Raven’s Cry First Look at PAX East 2012
Raven’s Cry, A true look into the life of a pirate.
The pirate genre of games seems to be one that developers are afraid to touch. Besides the Pirates of the Caribbean movie tie –ins, which I try to forget about, a good pirate themed game doesn’t seem to exist. Enter Raven’s Cry, a third person action adventure title from Octane Games. At PAX East 2012, TopWare was kind enough to sit down with For the Love of Gaming, and give us a play through of Raven’s Cry. After just a small demo I can safely say this will be a title I will definitely be keeping my eyes on.
Raven’s Cry is a story about revenge. You play as Christopher Raven, a man who seeks to kill the ones responsible for the death of his kin. Along the way you will face many different types of enemies, and make choices that will ultimately decide the fate of your victims.
Raven’s Cry looks to reinvent the image of a pirate.
Our demo was about 15 minutes long, and took place sometime in the first half of the game. It started off with Chris making his way through Port Royal, with the objective to get some information about his fallen kin. Right away I noticed a lot of events occurring in the background. Octane Games says that the image of a pirate has been altered in today’s media. They look to reinvent that image, and show that the pirate is truly a dark and selfish individual. In Raven’s Cry, you will not only play the life of a pirate, but you will see how other pirates act in the world.
The world of Raven’s Cry doesn’t look to shabby either. The game runs on Havok’s Trinigy engine, and even though the game was in pre alpha, I was impressed with the graphic fidelity. The dark and ominous feel only aided in selling the idea of truly learning how pirates acted in the 1700’s.
Choices in Raven’s Cry isn’t just about Good Vs Evil decisions.
As Chris made his way to a bar, he was interrupted by a couple of low life’s running their mouths. The battle system of Raven’s Cry might look familiar if you have played Assassins Creed. Enemies seemed to surround Chris, and attack one at a time. The weapons of Raven’s Cry consist of different swords, but there are some really cool and unique additions. The Axe Rifle for example, a gun with an axe near the end of the barrel, combines the effectiveness of a ranged weapon, with the power of a close ranged axe. Chris also has an interchangeable hook for his left hand. While we didn’t see it in action, TopWare assured us that it will have many different attachments.
Gunplay will obviously be in Raven’s Cry, but since the title takes place in the 1700’s, guns will not play the same role as in modern shooters. Chris stores his guns on his back, and once you take a shot, he will dispose of the gun for good. Taking time to repack a gun with powder just isn’t something Chris wants to deal with, and instead will pick up other peoples guns along the way.
After Chris disposed of the nuisance, he continued to make his way to a bar. Once he arrived, he sat down with a fellow pirate who claimed to know something about Chris’ fallen kin. Raven’s Cry does feature dynamic choices, but it is different system that what gamers are used to. As Chris was fishing for information, he had two choices to persuade the pirate to tell him what he knows. The first was to shoot him under the table, and the other was to shove a knife through his hand. Once again, Octane Games looks to reinvent the image of the pirates as a cold heartless individual, and the choices the player makes will always reiterate that image. Raven’s Cry wants to give the player choices, but the choices don’t focus on what’s right or wrong. Instead of focusing on a Good VS Evil mentality, which most games that offer choices tend to incorporate, the player will see exactly how pirates got their business accomplished.
After our demo I was genuinely impressed. I can only imagine the game will get even better, and I was still kind of in awe that it was in pre-alpha. I really enjoyed the feel of the world, and the idea of making choices without having to worry if I made the right one will be a nice change of pace. The pirate genre has always been an area that I felt like never received enough attention. I really like the mature feel that Raven’s Cry will offer, and if you have been waiting for that real pirate experience, you will want to keep your eye on this title. Raven’s Cry will be releasing on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC sometime either last 2012, or early 2013.
