Zeno Clash
Encyclopedia
Zeno Clash is a 3D
fighting game
or brawler, with some elements of a first-person shooter
. It is the debut game of Chilean developer ACE Team
and uses Valve Corporation
's Source engine. It was first released for download through Valve's content delivery service, Steam, on April 21, . The Xbox 360 version, entitled Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition, was released May 5, 2010 and contains additional features not found in the PC version. The game is set in the fantasy world of Zenozoik, and follows Ghat, a young man who is on the run from his vengeful siblings, and Deadra, his female companion, as they travel through strange and exotic lands.
The PC version of the game was favorably received by most critics, receiving an aggregate score of 77/100 on Metacritic
and 77.50% on GameRankings. The Xbox 360 version was similarly received by critics, averaging 74/100 at Metacritic and 75.46% at GameRankings. Critics praised its strange yet robust setting and unique character designs. It was a finalist for Excellence in Visual Art at the 2009 Independent Games Festival
, was named 2009's Independent Game of the Year by PC Gamer
, and PC Game of the Month by IGN
in April 2009.
In the main story mode, players assume the role of Ghat and progress through the world of Zenozoik, visiting various locations in a linear sequence. Gameplay is presented in first-person perspective
, with occasional cutscene
s in third-person perspective. When the player enters certain areas, it triggers a scripted sequence
, initiating a battle in which the player must defeat all enemies to proceed. Ghat is proficient in martial arts, and can dodge or counter enemy attacks. While there is a strong focus on unarmed combat, Ghat can also obtain unconventional melee and ranged weapons by several means, such as disarming enemies. Intermittent segments of the game play similarly to a corridor-shooter.
In addition to the single-player story, Challenge Mode allows the player to defeat enemies while climbing a tower or descending into a pit. The results are ranked through Steam Friends every time the player beats a tower floor's final boss.
creature, which has raised a large and influential family. Ghat is one of Father-Mother's children, who turned on him after discovering its secret. Ghat runs away from the town, chased by his brothers and sisters seeking to kill him, and is banished from his family. He is accompanied by a female companion named Deadra who has saved Ghat from apathy.
During their travels away from Halstedom, Ghat explains to Deadra through partially interactive flashbacks the events that led up to his attempt on Father-Mother's life. One of the first things that is mentioned is that he lived for a time with the Corwid of the Free, the insane residents of the forests of Zenozoik. While he has turned away from his past life as a Corwid, his brothers and sisters still consider him as one. Ghat still harbors a sense of admiration for the single-mindedness of Corwids. Regardless, when he encounters them a fight ensues.
Later on, Deadra and Ghat reach a large desert area. When Ghat returns from hunting rabbit-like creatures, he discovers a blind mercenary known only as the Hunter, who points a rifle at Deadra's head while she sleeps. The Hunter reveals that he was sent after them by Ghat's family, and was instructed to kill both him and Deadra. Ghat pleads for her life, and the Hunter agrees to let her live if Ghat will come to a secluded area with him to fight. Ghat manages to defeat the Hunter and then leaves with Deadra. Ghat and Deadra eventually reach the end of the world. It is there that they meet Golem, an ancient being placed there by an unknown group of people to wait there until he was needed. Golem has a complete knowledge of Ghat and Father-Mother's conflict, which he says he will end, along with all other conflicts.
Upon Ghat's return to the city, he is confronted by his angry brothers and sisters once more. After this confrontation, a heavily wounded Father-Mother reveals himself, showing that he is still alive. He declares another fight with Ghat to end the strife once and for all. A ferocious battle ensues, in which Ghat defeats Father-Mother once more. With Father-Mother at his mercy, he decides neither to kill him, nor reveal his secret. However, Golem discloses the secret anyway—that Father-Mother is actually a male creature that steals babies from their families. It is revealed that Ghat, upon inadvertently learning this, was chased out of town by Father-Mother in an attempt to protect his secret. The game ends after Golem makes several cryptic statements about their world and family.
