Fairytale Fights First Impressions
Fairytale Fights is a new IP from PlayLogic, which is being developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It's being built using the Unreal Engine 3 and it's probably one of the more imaginative uses for this particular piece of kit. Gaming Union was fortunate enough to get some lengthy hands-on time with the game at GamesCom 2009 and it's certainly an interesting prospect.
The basic premise is that many of the characters from famous Fairy Tales have lost their fame and they are on a quest to become famous again. However, this world is much more brutal than the one told to children and they will literally do whatever it takes.
Gameplay focuses around a 4-player mechanic, with an emphasis on drop-in and drop-out play. It's possible to play the game as a single player, but also to have some buddies round, but it does highlight one of the flaws in the game's design. It's far too easy to kill the other characters, and players might find themselves constantly being killed by others. It's something that can get exceedingly frustrating, and it does hamper progression through the level.
The controls are exceedingly simple. The left analogue stick is used for movement, and the right analogue stick is used to attack. The basic melee attack is quite weak though, so it's a good idea to pick up one of the various melee weapons that appear throughout levels. These can range from swordfish to samurai swords and they are much more brutal. Don't be surprised to find seas of blood around the levels; something which the developers expect to happen as they've put in a mechanic which allows players to slide across it. It's not surprising to learn that this game will be award the highest age rating possible when it's released.
To further compound the brutality, all of the characters have been configured using a full skeletal model. This means that when using special attacks, it's possible to slice people up, break their bones and pretty much destroy them. There will even be an achievement for cutting an enemy into a certain amount of pieces and this is due to a 1 to 1 simulation with the analogue stick.
Graphically the game looks a bit lacking, but it could be due to the selected art style. There were also a few design issues which could become a problem later on, like the ability to walk infinitely off the screen. Hopefully they will be sorted out as the game comes closer to its prospective launch period, which is currently touted as Fall 2009.
It's good to see developers toying with interesting ideas, and it's also good to see developers embracing the hack-and-slash genre. Hopefully we'll find out more about the game as it gets closer to its launch.
