Shadow Harvest Preview

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Shadow Harvest offers a mix of stealth and third-person shooter in a modern look and with a lot of potential. Of this we were able to convince the developer on a visit to our hallowed halls. Of course we do not want to deprive our impressions.

Shadow Harvest is set in 2025. At the time the Piracy off the coast of Africa prevailed,. Behind this lies a new dictator who ruled Somalia with an iron hand. This fits especially the Americans, not at all in the stuff of military intelligence agents and ISA are sent to stop the dictator. However, the wager is evil in the pants when the agents come to Myra Lee and Aaron Alvarez in their way. Cut off from all need to pull together the two to live to escape the chaos. Beginning of a journey that takes this unlikely duo from Mogadishu to Dubai to Cuba. For the story draws circles appear as weapons technology that really should not be in the country.

The third-person shooter is counting on one thing: the unlikely duo Myra and Aaron. The two agents have fundamentally different capabilities. Aaron is the man for the rough and ballert with Wumme and explosives in the shooter-typical style with a cover system by the environment. Myra other hand, has advanced stealth technology, and moves on silent feet, to put the crossbow enemies with blades or the afterlife. She is also a champion in the hacking and cracking. The attraction: are you still in the early missions, traveling separately, so it acts later in the duet with her any time you can switch between the two characters who go from level to level different ways.
Blade and crossbow

Above all, Myra, with its stealth capabilities left an interesting impression, while Aaron as Baller servant was a little pale. This young lady has a suit that makes them temporarily invisible. But only as long as the energy ranges, which can be renewed in sporadic Aufladepunkten in the level again. With bladed weapons à la Wolverine she stalks up to enemies and send them silently to the beyond. And with the crossbow bolt offers various poisons or techniques to divert attention from opponents. Added to objects in the surrounding area, which can be use to distract.

Practical: opponents, who were settled undetected will be automatically hidden. This is not entirely logical, but not to slow down the pace of the game, losing to the developers, you can drag bodies into dark corners, just as for it, must necessarily make use of shadows. It should not just be a Splinter Cell, but an action game with quite a high tempo game. We will see how well it works eventually. more …

Crash, Boom, Bang

Aaron, however, has other possibilities and does it simply crash only. Heavy weapons such as assault rifles or machine guns, rocket launchers and explosives are his metier. For this purpose the cover system, which is also absolutely necessary, because without the cover does not survive long Baller servant. These options without much Knöpfchendrückerei. Approaches ye a compatible object, Aaron will automatically take cover. Here, too, should be offered without much straight action Frickeleien. Coverages, however, are destructible, so you do not should stay too long on the same spot. As a little sugar you are allowed to operate Chen made perfectly heavy equipment, such as for example with a stomp-Mech Walker through the levels.

The controlled not each of you character is controlled by the AI passive, that is, he looks for a safe place where he does not get into trouble. Which of the two characters each mission completed their sections, does not really matter. Have you reached certain target points, respectively, agrees with you, your colleague your colleague again. Direct Kooperativspiel is not necessary, but run through the possibility of the levels in totally different ways. Or evacuate, but by changing the character of virtual partner difficulties from the path. For the feeling of intimate togetherness radio dialogues provide between the two. A co-op mode, there will be no way. The small Hanoverian team focuses fully and completely on one single successful experience.

Clever opponents

Especially in the artificial intelligence of the enemy, the developers put a lot of work, for the possible coming along to sophisticated and authentic. First impressions: The guys are on the right track. The enemies go before coordinated distributed, fan out and behave quite differently as a group than alone. Do you have an example in building their attention is attracted, so the rooms are single opponent scan only fleetingly, because their time is not enough for more accurate searches. As a group, however, distribute the guys to sift through the rooms and single rooms significantly more accurate. Especially in the stealth area is likely the AI ensuring plenty of excitement.

At the Edge of Technology Overkill

The game environments are to offer some variety, both playful and visually. In Mogadishu, for example, we saw street fighting and the conquest of a palace. In Dubai, you can expect the typical high-rise wings, together with Marina. And in Cuba, it is both to Havana and to the sunny beaches. The levels are fundamentally linear, but offer some side channels and different types of solutions, if only due to the different way of playing the two characters. Incidentally, there are always side roads and hidden rooms where you will find goodies such as ammunition or health packs.

Used the Gamebryo engine has been extended by a specially developed renderer and conjures a very respectable environments with many details on the monitor. Thanks to PhysX you can disassemble almost everything into its component parts, accompanied by extremely good smoke, fire and particle effect. The developers want to make fullest definitely the PC as a platform. Hopefully will not do too much at the expense of performance. Technology was already in love other developers undoing. more …

Quite interesting what the Hanoverians as knit together. Very considerable technique, varied gameplay and some interesting ideas could ensure that a German game finally comes back on international interest. The Black Lion Studios but should be careful at the technical level is not too far to lean out the window. Finally, the game at the end run on standard computers still reasonable and in the effect area is less sometimes more. It also remains to be seen whether the very interesting-looking stealth portion of Myra Aaron Ballerei not too much runs the place and the good man almost superfluous. In any case, a title that should keep action fans in mind.