Thursday, 29 August, 2024 UTC
Summary
Skydance's Behemoth continues to impress with gripping combat and VR-first design. Here are our latest impressions.
It's not often I'll preview the same VR game twice before launch, but I'll happily make an exception for Skydance's Behemoth. Recently confirmed for release this November, you play as Wren, a hunter traveling across the cursed Forsaken Lands who's attempting to slay the titular monstrosities. Behemoth utilizes brutal physics-driven melee-based combat that lets you cut, maim, bludgeon, and kill enemies who stand in your way while exploring different regions.
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We previously tried Behemoth on PSVR 2 in May. At the time, we called it a "promising VR fantasy action RPG" with an "appealing presentation and satisfying yet brutal physics-based combat." This preview mostly focuses on the new content, and I previously covered the main gameplay mechanics, weapons, basic exploration, and more in my previous demo. You can read that below.
Skydance’s Behemoth Hands-On: Promising VR Action Fantasy With Great Combat
Skydance’s Behemoth builds on Saints & Sinners foundations with a highly promising VR action RPG. Our full impressions and developer Q&A.
UploadVRHenry Stockdale
At Gamescom, I went hands-on with the PC VR version via Quest 3. Instead of traversing a snowy tundra that the Shacklehide calls home, my latest preview saw me facing the equally fearsome Dreddstag, which took place across a dry, mostly barren environment.
The Dreddstag demo mostly focuses on action, though it provided a welcome insight into the challenges exploration can offer. Two paths lay ahead of me soon after starting where I could choose to pick the easier route through, or select a harder route that involved grappling from one ledge to another. I admittedly failed to clear the more challenging route, but I respect that it's an option.
A brief encounter with human enemies followed and combat still feels satisfyingly lethal. Creating an opening by parrying before ruthlessly going in for the kill with your sword is great fun, and it didn't take long to encounter the Dreddstag. Climbing this hulking giant requires strategic thinking that utilizes the environment well, and it's a tougher fight than the Shacklehide.
I won't detail exactly how this fight unfolded since I don't wish to spoil this big moment, but VR's sense of presence really shines in this moment. You couldn't achieve this in a flatscreen game like Shadow of the Colossus, I could feel that sense of fear and accomplishment as I continued ascending. This mountain of a monster employs some clever strategies and the game signposts where you need to go in a way that's helpful without being blatantly obvious.
I'm encouraged that these bosses feel so different to fight; I'm not just repeating strategies used against Shacklehide. Chipping away at this boss gradually as you continue climbing feels like your hard work is being rewarded, even if I did get shaken off on several occasions. I hope this variety doesn't dip with the remaining bosses come full release.
A brief Q&A after this demo followed with Brian Murphy, Game Director for Skydance's Behemoth. After discussing my demo progress, Murphy offered some insights into how Skydance designed the Dreddstag. The team wished to avoid making fights a series of quick time events (QTE) and create a "seamless, fully simulated, gigantic monster" where you can "really feel the scale."
Murphy confirmed that designing such large-scale fights and the behaviors around programming them involves "bits of video game wizardry." Seeing people ziplining across the Dreddstag makes Murphy particularly happy since there's a technical challenge involved with locking a grappling hook onto a moving target.
We wanted to take everything that we had done in the Saints and Sinners with combat and then we said "What else can we do in VR that we have a unique point of view on?" The scale and size was wonderful, and that was how we arrived at that Shadow of the Colossus angle... We've also put a ton of work into making sure people aren't sick while also remaining uncompromising with the experience. We want you to be clinging to [the Dreddstag's] arm as he tries to shake it."
We soon touch upon the upcoming Behemoth graphic novel, which takes place long before your journey begins in the game. Skydance Games wants to portray "thousands of years" of history before you even pick up your sword. Murphy advised how there's also hundreds of objects across the game that detail this story further while maintaining a VR-oriented approach.
"The interaction for consuming the world is cool. You can pick up a skull, crush the skull, and the memories of long-dead people from the Forsaken Lands echo in your brain."
Environmental storytelling is a big part of Skydance's approach, and Murphy points to Fallout New Vegas as an influence behind this. He specifically notes a moment where you can find two people who are long dead after getting involved in a card game.
"You look at the table, and one of the players has got five aces. And then you're like, "Ah, yeah, I see what happened." This guy was cheating, and he got killed, and then you find the audio log later, and you get to listen to it. We tried to do something similar, and if you go off the beaten path, you'll find these little stories."
Skydance's Behemoth arrives on Quest, PSVR 2, and Steam on November 14. Pre-orders include the Ancient Hero’s Sword, Thornwood Bow, Behemoth Bone Axe, and Bronze Grappling Hook.