Collapse (2008 video game)
Encyclopedia
Collapse is an action game released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows
. It was developed by Creoteam, a company based in Ukraine
. The game is notable for combining Quick Time Event
s and sword battles similar to God of War series, third-person shooting
, and a setting similar to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
. The soundtrack
was written by Kiev-based electronic
band NewTone.
, Ukraine, a city that turned into the center of the Zone. The Zone was created after a strange interdimensional rift opened, leading the city and all surrounding areas to be infested with outwordly beasts and dangerous anomalies. The rift become known as the Hole. To stop the spread of the Zone, a quarantine
was declared, and all the inhabitants of the place become its hostages. At first, the Zone was controlled by scientists and militia
, but due to monster attacks and strong aggression from the locals, the Zone soon become divided between various bandit clans led by so called Lords. The city itself and surrounding area of the Zone become known as the Junkyard.
Rodan, the main hero of the story, is a Lord of one such clan, who is going to participate in a meeting of Lords. The meeting turns out to be a trap by Lord Mark, the leader of a clan of fanatics who worship him as a messiah
. Rodan is forced to fight back with his swords, various weaponry and telekinetic powers granted by the Zone's anomal power. He soon finds out that there is much more to worry about than just a new clan war, as he is forced to confront an enigmatic and very powerful man whose ambitions threatens not only to safety of the Zone, but to the whole world outside. During his journey, Rodan also has to uncover mystery of his past and the secret of the interdimensional rift, the Hole, itself.
and Kiev Pechersk Lavra
.
was released, updating game to version 1.1. The patch fixed most of the problems with gameplay balance and bring some new effects to the game. It was highly recommended to download the patch, as it improves the game drastically.
mixed with shooting, and soundtrack. However, the game was highly criticised for simplicity of its combat system, repetitive gameplay and poor design of some characters.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It was developed by Creoteam, a company based in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The game is notable for combining Quick Time Event
Quick Time Event
In video games, a Quick Time Event is a method of context-sensitive gameplay in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen prompt. It allows for limited control of the game character during cut scenes or cinematic sequences in the game...
s and sword battles similar to God of War series, third-person shooting
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
, and a setting similar to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter video game by the Ukrainian developer GSC Game World, published in 2007.It features an alternate reality theme, where a second nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone in the near future and causes...
. The soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
was written by Kiev-based electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
band NewTone.
Story
The setting of the story is KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine, a city that turned into the center of the Zone. The Zone was created after a strange interdimensional rift opened, leading the city and all surrounding areas to be infested with outwordly beasts and dangerous anomalies. The rift become known as the Hole. To stop the spread of the Zone, a quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
was declared, and all the inhabitants of the place become its hostages. At first, the Zone was controlled by scientists and militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, but due to monster attacks and strong aggression from the locals, the Zone soon become divided between various bandit clans led by so called Lords. The city itself and surrounding area of the Zone become known as the Junkyard.
Rodan, the main hero of the story, is a Lord of one such clan, who is going to participate in a meeting of Lords. The meeting turns out to be a trap by Lord Mark, the leader of a clan of fanatics who worship him as a messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
. Rodan is forced to fight back with his swords, various weaponry and telekinetic powers granted by the Zone's anomal power. He soon finds out that there is much more to worry about than just a new clan war, as he is forced to confront an enigmatic and very powerful man whose ambitions threatens not only to safety of the Zone, but to the whole world outside. During his journey, Rodan also has to uncover mystery of his past and the secret of the interdimensional rift, the Hole, itself.
Gameplay
The gameplay is divided into sections where a player is encouraged to use either swords or guns. The shooting section is similar to many third-person shooters, while the close-range combat is influenced by the God of War series. Boss battles are usually finished using Quick Time Events. Many of the locations in the game are based on real-life Kiev places, such as Maidan NezalezhnostiMaidan Nezalezhnosti
Maidan Nezalezhnosti is the central square of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the main city squares, it is located on the Khreschatyk Street...
and Kiev Pechersk Lavra
Kiev Pechersk Lavra
Kiev Pechersk Lavra or Kyiv Pechersk Lavra , also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery which gave its name to one of the city districts where it is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine....
.
Patch 1.1
A patchPatch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
was released, updating game to version 1.1. The patch fixed most of the problems with gameplay balance and bring some new effects to the game. It was highly recommended to download the patch, as it improves the game drastically.
Collapse: The Rage
A stand-alone expansion entitled Collapse: The Rage was released in 2010. It continues the story of Rodan after the destruction of the Hole. The features include improved ranged and close combat mechanics, new special effects and the "Rage" mode.Reception
The game received mixed reviews. Many critics praised the unusual setting, hack'n'slashHack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
mixed with shooting, and soundtrack. However, the game was highly criticised for simplicity of its combat system, repetitive gameplay and poor design of some characters.