Strap in and prepare yourself to go back in time because PAX West hosted a large number of games ready to blast players into the past. As a history sicko, I was more than happy to leap in feet-first and take my chances with these indies’ recreated worlds. The three listed below took me on an unforgettable journey.
God Save Birmingham
Let’s go full Medieval. God Save Birmingham fist caught me eye during the most recent Future Games Show. Its premise is so good. England’s populous in the fourteenth century lived under constant threat of death, especially from the dreaded Black Death — a horrific disease that struck without warning and could wipe out entire villages. So, what better base for a zombie apocalypse?
The game’s creators, before pushing me into the danger zone, appealed to my historical sympathies. They explained the game’s setting, Birmingham, was picked very specifically because the architectural records went back far enough that they could rebuild the Medieval town with fair accuracy. Smaller than the country’s more sprawling urban centers, the team could also put the town’s entire map into the game. Which, unfortunately for me, has a lot of nooks and crannies for the undead to lurk in.
I started off in a dark, but secure, room. The lack of threats gave me a chance to get up to speed with the pre-alpha game’s mechanics. Bandages sitting in the corner were helpful tools to stop a wound from openly bleeding. A few raw eggs I discovered laying around took the edge off of my starvation. And here, I realized this was, first and foremost, a survival game, complete with hunger meter and crafting. It was only when I was encouraged to step out into the dead-filled streets that zombies become a all-consuming threat. I didn’t deal with it spectacularly, as I was mobbed trying to enter a cathedral. But I can’t wait to do better my second time around.
Tears of Metal
Maybe it’s the Irish in me, but it always brings a smile to my face when a game gives me the chance to battle the English for independence. Tears of Metal, which got revealed during Summer Game Fest, promises one heck of a fight. The spectacular visuals and equally fierce-looking combat shot it straight to the top of my PAX must-play list.
What I booted up turned out to be a Scottish Dynasty Warriors Roguelike. The narrative is still being kept a mystery — no matter what clever questions I came up with to try to uncover it. I do know, however, that a spine-chillingly large hunk of rock seems to have fallen from the sky onto the lands of a Scotland of ages past. Of course, the English seemed to have seized on this as an excuse to send troops into the realm. That’s where Wallace comes in. Though the armored brawler was the only available leader in the demo, three intriguing shadows stand beside him, teasing more character options in the future.
I started on an overworld map with various paths I could follow, each with their own unique mixture of encounters. At one stopping point, I haggled with a sinister wytch for healing item. In another I joined furious battle. The action is all real-time, and though I control Wallace, a battalion of men follow me into the fray. I have a number of cooldown-governed abilities on top of my quick hits and blocking to help me cut through the enemy. I run into various boss-like opponents as I surge forward, who boast large health bars and skills of their own. But no matter the challenge, I managed to overcome — so far that is.
The Stone of Madness
A screaming women is pulled along in broad daylight. The guard dragging her is heedless of her terrified predictions of death. I watch all of this, but can do little, being a prisoner in all but name in a solitary monastery known for confining the mentally disturbed.
I did not initially come to this lonely place of apparent-worship as an inmate. I was a respected brother of the cloth, giving sermons and caring for the sick. Until I discovered the place’s corruption. No, after that, I transformed from flock leader to a black sheep — locked away and labeled insane to protect those in power. Perhaps that’s why I don’t dismiss the captive’s wild claims and begin planning to rescue her.
The Stone of Madness could have been made exclusively for me with how much its setting — a monastery in 1700s Spain — appeals to my sensibilities. The gameplay is also right up my alley, with real-time tactical stealth being the order of the day and a myriad of interactable environmental elements changing up my strategy. I played the demo a little longer than is polite during a busy event, but I still didn’t get enough of the experience.
Leave a Reply