In this new episodic game from A Crowd of Monsters, Ness has subsequently retired to run the titular Blues and Bullets diner in the town of Santa Esperanza. With the game on track for release sometime this spring, you can find more information about Armikrog at the official website.Įliot Ness is the American Prohibition agent who achieved fame bringing down the gangster Al Capone. The creators are definitely not just relying on nostalgia for The Neverhood, and I look forward to seeing the finished product. Just this brief try, covering less than half a dozen rooms, certainly left me eager for more. This also revealed extra detail in one location, so it would appear Beak-Beak’s non-visual sense can “see” things Tommynaut can’t.īy the time I’d finished the demo I’d gained part of a code, called a tentacle to operate as a lift, and seen some surreal but funny animal antics. When in an area only occupied by Beak-Beak, the graphics change to a slightly blurry black-and-white appearance, representing his blinded sense of his surroundings. It is also possible to temporarily take control of Beak-Beak to access areas too small for Tommynaut. ![]() Inventory is handled automatically, with Tommynaut literally placing objects within his chest for later retrieval. No such shortcuts are taken here, and the gestures for even picking up an item are so grandiose they are a joy to watch. I have seen too many games have a character just vaguely wave their hand at objects to pick them up. Recorded at 30 frames per minute, the animation overall is nothing short of amazing. Given how time-consuming the animation method is, and that many players would not consider clicking more than once, I found this a surprisingly pleasing attention to detail. Clicking this window repeatedly produced a series of animations. Sam Forrest, from the game’s publisher Versus Evil, was keen to ensure I saw that this was not just a one-off. For some, these are simply to provide more life, such as the activities of the local fauna as viewed through a window. The makers boast that there are no simple decorations in the game, with all markings and objects having a purpose. The demo on display consisted of the opening rooms of the tower, the scenery including high-vaulted rooms, some sporting vast machine parts, and some peculiar alien wildlife. Tongue-in-cheek humour was central to the script, especially with the somewhat acerbic put-downs of Beak-Beak. Both have been voiced by professional actors, and the quality of the sound recording came through. His companion, dog-like but with a sharp pointed nose and two ridges where his eyes should be, is much more excitable. He clearly sees himself as a great hero, taking big strides and often adopting a hands-on-hips stance. Tommynaut is a humanoid character, though with grey skin and bulging black eyes. The look is reminiscent of the earlier game, with stop-motion animation once again being used. Rather than a sequel, the cult classic claymation adventure is to get a spiritual successor in the form of Armikrog, with two of the artists from its predecessor, Ed Schofield and Mike Dietz, and writer/artist Doug TenNapel reuniting once more. It has been nearly 19 years since The Neverhood was first released on PC. Little do they know that this is the fabled fortress of Armikrog, and many strange and wondrous revelations await them inside. Having narrowly escaped being eaten by the local wildlife, the intrepid pair seek shelter in a nearby building. He and his blind alien dog sidekick, Beak-Beak, have crash-landed on a hostile planet. Tommynaut, brave explorer of the universe, is having a bad day. Into this maelstrom I went in search of adventuring goodness. There was even a truly minimalist offering, with a dungeon crawler where the dungeon consisted of a single line of LED lights. Co-operative gaming took a new turn, with one player viewing a fantasy world on a tablet directing another player with a phone whose motion controlled the protagonist of that world. ![]() Another demonstrated a new control system, with a game controlled by your breathing. One developer appeared to confuse the “virtual” part of Virtual Reality, offering players the Oculus Rift experience of being shut in a coffin whilst actually shut in a coffin. ![]() The zombie apocalypse got a new twist, with the undead being mowed down by sloths with swords and elephants with machine guns. At a stand decked out to match its game setting, players were challenged to get the fastest time driving a bagel around a virtual kitchen. A wide range of experiences were available to suit all palates, with some unusual offerings on display. Spanning two levels of the sprawling Tobacco Docks exhibition site in central London, EGX Rezzed was a celebration of electronic gaming.
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