OK, I finished the beta of Heavens beast, it just got better if that's possible. I played about 4% of this magnificent game. It took about 8 hours. I do believe the game will be about 200+ hours of gaming bliss in total when final. This is one I will be proud to invest in. I am not half bad in gaming talent so I know that it may take 250+ hours for the casual gamer. The incredible thing is it's full on guality throughout.
Abe Babe just like you I love to explore, just love it, this game is all about exploration, among other things of course. Magic, action, stealth,unique creatures, major high level artificial intelligence, such a deep feel of surreal strange beauty. Vast city to jungle swamps to sea's with no end. It really feels like Oddworld in a way.
You use you're characters in every imaginable way possible, in combination or by themselves. All characters are used for various tasks, it' up to to on how. It's totally non-linear. For example you can go through a mountain or around it, or over it, or skip it entirely. I can still go back and search out 10-20 hours of terrain I by passed, who knows what else lurks around in those dark shadows.
Here's an example, you'll like this Abe babe. I decided to use 2 of the characters to scout, one is an expert scout with his own speacial abilities, the other is the main character, the one with the most versatility. I traveled on and on, in a complete opposite direction than the quest will have you go normally. Mind you this was just one of many directions possible. After traveling for 20 minutes I incountered 2 all new types of beasts that traveled in packs.Just put there for extra depth, . You could avoid them or attack them, or follow them to more isolated sections of this vast game.The terrain was always changing, the draw distance is spectacular.
You can see from one vista far to the other, great ambiance and done in such perfect detail. Now when I had to stop, it was because of an impassable area of quicksand. However I could have gone back to my followers and brought back the correct characters to help in crossing the quicksand area.And who knows what's on the other side? This game is beyond anything I can describe, it is soooo much more, you will play it someday and really feel it the way it should be felt.
It is deep and dark, however it has it 's lightness to it as well, a great contrast.
Well on my way back from the quicksand area I spotted something shining in a patch of tall grass about 200 feet away.I investigated it, it was a small amulet, just a portion of one. Where are the other pieces? It can be used for one of the characters that follow you.A power-up for one of it's abilities. Just laying there way of you're main path,incredible. You will need all the power you can get as the game goes along. This creates exploration to the max.You always wonder what's around every corner or every hill. Don't forget the game has plenty of action as well, tons of ways to fight with you're versatile characters, it's all up to you.Powers, magic, weapons, transports that will make Elum of our Forum here just drool. Just two sweet transports thus far, but over a dozen are promised.
Anyway's, I'll explore more in the coming days from time to time and fill you in later.
Oh yes and I wanted to mention the graphics again, you are playing a full on CG movie here, major poly count on all the characters/creatures. Wow this and MO along with a few other gems this Fall, unbelievable.
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