One of the first games that I went to see on my entry into the PAX 2010 expo hall was inXile Entertainment’s upcoming third-person action game, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge. The game is powered by the Unreal Engine 3, where you play as one of three characters. In my half an hour with the game, I was able to play with the Amazon-like female character and the main warrior class. A co-op buddy and myself were able to traverse our way through one of the main story missions. This is a cover based shooter/brawler. I say that because you can shoot arrows and cast magic spells, along with performing close-up melee combat. Maxx Kaufman, the game’s director, was alongside, helping us through some of the tougher parts.
One of the best features was the ability to switch from melee, magic and ranged combat with a click of the left or right bumper. Each stance also has multiple skills associated. For example, as the female character, you can switch between ice and normal arrows by hitting one of the directions on the d-pad. This can bring many layers of strategy to an already hectic fight.
As you traverse the levels, there are points where you can deviate from the main campaign by unlocking side missions. These are completely optional, but further unveil the already deep lore. In the short Alpha build, I was able to experience a solid game.
Hunted: The Demon’s Forge is designed from inception to be played cooperatively, with AI or human players. This notion is further proven through the sequences that players must use certain characters’ skills to complete simple puzzles. This means that the in the final build, the AI, if you are playing single-player, has to be spot on or it can cause huge frustration. Overall, the game looks solid, the combat is very visceral and the inclusion of resurrection potions is awesome. I had fun with the small portion of the game that I played and hope to see more as Hunted: The Demon’s Forge comes together for a release sometime next year.
Visit the official website at huntedthegame.com for more details and media.
