The coolest part of E3 isn't looking at the games showing on the floor. Without a doubt, E3's coolest perk is checking out the hottest games behind closed doors. That's what Gamecenter did today when we got an exclusive look at Ion Storm's epic 3D action RPG game, Anachronox. Getting an inside look at this revolutionary hybrid made all the schlepping of press kits and elbowing through the crowds worth it on this first day of E3 action.
Holed up in one little conference room in the heart of the Eidos booth with Third Eye Blind blaring in the background was a significant portion of the Anachronox brain trust. Definitely a righteous E3 moment. On hand were Ion Storm president and Anachronox game designer Tom Hall; Corrine Yu, director of advanced technology; producer Jake Strider Hughes; lead level designer the Cleaner; and lead artist Lee Perry. The five of them gave us an inside look at a trailer and playable version of the game and helped us solve many of this game's mysteries.
Most importantly, Anachronox's inspiration is Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series. In fact, Perry, the game's lead artist, is a former Squaresoft artist. And though the game is based on a modified version of the Quake II engine, according to Yu, the addition of 24-bit textures, real-time shadows, subtle colored lighting, and volumetric fog akin to that of Unreal means Anachronox is not your run-of-the-mill Quake shooter. As Hall put it, it is a true epic. Number-wise, there are 120 unique environments, over 100 levels, 3 dimensions, over 40 level design styles, 400 interactive NPCs, and 7 3D "mini games," as Hall calls them, including Descent-style ship combat and Quake-style running and shooting. "You're basically going to do everything you can do in a 3D game," said Hall. Just the same, Hall verified a significant portion of the game is exploration and interaction within Anachronox's varied characters in its complex world.
Played from the third-person perspective, the story revolves around a futuristic and out-of-work detective inhabiting an ancient alien city, dubbed Anachronox. This alien outpost has been overrun by humans who have no understanding of the city's foreign past, architecture, and artifacts. The action begins when the player detective is hired to investigate a series of mysterious alien occurrences. According to Hall, things start to get really complicated when Anachronox's planet actually splits in half. "That sort of leads to a larger mystery that something might actually be crossing the universe," added Hall.
Right off the bat, you'll be limited to the city of Anachronox, but Hall said soon you'll find and control several modes of transportation and be able to start exploring the massive game world in a nonlinear fashion. While exploring the game world, expect bustling cities with ships flying overhead and plenty of locals, some of whom are more important than others and will join you in your quest. In fact, these characters will have their own agendas and issues to resolve. In addition, Perry said each one will boast modular animations as well, so that they will have multiple responses to your queries and actions.
Another breakthrough element of the game will be its in-game cinematics. Hughes, previously a film director, showed the cut-scene scripting tool, which moves the game's free camera effortlessly in real time through any scene to create dramatic segues between the action and drive the plot. Best of all, these little flicks require very little space, so they will be sprinkled throughout the game, giving it real atmosphere without breaking the flow of the action. It should especially spice up the combat as the camera, for example, zooms up to a rooftop revealing enemies about to leap down and attack. "The combat will be very 3D," said Hall.
Though Anachronox's epic story, hybrid gameplay, massive, varied world, impressive technology, lush graphics, and cinematic focus are all noteworthy in themselves, all in all, it appears there is one aim for Anachronox. The goal is to create a believable and immersive world. It might sound cliché, but it seems Anachronox will finally pull it off. "I'm probably most happy that we are creating an epic place for people to explore," said Hall.
Hall and company hope to get Anachronox out later this year, in both a 16-bit software version and a scaleable 3D-accelerated version. And that's just the beginning. To get this one out the door, Hall had to narrow the game's focus significantly. Expect several more follow-up games: "Anachronox is made so a lot of stories can be done," said Hall.
