Cliff Bleszinski thinks shooters take themselves too seriously. This may be a dubious claim from the guy who’s the public face of the mopey Gears of War franchise. But he’s looking to add some snark to all the sobriety and lighten things–literally–up with Bulletstorm.
(More on Techland: The Techland Interview: Cliff Bleszinski, Part 1)
The FPS, a joint venture by EA and Epic Games, is being developed by People Can Fly, a Polish dev studio best know for the crazy FPS Painkiller. In a recent demo event, the bizarre weapon design that PCF is known for was on display, as well as a deeply reactive gameworld that lets players use the environment and explosive weaponry to engage in circus-like, stunt-centric battles.
Bleszinski says that the creative partners want Bulletstorm to be the Burnout of shooters. The popular racing series is built on an offensive driving ethos, a high-speed experience where you slam into other cars and use the environment to take them out. Where Burnout has Takedowns, Bulletstorm has Skill Kills. Skill Kills are stunts that either set up or deliver deathblows to the enemies you’ll be fighting in the sci-fi shooter. Here’s an example: the futuristic world where you’ll be fighting is peppered with explosive trashcans that you’ll be able to snag with your character’s energy whip. You can then fling them at a group of enemies and shoot the trashcan, which then explode and launch them in the air. Once they’re airborne you can pick them off for a Skill Kill. Each of the weapon has a unique skillshot and Skill Kill will catalogued on-screen as they happen. An Afterburner happens when you set them on fire and then kill them and the words “Bad Touch” floated in the air after a bad guy impaled on giant cacti. Lead producer Tanya Jessen was playing an early build of the game for the live demo and she used Grayson’s unique kick and slide abilities to launch enemies away or upward and set them up for kills. A kick flings them away from you and a slide launches enemies upwards.
(More on Techland: Gears of War 3 Trailer: Ashes to Ashes)
The most vicious Skill Kill Jessem pulled off was a Mercy, which happens when you shoot an enemy in the privates and then put them out of their misery with a headshot. It’s apparently tough to execute and Tanya won $20 bucks after Cliff bet her should wouldn’t be able to do it.
Weapon design is a big deal for People Can Fly and one devious weapon we saw was the Flail Gun, which shoots two grenades tied together with a chain (kind of like a bolo). It can be used as a proximity mine, or the chain slices them to bits if they’re close enough. The game’s main assault rifle sports an Overcharge feature, heating up 100 bullets that fuse together, fire in a clump and then explode. That attack is where the game’s name comes from. And, the aforementioned energy leash pulls enemies toward the player, and interacts with objects in the world, too.
So, who’s the guy pulling off all these Skill Kills anyway? Bulletstorm’s main character is Grayson Hunt, the leader of a band of mercenaries called Dead Echo. Hunt’s team worked with a governing organization called the Confederation of the Galaxy but found out that the leaders had evil plans afoot. Grayson somehow winds up exiling himself and crew in outer reaches of galaxy. They become pirates, drinking and raiding in a shadow of their past glory. When the Confed’s prize cruiser Ulysses enters the orbit of Stygia, a decaying former pleasure planet, Hunt impulsively decides to ram the Ulysses. Both ship go crashing to the surface of Stygia, where the bulk of the action happens. Some kind of disaster killed most of the population there and mutated the surviving flora and fauna.
Based on the in-game dialogue and presentation made by Bleszinski and Jessem, the game’s got a pulpy, semi-satirical vibe that shows a hint of self-awareness. Bleszinski mentioned the influence of Firefly on the game’s development in my interview with him and you can see it. These characters kind of know that what’s happening around them is absurd. The chatter’s very vulgar and at one point, a female character says “The shit I’ve seen down here would turn your asshole purple!” One thing that did cause cheeks to clench was an insane boss battle against some sort of giant plant penis. (It’s in the trailer; tell me I’m wrong.) That fight used Grayson’s slide ability to quickly change position; sliding easier on slick, viscous surfaces, like a floor bathed in plant goo.
(More on Techland: The Techland Interview: Cliff Bleszinski, Part 2)
Bulletstorm’s main selling points right now seem to be heavily modifiable environments that are highly destructible and a system that encourages you to earn points by taking time to kill enemies creatively. There’s a bit of selective time dilation, too, where time slows down only on things you interact with. Everything else continues in real-time. The tech powering the game is the latest version of Epic’s Unreal engine and it sems to be working overtime in BS.
Bulletstorm ships in 2011 and further details about story and multiplayer will be forthcoming. there should be a chance for hands-on time with it at E3. I’m looking forward to trying to improvise a suite of gory, inventive kills at almost at will. We’ll see how my bowels hold up.
More on Techland:
The Techland Interview: Cliff Bleszinski, Part 1
The Loadout for May 11th, 2010: New Games to Attack Your Week With