14 DAY TRIAL // Bethesda has a busy launch schedule this year and one of the new intellectual properties it is aiming to establish is Hunted: The Demon's Forge, a cooperative-oriented third-person action title which has drawn a lot of comparisons, in terms of visual style, to the Epic Games developed Gears of War series.
Bethesda admits to the fact that developer inXile has drawn inspiration from the hugely popular franchise.
Dave Clayman, who is one of the developers working on Hunted: The Demon's Forge, has told VG247 that, “I think it’s a fine comparison. People love Gears and the action is there. The third-person action is apparent, and there are similarities when you are using a bow and arrow and when you’re taking cover. You can see how that plays out in the gameplay. I think cover-based action games are really a proven fun type of gameplay style.”
He added that an observer can also spot a lot of differences, adding, “The way the characters are really different. Caddoc and E’lara are not the same type of play style at all, they’re very different. And you have to play at each other's strengths to really experience the game for what it is.”
Clayman also believes that Hunted is a distinct gaming experience which has a lot of elements that Gears of War lacks, including a magic system tailored for each character and a light role-playing aspect that allows for each of the two to be developed as the game progresses.
At the moment, the development team also says that it does not plan to deliver any downloadable content for Hunted: The Demon's Forge but plans might change depending on the performance of the game.
The creators of the game hope that players will take on the task of creating more content for the game if they like it, with user-generated levels in some ways replacing the DLC and allowing the developers to focus on other tasks.