Developer: Still Games
Publisher: Unknown
Platforms: Wii U, PC, Mac, Linux, possibly PS4
Release Date: Q4 2016
Animal Gods – Preview
Animal Gods, a classic 2D action adventure game is brought to us by the West-Virginia based independent game studio Still Games. As the game is inspired by classic 90’s JRPGS, you might be reminded of The Legend of Zelda: A Link between Worlds, Final Fantasy and even Chrono Trigger although this inspiration is unclear in the demo of the game.
![Animal-Gods-Cover [Large]](https://3rd-strike.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Animal-Gods-Cover-Large-e1412966184297.png)
I cannot tell you much about the storyline of Animal Gods since the Alpha of the game does not go very deep into it just yet. What I can tell you however is that you will be playing as Thistle, a small yet agile warrior. Thistle is on a holy quest to find and slay the Animal Gods in order to stop the corruption that haunts these majestic creatures. During your search for these Gods, you will come across small creatures which you will need to slay with a bronze sword.
The movement system in Animal Gods is simple. Before launching the game you can change the controls. However, the game does not yet support controllers so you can only change your keyboard and mouse-settings. By default the WASD or arrow keys are used for moving around the open-world while the dash-ability is set on F. Striking with your weapon, a sword in the short demo, is done with C. Dashing and striking can also be done with the mouse-buttons but you won’t be dashing until you release the mouse button. Therefore I recommend using the dash-ability purely with the keyboard. As the game is planned to be released on the Nintendo Wii U platform, I’m rather hopeful that support for the controller on the PC will be added since the gameplay looks like it can be enjoyed more with the use of a controller.
As for the gameplay of Animal Gods, you will be venturing in an open world with many stories to hear and a large variation of enemies to slay – at least that is what they promise. The demo I’ve played only featured one room with only four smaller creatures that had to be buried but the combat seemed great. That being said, there are a few core mechanics in the game, the first one being the bronze sword that you are wielding. The 17th century Bronze Age sword is your primary weapon and hits quite hard. As the sword is best used for close ranged combat, there will also be a Rift Bow that can be used for long range combat. Again, I wasn’t able to test the bow but it is supposed to fire flint-tipped arrows at a rapid speed but will cause significantly less damage than the sword. Another core mechanic of the game is the Dash Cloak, with which you can dash over gaps and access hard-to-reach places. The last core mechanic is yet another mechanic that I have yet to see – weapon augments. This is also were the RPG element of the game comes in. You should be able to upgrade your equipment so you can deal more damage. Upgrading your equipment will also provide with some special animated attacks but again, I have yet to see this so I cannot really comment on it.
The levels are quite easy to follow but do not resemble much of an open-world exploration in the demo itself. Again, this can be changed later on. The game might be slightly difficult to complete since there are no real checkpoints. For example, at a certain point you are met with beams, which you need to dash through as soon as they no longer light up. However the possibility for the beam to strike you after you’ve dashed through is far too high due to the width of the beam. Even if the beam hits you at the very last second, you are considered ‘dead’ and will spawn were you started before – right at the very beginning of that level.
The visuals in Animal Gods are certainly refreshing. While the graphics are fairly abstract, you can often see some types of animals, such as dragon-heads, embedded in the design itself. The color scheme is fairly dark but also neutral with the usage of purple, gold and variations of green. All-in-all, the art is truly amazing. As for the sound design, there’s little I can tell.
Conclusion
As I have played the alpha demo of Animal Gods, there is not much I can truly comment on since many core features are nowhere to be found. However, the art style in the game is truly amazing and the combat system feels great – even if I only wielded the sword. Animal Gods certainly looks great so far and if you are a fan of JRPGs, you should definitely keep an eye on this title.
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