While Zeno Clash was ACE Team's first original game, they have been developing game modifications
since the 1990s. Their last project, Zenozoik, was far larger in scope than Zeno Clash, and attempted to incorporate the disparate elements of shooting, role-playing, melee combat and sandbox gameplay. ACE Team later realized that it was too ambitious for a small independent studio, and decided to make a more focused game. Zeno Clash is what emerged—player exploration is linear, and role-playing elements were excluded altogether. The game was initially conceived as a total conversion modification using the Source engine
. ACE Team showed a demo version to Valve, the creators of the engine, who were impressed by the game's quality. The two companies then negotiated an engine licensing and distribution deal.
In an interview, the developers have stated that they consider the game to be a "First-Person Fighter (with some shooter elements)". They also likened it to "Dark Messiah
meets Double Dragon
", and stated that they have drawn a lot of inspiration from traditional fighting games—this includes "versus screens" sliding in before combat is initiated. Regarding the art style, they cited Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings and John Blanche
's "punk fantasy" illustrations as visual inspirations. They stated that publishers were unsure if consumers could relate to the art direction, but nonetheless stuck to their vision, creating a game that looks unlike anything else on the market. To get their desired organic look, they used static props exported from 3D Studio Max
with pre-rendered lighting instead of using brush-based geometry that Source was specialized for.
On October 2009, ACE Team announced that they partnered with Atlus
to release a port of the game for Xbox Live Arcade
. This version of the game dubbed Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition adds new game modes and features such as cooperative gameplay
for tower challenges in both offline and online games, new attacks, new weapons, a new voice actress for the character Deadra, a character gallery and an awareness system. Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition was released on Xbox Live Arcade on the May 5, 2010.
announced that it planned to publish the game for retail in North America
"soon". Atlus
has announced that they will be bringing an Ultimate Edition of the game to the Xbox 360
as an Xbox Live Arcade
download in March 2010. ACE Team continued to provide support post-release, releasing character models for use with another Source engine game, Garry's Mod
, several new Challenge levels as free downloadable content
, and a software development kit
.
Zeno Clash received some press for its developers' reaction to piracy. ACE Team member Carlos Bordeu left comments on many torrent sites saying that ACE Team did not intend to stop the piracy of Zeno Clash, but rather implored downloaders to purchase the game if they enjoyed it. ACE Team later claimed that their unique approach, while probably not changing the minds of potential pirates, accidentally generated press which helped to market the product. On May 19, 2009 the developers announced that a sequel to Zeno Clash was in the works. Ghat will reprise his role as the protagonist, and several characters such as Father-Mother and Golem have been confirmed to return. ACE Team has expressed a desire to incorporate elements of role-playing game
s that were present in their previous abandoned project, Zenozoik.
and 77.80% on GameRankings. In January 2009, Zeno Clash was a nominated finalist in the Independent Games Festival
yearly competition, in the category of Excellence in Visual Art. It was one of five games to be selected for this award, from a total of 226 participating titles. It was named PC Game of the Month by IGN
for April 2009. It was praised for its originality and "satisfying sense of combat." It was a finalist in the category of Best Debut in the Tenth Annual Game Developer Choice Awards. It also won PC Gamer
s 2009's Independent Game of the Year.
The gaming website Rock, Paper, Shotgun
reviewed the game two days before its release, giving it four out of four thumbs up and highly recommending the title. Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition was similarly received by critics, averaging 74/100 at Metacritic and 75.46% at GameRankings. Sales for Ultimate Edition are reported as being significantly lower than the PC version. It did however place eighth in sales the week of its release
The unique visual design and story received high praise from most critics. The reviewers from Rock, Paper, Shotgun stated that while the art of the game was "really unusual to look at" they felt that the visuals were "something of a reward". Eurogamer
's Dan Pearson called the game's environments "lushly crafted and massively colourful". Jamin Smith, reviewer for Videogamer.com felt that the "narrative that was (probably) conjured up during an intense drug induced trip." He went on to call the game world "incredibly cohesive" and stated that the story provided a perfect compliment to the atmosphere. Jason Ocampo of IGN
remarked in his review that "thanks to smart design and storytelling, it feels refreshingly original and completely compelling."
