Rune 2 – previously often called Rune: Ragnarok – practically prepared, and now apparently signed as much as launch on Epic this summer season. Developed by Human Head Games, the long-standing studio most likely recognized finest for his or her work on Prey (the dumb quick shooter one with the portals, not the other one) are returning to their roots. Now formally a numbered sequel, it’s a Viking-themed mythological hack n’ slasher, filled with beefy individuals swinging axes at giants, dragons and different beasties. Below, a trailer exhibiting off some demon-bothering motion because the game heads in direction of launch.
The trailer looks like they’re making an attempt to tick off all of the packing containers of Viking fantasy as quick as potential. Huge flaming swords, dragons, giants, axes, all current and proper. Shouty offended individuals hacking one another to bits? Absolutely. Historically inaccurate horned helmets that may be foolish to complain about when there’s much more implausible demons working about? Yep, a few of them too. Still, glimpses of fights persevering with even with limbs lacking (’tis however a scratch!), and a few apparently team-scale rumbles do look attention-grabbing. I do have some reservations, although.
While a lot beloved by the early 2000s PC gaming crowd, Rune by no means impressed me, primarily due to its must-praised melee fight focus. To me, it felt like an entire lot of mashing the left mouse button and wiggling round to attempt and ensure my axe was inside vary on the downswing, then backpedalling to keep away from the counter-swing. Even earlier than the likes of Dark Souls and Monster Hunter taught individuals to like dedicated, weighty animations, it nonetheless left me chilly. Give me Heretic 2 – launched two years prior – any day, with its far heavier fight animations.
Why do I carry that up? Because within the trailer above, they fight to not present an excessive amount of of it, however I really feel I can see a little bit of that type of fight nonetheless represented. Legs dashing round beneath otherwise-committed torsos, like the 2 halves of the character are separate entities, working as a wierd group. After 2018’s God Of War (let’s simply name it God Of War four and have finished), any game desirous to make hitting giants and different beasts of Norse fantasy with axes cool has some robust competitors.
Still, Human Head appear keen to place fears to relaxation. They’ll be livestreaming the game and answering viewers questions here on Twitch on Friday, May 24th at 1pm PST/9pm BST. I hope they show my cynicism silly. And make us neglect their involvement in The Quiet Man, simply one of many worst games of the previous decade.
Rune 2 is due out this summer season, and will likely be launching on the Epic Games Store here. The game is funded by ESDF Management.
