INFO:
When dtp Entertainment decided to show me Venetica, I had no idea what I was getting into. I had never heard of the title, although it was apparently an Xbox 360/PC release at some point in Europe, and now Deck 13 was developing a PS3 version for release in 2011. As I watched my presentation, I was upset that I had not played the game as of yet, because it looks like it could be a lot of fun if the story is handled properly, and the rough edges are buffed out.
Venetica at its core is an Action/RPG title developed by Deck 13, the people that created the Anhk adventure games that were fun little titles. Venetica takes place in Venice, Italy some time during the Renaissance, judging from the building design and clothing. It seems that our main character, Scarlett, is actually the daughter of Death, and is tasked with guiding the living into the world of the dead. However, she does not know this, and only finds out when an evil necromancer attacks her town, looking for this daughter of Death, so he can gain her power and rule over the land. I found the premise interesting, and I did get hooked by the initial storyline in our presentation.
During the attack on Scarlett’s town, she is eager to defend her village and takes up a weapon to fight the incoming enemies. In the beginning of the game, Scarlett’s attacks will be weak and limited to standard combos, but as you progress through the story, you will learn more attack combos that will help you beat enemies in more creative fashion. During this battle, Scarlett is brought to her father, the visit triggered by the death of her boyfriend. He jumps in front of her to save her from a deathblow from a sword. During this sequence, we get some backstory on her powers and how she should be honored by her newfound powers.
At this point, we talked a bit about the people that Scarlett will face in combat. While Scarlett will fight many normal denziens to attack like foot soldiers, there will also be lots of creatures to fight in her battles. One beast we were told about was the Librarian. It sounded rather harmless until we were told about the Librarian’s large size, four clawed hands and large eyes to find enemies. There will be a lot more creatures of this variety throughout the world of Venetica, and Scarlett will be tasked with killing them all.
At this point, our demo moved forward to the center of Venice, Italy, and the city looked absolutely gorgeous. Deck 13 has captured the size and scope of this massive artistic city. You start to get a feel for the scope of size as you go to the top of a tall building, and you look down and can see areas that you traversed earlier in the game. Gondolas are available to fast travel around Venice, or you can just beat feet to get around. And for those that like to exercise, you can even swin the canals to get to places, and this can also help you sneak up on enemies and take them out without alerting other foes.
A unique power that Scarlett earns is the ability to bring herself back from death, but while in the death plane, she can move around and reposition herself on the field of combat before ressurecting herself. It makes for an intersting battle strategy, where you can die to get a better situational awareness of the battle. However, your death powers use up energy and if you use them too often, you might end up in a situation where you cannot ressurect.
From my twenty minute presentation, I was impressed with the look at style of Venetica, even at this early Alpha stage of development. The graphics are still a little rough at times for characters, but the environments look amazing. Combat seems fast and fun, especially in the later segments where we unlocked some of the more powerful combos. We will have some more coverage of Venetica as it moves closer to release here in the States and in Europe.
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