Reviewers were divided on gameplay aspects. 1UP.com
's Scott Sharkey felt that the first person fisticuffs were convincing when combined with camera motion; he compared such aspects to Mirror's Edge
. Eduardo Reboucas of Game Revolution
felt that the trigger-based controls of the Ultimate Edition took some getting used to and that some encounters with enemies can occasionally become frustrating. Jason Ocampo of IGN felt that he hand-to-hand combat was "a bit clumsy, but wholly satisfying at the same time." Brett Todd of GameSpot
was less favorable, calling it "simplistic" and "monotonous," citing its lack of variety in gameplay.
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
or brawler, with some elements of a first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
. It is the debut game of Chilean developer ACE Team
ACE Team
ACE Team is an independent entertainment software developer based in Santiago, Chile. ACE Team has licensed the Source Engine to develop and distribute its debut game Zeno Clash. Most of the members of the team have experience working on PC games, the Xbox Live Arcade platform and game...
and uses Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
's Source engine. It was first released for download through Valve's content delivery service, Steam, on April 21, . The Xbox 360 version, entitled Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition, was released May 5, 2010 and contains additional features not found in the PC version. The game is set in the fantasy world of Zenozoik, and follows Ghat, a young man who is on the run from his vengeful siblings, and Deadra, his female companion, as they travel through strange and exotic lands.
The PC version of the game was favorably received by most critics, receiving an aggregate score of 77/100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 77.50% on GameRankings. The Xbox 360 version was similarly received by critics, averaging 74/100 at Metacritic and 75.46% at GameRankings. Critics praised its strange yet robust setting and unique character designs. It was a finalist for Excellence in Visual Art at the 2009 Independent Games Festival
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
, was named 2009's Independent Game of the Year by PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
, and PC Game of the Month by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
in April 2009.
Gameplay
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
, with occasional cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s in third-person perspective. When the player enters certain areas, it triggers a scripted sequence
Scripted sequence
In video games, a scripted sequence is a pre-defined series of events that occurs when triggered by player location or actions.Some scripted sequences are merely used to play short cut scenes that the player has little control of...
, initiating a battle in which the player must defeat all enemies to proceed. Ghat is proficient in martial arts, and can dodge or counter enemy attacks. While there is a strong focus on unarmed combat, Ghat can also obtain unconventional melee and ranged weapons by several means, such as disarming enemies. Intermittent segments of the game play similarly to a corridor-shooter.
In addition to the single-player story, Challenge Mode allows the player to defeat enemies while climbing a tower or descending into a pit. The results are ranked through Steam Friends every time the player beats a tower floor's final boss.
Plot
The story takes place in a fictional fantasy world called Zenozoik, and begins in a town called Halstedom. The game commences with Ghat (the game's protagonist) regaining consciousness after setting off an explosion which kills Father-Mother, an ostensibly hermaphroditicHermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
creature, which has raised a large and influential family. Ghat is one of Father-Mother's children, who turned on him after discovering its secret. Ghat runs away from the town, chased by his brothers and sisters seeking to kill him, and is banished from his family. He is accompanied by a female companion named Deadra who has saved Ghat from apathy.
During their travels away from Halstedom, Ghat explains to Deadra through partially interactive flashbacks the events that led up to his attempt on Father-Mother's life. One of the first things that is mentioned is that he lived for a time with the Corwid of the Free, the insane residents of the forests of Zenozoik. While he has turned away from his past life as a Corwid, his brothers and sisters still consider him as one. Ghat still harbors a sense of admiration for the single-mindedness of Corwids. Regardless, when he encounters them a fight ensues.
