X-Blades
| X-Blades | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio |
 Gaijin Entertainment
|
||
| Publisher |
 TopWare
|
||
| Senior Developer | Andrey Reznik (Lead Designer), Anton Yudintsev (CEO) | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
February 6, 2009 | ||
| platform | Windows , Linux , Mac OS X , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 | ||
| Game engine | Dagor 3.0 | ||
| genre | Action game , hack and slay | ||
| Subject | Anime | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard , controller | ||
| medium | Blu-ray Disc , DVD-ROM | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | Further development of Oniblade | ||
X-Blades is a video game developed by Moscow studio Gaijin Entertainment and published by TopWare Interactive and ZUXXEZ Entertainment . The action game was previously published in 2007 under the name Oniblade in Russia, but has since been further developed in areas such as graphics and gameplay.
action
The focus of X-Blades is the treasure hunter Ayumi, who finds a map at the beginning of the game that shows the way to two mysterious artifacts of immeasurable value. The map also contains an inscription that tells of an ancient legend. Accordingly, from the beginning of time, two divine creatures ruled over the universe - the Dark and the Enlightened. However, this symbiotic balance of darkness and light was disrupted when the two brothers fell out and fought for supremacy. As a result, the enlightened one banished the dual divine power into two artifacts in order to prevent the dark one from usurping all power and plunging the world into eternal chaos. The inscription also gives a clear warning:
“No mortal must dare to look for the artifacts that are guarded by the fallen gods in a safe place. This card must not fall into unauthorized hands, because the divine power itself is tied to the artifacts. But woe to the wicked who should dare to disturb divine providence ... the artifacts are protected by a mighty curse, which will bring mortals eternal damnation and the world eternal darkness. "
Ayumi ignores this warning and goes on a search for the artifacts that are hidden in a temple complex. The plot is broken down into scenes continue to be automatically played sporadically after the end of a level. The style of the videos is based on the anime look, which is achieved through greater use of cel shading effects compared to the game graphics. In the further course of the game, Ayumi has to deal with various types of opponents, some of them story-relevant boss opponents such as the enlightened and the sinister. At times she receives support from the treasure hunter Jay, the fourth central character of the game.
Gameplay
The player controls the protagonist Ayumi in the third person perspective via mouse and keyboard or controller. The gameplay remains primarily true to the characteristics of classic hack and slay : fast-paced battles against a large number of opponents. This principle is occasionally enhanced by boss opponents who are harder to defeat and usually require special strategies.
Ayumi's weapons are gunblades or pistol blades ; a combination of sword and pistol. The basic attacks can be divided into ranged combat (pistol shot) and close combat (blade blow), which can be upgraded in different upgrade levels by collecting artifact fragments distributed in the levels. In this way, new close combat attacks in the form of punch combos and new ranged attacks in the form of different shooting modes are gradually unlocked.
In addition to basic attacks, Ayumi can use magical attacks. These spells can be learned in a separate skill menu by using so-called souls . The player gains souls by defeating opponents or smashing objects such as amphorae and sarcophagi that are scattered throughout the levels. This principle is comparable to the experience point system from role-playing games .
Analogous to the plot about the dark and enlightened side of the divine power, the magic repertoire also includes magic of darkness and enlightenment. The player can choose a side by selecting and learning the corresponding spells in the skill menu. Depending on this choice, the player experiences one of two alternative game endings.
Game world
The temple complex, in which the action of X-Blades takes place, is located on an island and is divided into a total of 42 levels . The level design is mainly based on the temple theme known from games like Tomb Raider . In addition to sections dominated by ruins, the player occasionally gets outside, such as the shores of the Temple Island (level: The abandoned coast ). It should be mentioned that about halfway through the game due to a story turn, the first levels have to be completed again. However, the atmosphere of the game changes due to modified lighting effects that simulate an evening twilight.
Basically, the game areas are structured like arenas: In a limited area, the player has to defeat several waves of opponents and / or a boss opponent. The access to the next level only opens when all opponents are defeated.
The game world of X-Blades is populated by various monster-like creatures. These are comic-like and mostly appear in masses or waves. Examples are the lizard-like pangolin warriors, classic monster spiders and flying ghosts. In addition to the story-relevant characters, the group of boss opponents consists of a handful of particularly strong monsters, such as the Okubelle shaman (a kind of flying monster dragonfly with a giant eye) or the Giant Galapagos (a reptile-like scale monster).
Trivia
Ayumi is spoken in the German language version by Shandra Schadt . Other well-known voice actors are Norman Matt (Jay) and Tilo Schmitz (Der Enlightened / Der Finstere).
Web links
- Official German site for X-Blades
- X-Blades at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Interview with Anton Yudintsev, CEO of Gaijin Entertainment . eurogamer.de, January 5, 2009
- ↑ How did the adventure begin? , in: X-Blades (manual). TopWare 2009. p. 6
- ↑ Press release on the cast of the voice actors . pcgames.de, July 23, 2008