The Secret World Halloween 2015
This was originally posted on MMO Games on 31 October 2015. It is being re-posted here to archive the work I have done in case the original website ever shuts down.
Here Comes Halloween
The Secret World launched their Halloween event for 2015 on Tuesday October 27th. The event will run three weeks; until November 17th, 2015. There are new quests, and all of the Halloween content from previous years is being reactivated so that players can experience it if they never have before, as well as repeat specific content they may have enjoyed previously. There is also a new dance and new bags available, and players will be able to purchase last year’s bags from the Item Shop for the dance and items contained within.
There are two new bags–one called Haunted Sundries which is available from participating in the event, as well as for purchase in the Item Store, and the Sack of Samhain Revels, available only from the store. They contain new outfits, masks, and other items, including the new Ghost Rider inspired motorcycle Romain “Tilty” Amiel showed off and gave away during “The Streaming Ones” on Friday October 23rd, called the Geist Rider Bike. It is worthy of any Ghost Rider fan, and is a rare item that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
This year’s event is called “The Seven Silences”, which focuses on a piece of lore and turns it completely on its head. It is impossible for Secretworlders to die, (some may call them immortal) and it seems that one has been able to commit suicide. It was also noted during the stream that there will be at least one tie-in mission to Funcom’s newest game also released Tuesday: The Park. There are already tie-ins from Solomon Island that link The Park to The Secret World, and this will be one more nugget for all the lore-fiends to devour.
Previous Years’ Events
In 2012, the first event, Samhain, included various missions (quests), achievements, and lore based around The Cat God. The mission chain began with an investigation mission, arguably some of the best quest content-type in the game, forcing you to search the web and build upon your knowledge of the world in-game, as well as outside of it. Kingsmouth residents have lost their cats, and in this world, it can’t just be that they ran away. Your role is to investigate what is going on, and from there, you’ll need to locate a portal so you can stop the summoning ritual and save Kingsmouth. For the moment, anyway.
In 2013, the Halloween event build upon the previous year’s events with a total of ten more missions to expand the story in Kingsmouth. So much for saving them last year! These missions deepen the stories of the characters within Kingsmouth, and delve into their past, and their present. The missions give us more of a window into the relationships amongst the inhabitants of Kingsmouth, and they are very interesting to complete.
Last year introduced a brand new Halloween event called The Broadcast, which focused around conspiracy theories related to numbers stations. Numbers stations are an odd duck with a cult following–they are radio broadcasts that utilize synthesized voices to read out strings of numbers, or incomprehensible coded messages that loop. Number station conspiracy theories have been referenced throughout pop-culture, including: Lost, Fringe, Welcome to Night Vale, and even Call of Duty: Black Ops. It would be only natural for The Secret World to join the following and create an entire story revolving around the conspiracy.
Why I’m Excited
As a newer player to The Secret World, I am excited to learn more of the lore in the game. One of the big selling points that brought me back to the game is the story-driven content, which the Developers of the game excel at. Knowing that I can complete all of the Halloween-related events from the beginning is a very appealing thing, especially since some of the past years’ content builds upon itself, and upon the general lore of the game.
There’s so much to enjoy about the game in general, one of my favorites being Investigation-type missions, where you must take the time outside of the game to complete research, and find tools (for instance a Morse Code reader) to help you on your journey within the world. There are no holds barred, and that makes the game extremely immersive and in-line with our day-to-day lives. The Secret World feels as if it could actually exist.
The developers don’t hold back when it comes to creating story in The Secret World, and they often re-use characters and locations to deepen the story and create, a deep and interesting world. There is a broad story behind these characters and missions, and these stories extend past the zones they are located in. The cadre of characters aren’t just named NPCs with fluff stories, but instead have a rich history behind them and their abilities, as well as how they came to be in the ever-darkening world that is The Secret World.
Why It’s The Bee’s Knees
The Secret World is a world full of intrigue, the occult, secret societies, and mysteries galore. It is steeped in horror and dramatic anticipation in many modes via storytelling, music, video and investigation. Every day there are ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night from a plethora of locales and sub-cultures–it’s Halloween every day in The Secret World.
While there are many games that create events inspired by Halloween, in many different fashions, The Secret World is the game that does it right, and does it best. The missions are full of depth, and not justa repeat of dailies and instances–there is a story worthy of any horror junkie out there. One could argue that if it’s Halloween every day in The Secret World, the game’s Halloween events themselves must be like Christmas.