Later on, Deadra and Ghat reach a large desert area. When Ghat returns from hunting rabbit-like creatures, he discovers a blind mercenary known only as the Hunter, who points a rifle at Deadra's head while she sleeps. The Hunter reveals that he was sent after them by Ghat's family, and was instructed to kill both him and Deadra. Ghat pleads for her life, and the Hunter agrees to let her live if Ghat will come to a secluded area with him to fight. Ghat manages to defeat the Hunter and then leaves with Deadra. Ghat and Deadra eventually reach the end of the world. It is there that they meet Golem, an ancient being placed there by an unknown group of people to wait there until he was needed. Golem has a complete knowledge of Ghat and Father-Mother's conflict, which he says he will end, along with all other conflicts.
Upon Ghat's return to the city, he is confronted by his angry brothers and sisters once more. After this confrontation, a heavily wounded Father-Mother reveals himself, showing that he is still alive. He declares another fight with Ghat to end the strife once and for all. A ferocious battle ensues, in which Ghat defeats Father-Mother once more. With Father-Mother at his mercy, he decides neither to kill him, nor reveal his secret. However, Golem discloses the secret anyway—that Father-Mother is actually a male creature that steals babies from their families. It is revealed that Ghat, upon inadvertently learning this, was chased out of town by Father-Mother in an attempt to protect his secret. The game ends after Golem makes several cryptic statements about their world and family.
Development
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
since the 1990s. Their last project, Zenozoik, was far larger in scope than Zeno Clash, and attempted to incorporate the disparate elements of shooting, role-playing, melee combat and sandbox gameplay. ACE Team later realized that it was too ambitious for a small independent studio, and decided to make a more focused game. Zeno Clash is what emerged—player exploration is linear, and role-playing elements were excluded altogether. The game was initially conceived as a total conversion modification using the Source engine
Source engine
Source is a 3D game engine developed by Valve Corporation. It debuted in June 2004 with Counter-Strike: Source and shortly thereafter Half-Life 2, and has been in active development ever since...
. ACE Team showed a demo version to Valve, the creators of the engine, who were impressed by the game's quality. The two companies then negotiated an engine licensing and distribution deal.
In an interview, the developers have stated that they consider the game to be a "First-Person Fighter (with some shooter elements)". They also likened it to "Dark Messiah
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, additionally subtitled Elements on Xbox 360, is a first-person action game developed by Arkane Studios and Floodgate Entertainment. Kuju Entertainment developed the multiplayer mode...
meets Double Dragon
Double Dragon
is a classic beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technos Japan Corporation, who also developed the Kunio-kun series ....
", and stated that they have drawn a lot of inspiration from traditional fighting games—this includes "versus screens" sliding in before combat is initiated. Regarding the art style, they cited Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings and John Blanche
John Blanche
John Blanche is a British fantasy and science fiction illustrator and modeler known for his work for Games Workshop's White Dwarf magazine, Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Warhammer 40,000 games and his role as art director for the company, including his work in the field...
's "punk fantasy" illustrations as visual inspirations. They stated that publishers were unsure if consumers could relate to the art direction, but nonetheless stuck to their vision, creating a game that looks unlike anything else on the market. To get their desired organic look, they used static props exported from 3D Studio Max
3D Studio Max
Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio MAX, is for making 3D animations. It was developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities, a flexible plugin architecture and can be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It's frequently used by video game developers, TV...
with pre-rendered lighting instead of using brush-based geometry that Source was specialized for.
On October 2009, ACE Team announced that they partnered with Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
to release a port of the game for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
. This version of the game dubbed Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition adds new game modes and features such as cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
for tower challenges in both offline and online games, new attacks, new weapons, a new voice actress for the character Deadra, a character gallery and an awareness system. Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition was released on Xbox Live Arcade on the May 5, 2010.
