14 DAY TRIAL // Valve is one of the most appreciated companies in the gaming community because it really listens to fans and commits to releasing games when they are completely done, even though this usually means delays after delays. But one of the greatest resources ever to come from the company is its Source engine, which powered a lot of its games up until now.
However, Source isn't strictly reserved to Valve's titles, as other developers have used it for their own creations. Such is the case with Chile-based Ace Team, which is responsible for Zeno Clash, an independent first-person combat simulator that borrows both elements of shooter and puzzlers, all set in a fantasy world.
The game was just released a few days ago and it is already on the number two spot in terms of downloads from Valve's Steam digital content distribution network. I recently had a chance to spend one hour with this fairly weird title and here are my thoughts:
13:00 I start up this game with a fair amount of curiosity. From what I've seen, it looks unlike anything created in recent times, which can be a breath of fresh air but can also give the player a feeling of fear.
13:10 After a brief cut scene where the protagonist, Ghat, is seen fighting with some sort of creature, he is now faced with a very scary person, which teaches him how to fight. The whole feel of the game is quite interesting, similar to Mirror's Edge.
13:15 After the fighting scene ends, I snap back to reality and see that I've killed Father-Mother, a mysterious creature, and now all of my “brothers and sisters” are quite angry with me. The first true fight begins, between me and one of my sisters and two brothers, one similar to a humanoid parrot and another to a pig. Yes it sounds pretty awkward but it seems that the developers at Ace really let their imagination fly when it came to character design.
13:25 After the first fight, I must admit that I'm pretty surprised. The game handles quite well, and it is very varied in terms of the moves you can pull off, and don't forget that this was just the first battle that Ghat needs to survive.
13:30 I'm back into a meditative state of sorts, with the same mysterious person showing me how to wield a weapon and explosives. As soon as I learn that, it's back to the real world because more of my big family is coming after me, and this time they will also have weapons.
13:40 While you can focus on using weapons, they can be easily knocked out of your hands by the enemies, so it's best to use them at long range, and, as soon as they are in striking range, start throwing punches and kicks. An interesting aspect is that you must eat oranges (or some fruit that resembles them) in order to regenerate your health. This can also be done during battles, but they are quite intense, so you won't have a lot of time to scavenge for fruit.
13:50 The next segment really shows just what this game is about. Theoretically, it might seem like a huge open-world sandbox title, but practically you can only go where the developers want you to go and finish off every enemy until you are allowed to continue. Now, I need to shoot, alongside my female companion who looks like Alyx from Half Life 2 but sadly isn't as bright, a cross between rats and birds that are coming out of the proverbial woodwork.
14:00 My one hour is up, and, after I finish off the flying, or more like jumping rats, I reach a new land filled with some very insane looking characters, called the Corwids. Looks like there will be a lot of fighting to be done until the end of the game.
All in all, Zeno Clash will certainly leave a lasting impression on almost any gamer. If not for the solid fighting mechanics then for the unique art style and character design, which isn't like anything you've ever seen.