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Precursor discusses Shadow of the Eternals combat, magick and sanity details

by rawmeatcowboy
05 August 2013
GN Version 4.0
A portion of a ShogunGamer interview with Denis Dyack...

SGG: Can you talk a bit about the finer points of the combat and magick systems that Shadow of the Eternal will offer? Will the core gameplay be familiar for those who played Eternal Darkness back in the day, or will it feature some key difference that evolve what players expect from the horror/thriller genre of video games?

Denis: The player uses the mechanics of combat, magick, and exploration to progress through the game and uncover its mysteries. Each playable character will have different levels of proficiency in these mechanics and will tackle situations very differently. Their level of sanity affects their ability (both positive and negative) in all these mechanics.

For combat, each character uses a variety of melee and ranged weapons which are historically accurate to the time period. Becker is a trained detective and a skilled shot with his Smith & Wesson SW99, while Klára is a handmaiden working as an informant for the police so discretion and stealth is important. She uses a concealed ballock dagger and wheellock pistol. Combat is very tactical as it allows the player to select specific parts of their enemy to target, which can leave them vulnerable to follow up attacks. Finishers can be used to ensure once an enemy is down, they stay down.

The use of magick is not to be taken lightly and can have serious consequences. In the right hands magic has the ability to turn the tide in combat and help solve puzzles. Charging a spell is an intensive, real-time process that requires the player to concentrate and stand still which makes them vulnerable to enemy attacks.

SGG: The team at Precursor may want to stay mum about the overall Sanity mechanics within Shadow of the Eternals, but what sort of things can we expect? Will there be a more subdued feeling in how the sanity of the character, and even the player, will be depicted or can we expect some truly off-the-wall and shocking things to occur?

Denis: We intend to make the player question what is real from within the story and the game itself. Sanity will affect all areas of gameplay including combat, magick and exploration. Your sanity level affects your proficiency of each mechanic. The sanity effects will range from subtle to over the top as we cover areas of gameplay, visuals, story, audio, technology and the fourth wall.

Full interview here