Release
It was first released for download through Valve's content delivery service, Steam, on April 21, 2009, and is available for purchase either directly through Steam or via Direct2Drive. It was published for retail by Noviy Disk in Russia, and by Iceberg Interactive in Europe. In October 2009, Tripwire InteractiveTripwire Interactive
Tripwire Interactive is an American game development studio and publisher based in Roswell, Georgia, formed by members of the international team that created the acclaimed Unreal Tournament 2004 mod, Red Orchestra: Combined Arms. Red Orchestra won top prize in the nVidia-sponsored Make Something...
announced that it planned to publish the game for retail in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
"soon". Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
has announced that they will be bringing an Ultimate Edition of the game to the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
as an Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
download in March 2010. ACE Team continued to provide support post-release, releasing character models for use with another Source engine game, Garry's Mod
Garry's Mod
Garry's Mod is a sandbox physics game using the Source engine. Garry's Mod has been available on Steam's content delivery service since November 29, 2006...
, several new Challenge levels as free downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
, and a software development kit
Software development kit
A software development kit is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.It may be something as simple...
.
Zeno Clash received some press for its developers' reaction to piracy. ACE Team member Carlos Bordeu left comments on many torrent sites saying that ACE Team did not intend to stop the piracy of Zeno Clash, but rather implored downloaders to purchase the game if they enjoyed it. ACE Team later claimed that their unique approach, while probably not changing the minds of potential pirates, accidentally generated press which helped to market the product. On May 19, 2009 the developers announced that a sequel to Zeno Clash was in the works. Ghat will reprise his role as the protagonist, and several characters such as Father-Mother and Golem have been confirmed to return. ACE Team has expressed a desire to incorporate elements of role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s that were present in their previous abandoned project, Zenozoik.
Reception
The game received an aggregate score of 77/100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 77.80% on GameRankings. In January 2009, Zeno Clash was a nominated finalist in the Independent Games Festival
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
yearly competition, in the category of Excellence in Visual Art. It was one of five games to be selected for this award, from a total of 226 participating titles. It was named PC Game of the Month by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
for April 2009. It was praised for its originality and "satisfying sense of combat." It was a finalist in the category of Best Debut in the Tenth Annual Game Developer Choice Awards. It also won PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
s 2009's Independent Game of the Year.
The gaming website Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Rock, Paper, Shotgun is a UK-based PC gaming blog written by Alec Meer, Jim Rossignol, John Walker, and previously Kieron Gillen and Quintin Smith. Rock, Paper, Shotgun launched in July 2007. In 2010 the website partnered with Eurogamer...
reviewed the game two days before its release, giving it four out of four thumbs up and highly recommending the title. Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition was similarly received by critics, averaging 74/100 at Metacritic and 75.46% at GameRankings. Sales for Ultimate Edition are reported as being significantly lower than the PC version. It did however place eighth in sales the week of its release
The unique visual design and story received high praise from most critics. The reviewers from Rock, Paper, Shotgun stated that while the art of the game was "really unusual to look at" they felt that the visuals were "something of a reward". Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
's Dan Pearson called the game's environments "lushly crafted and massively colourful". Jamin Smith, reviewer for Videogamer.com felt that the "narrative that was (probably) conjured up during an intense drug induced trip." He went on to call the game world "incredibly cohesive" and stated that the story provided a perfect compliment to the atmosphere. Jason Ocampo of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
remarked in his review that "thanks to smart design and storytelling, it feels refreshingly original and completely compelling."
Reviewers were divided on gameplay aspects. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Scott Sharkey felt that the first person fisticuffs were convincing when combined with camera motion; he compared such aspects to Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge is a single-player first person action-adventure video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was announced on July 10, 2007, and was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2008. A Microsoft Windows version was released...
. Eduardo Reboucas of Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
felt that the trigger-based controls of the Ultimate Edition took some getting used to and that some encounters with enemies can occasionally become frustrating. Jason Ocampo of IGN felt that he hand-to-hand combat was "a bit clumsy, but wholly satisfying at the same time." Brett Todd of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
was less favorable, calling it "simplistic" and "monotonous," citing its lack of variety in gameplay.