STACK #193 Nov 2020

GAMING FEATURE

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Gearbox bring the action for the launch of the PlayStation 5 with looter-slasher Godfall .We probed Keith Lee, CEO and game director at developer Counterplay Games, for more info. Words Amy Flower

playstyles and adapt to a broader range of encounter scenarios opened up.” As with almost every game ever, Godfall doesn’t exist in a vacuum. So, what other games inspired the development team? Lee is quick to answer, “The Monster Hunter series, the Diablo series, and God of War .” Namechecking that trio backs up that intention to genre mash, with elements of action and more traditional RPG. When it comes to what sort of split between the two playstyles we should expect, Lee sums it up succinctly. “It’s evenly split between action and RPG elements. As a result, players will index towards combat efficiency rather than difficulty.” Hitting the streets at the launch of the new console, there’s a lot of expectation. Naturally, Counterplay were eager to harness the much- vaunted new features of the PS5. “ Godfall focuses heavily on

• Godfall is out Nov 12

K eith Lee can neatly sum up the essence of Godfall in one sentence. ” Godfall is a loot-driven ARPG with third person real-time melee combat that you can play in solo or co-op.” So far, so interesting. Obviously, however, we’d like to know more of what we can look forward to in one of the most high- profile PS5 launch window games, and Lee is eager to provide further insight into the game’s fantasy-inspired story. “Born from the

of the world in ruins.” The seed of Godfall was a desire to get into a bit of genre mashing.

“It was the desire to push the envelope that blended together two different combat philosophies: skill-driven mechanics versus gear-driven loot,” Lee explains. While the genre mash remains, the Godfall that we get to play has changed somewhat since the Counterplay team first began work on it. “We started developing Godfall as a slower paced, more methodical and defensive combat

We wish our players to get a sense of personal

mastery and satisfaction

the DualSense haptic features, fast loading times, and 3D audio.” Ultimately, Lee hopes that players gain a feeling of accomplishment from the Godfall experience. “We wish our players to get a sense of personal mastery and satisfaction, be that from improved mechanical execution all the way to domain knowledge and environmental expertise.”

game,” reveals Lee. “This style, however,

unstoppable divine hunger of the Great Dragon Kosmera, Aperion is both the name of the world and the universe in which it resides.

PARTY OF THREE As well as classic single-player, Godfall supports up to three players in drop-in/drop-out online co-op.

limited the desire by players to switch loot and

skills once they’ve locked down on a dominant playstyle. Once our team transitioned to a faster paced, active combat system that embraced multiple enemies simultaneously, the opportunity for players to explore new

Aperion is a world of breathtaking majesty beset by eldritch monsters and defended by heroic Valorian knights outfitted with powerful Valorplates. It’s a world shaped by a vast cyclical history and defined by a thousand-year conflict that ended a golden age and left much

22 NOVEMBER 2020

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