'God of War meets Dead Space' was the phrase being whispered around the Internet ahead of Inferno's official unveiling. By the time we see the game, the influence is practically screaming out. Make no mistake, this is God of War, set in Dante's Hell, made by the Dead Space team. And if that doesn't get you excited, check your pulse.
EA's is unabashed by how brazenly Inferno wears its primary game influence. Indeed, the team claims it would be "incredibly flattered" by any comparison to Sony's great action series. But it's a mark of the fellow Californian developer's confidence that it has the temerity to take on God of War at its own game, with the absolute conviction that it can beat it through a combination of Dante's narrative universe, and the talent of the team.
If you've ever played God of War, you'll know exactly where you are with Inferno. And we mean exactly. X to jump, circle to grab, heavy and light attacks mapped to triangle and square, block and special attacks on the shoulder. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? In short, it's set-piece-driven, third-person action, employing the now unmistakable blend of melee and magic attacks against enemy hordes of all shapes and sizes.
The setting for Inferno is Dante's pursuit of his beloved Beatrice through the nine circles of Hell, after she is murdered by Death and her soul dragged into the underworld. In the literature, Dante is accompanied by the Roman poet Virgil, who guides him through the gates of Hell and down towards Lucifer at its centre. As you might imagine, a 14,000-line conversation between two poets isn't quite like watching Commando on fast forward, so EA has used a little artistic licence to beef up Dante and turn him into a throbbing, thrusting action hero.
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Before the playable stage, there's a suitably dramatic cut-scene rendered in a distinctively charming medieval tapestry style, with stirring music and extracts of the poem intoned with ecclesiastical menace. Disappointingly, we learn that the animations are only placeholder, with the usual ILM-smashing CGI mini-epics promised for the final release. We don't doubt that these will look spectacular (as the trailer attests), but it's not always necessary to throw money at an effects studio to make an impact. Sometimes less is more.
Control of Dante is fluid, responsive and satisfying. Initial waves of enemies, skeletal fiends that spawn from the ground like a Harryhausen movie, are thrown our way to get a feel for the controls. As with God of War, you can mash your way through these encounters untroubled, but your attacks can be finessed with mid-air grabs, throws, juggling combos and so on. And he's an agile chap, too, clambering across walls and up and down ropes with athletic ease.
The homage to Sony's title continues in the Cross-shaped status bar in the top-left, with two energy meters - one for health, the other for magic - replenished by collective coloured orbs left in the wake of dispatched foes, or prised out of chests with a few rapid taps of the circle button.
You'll gain more magic attacks as you progress; the only one available to us is Lust Storm, which produces a shimmering burst of supernatural energy to get you out of a tight spot; but we also saw listings for Sins Of The Father, Heart Of Cerberus and Suicide Fruit, which sounds like the cocktail menu in a goth pub.
The game's not out for at least another year, but is already encouragingly locked at 60 frames-per-second. And with Dante as level designer-at-large there's no excuse for a single wasted pixel in the construction of this virtual hell.
Ambiente fantástico!! Vem aqui jogaço espero eu!
