It’s not arduous to determine The Godbeast‘s inspirations. An open world stuffed with climbable large monsters ala Shadow Of The Colossus, with evocatively named duels towards villains straight out of Dark Souls, plus the ever-stylish harsh angular look of Killer7. Released final Friday, The Godbeast is the second from mostly-solo developer Jochen Mistiaen. In it, the participant roams an deserted, demon-infested metropolis as a vengeful, motorcycle-riding prince of the evening, looking monsters (and his personal variety) with a magical harpoon. See the trailer and a bit of the game in movement beneath.
For a solo developer (minus some key artwork and music help), The Godbeast is a formidable piece of labor. It feels prefer it leans extra into its low aesthetic than predecessor Malebolgia. No longer held again by the untextured, dimly lit world, however improved by its stronger artwork course. The metropolis’s glowing lights and burning fires give it a way of scale, and the purple highlights from blood and the spear’s magic banner (which factors towards bosses) assist outline the area. On prime of roaming monsters, there are climbable, Shadow Of The Colossus-style bosses, and extra Dark Souls-inspired duels.
While that trailer is putting, the footage from YouTuber and fan of all issues souls-like “Neglected Tomb” provides you a greater have a look at how the game really works.
While the fight and animation look stiff, there are some parts I can’t assist however love. Some enemies will be killed outright by an exploding motorbike, ideally jumped off simply earlier than impression. The metropolis itself additionally appears large and enjoyable to navigate. Some components of it appear to be maybe slightly too near their inspirations, such because the ‘Londo’s Archers’ mini-boss, seemingly a reference to the notorious rooftop archers of Anor Londo in Dark Souls. The ‘Hunter Demon’ within the video above additionally bears a robust resemblance to Dark Souls’s Capra Demon.
It’s a putting trying game. Whether it’s an excellent one, I can’t say, even after seeing a whole lot of it streamed, however it’s fascinating, and I’m keen on listening to what individuals need to say about it within the coming weeks.
The Godbeast is out now on Steam for £8.09/€8.99/$11.69.
