque period, which truly makes it stand out compared to other games, but the characters still use sword and spell attacks against fantasy monsters. Female characters wear fancy gowns (although, 17th century women probably weren't quit so revealing) while the men look... well... flamboyant. Not everyone will enjoy this artistic sense, or the fact that SNW lacks character customization. All characters look identical, except for their clothes. This isn't such a big deal, since the wardrobes look so fabulously complex and lavish that they get all the attention instead of the faces. However, players must purchase entire outfits in order to differentiate themselves. Minor additions, like dropped armor parts, don't change the look of the avatar. Similarly, the music also represents a mishmash of different styles. One moment, players hear an orchestral piano, and then the next track will include a techno beat.