Joystiq impressions: Clive Barker's Jericho
"Seen any great games so far?" It's a question that's constantly passing between members of the press during the E3 Media Summit, with answers including the likes of "Assassin's Creed," "Halo Wars" and, in what surely came after a bout of heavy drinking, "The Golden Compass." When the conversation turns to the Codemasters-published Jericho, however, most people have to pause in order to search through their memories, hoping to extract any tidbits of information to discuss. "Oh yeah, it's that Clive Barker game," is the best most can manage.
We find ourselves similarly stunned upon seeing the game in action for the first time. Though this result speaks highly of the game's unique content, it's somewhat alarming when the title in question is nearly 95% complete and scheduled for release this September. When queried about the game's lack of buzz and information (just try finding a video of gameplay!), creative lead Joe Falke shrugs and exchanges an uncertain glance with a colleague. "Well... we're not sure how the marketing people are handling this." Rather poorly, we think. Lucky for them (and for you) our job is to equip you with enough knowledge to muster a better answer the next time somebody inquires about Jericho. "Oh yeah, it's that Clive Barker game. You know, that squad-based, time-traveling horror first-person shooter that lets you steer bullets with your mind."
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Clive Barker's Jericho begins where most games end -- by the time the first act is over, the protagonist is dead. As is frequently the case in the horror genre, however, the deceased can't be trusted to remain that way, and it isn't very long before your character acts upon the world in the form of a ghost. Your ability to possess and actively control other characters is the narrative's tidy way of explaining this first-person shooter's central gameplay mechanic, namely the ability to switch between six different and uniquely-gifted combatants.
Falke doesn't divulge much of Clive Barker's plot, but explains that it is the squad's responsibility to wage "occult warfare" wherever -- and whenever -- necessary. Moody locales visited by the time-traveling commandos feel foreboding and claustrophobic, with dank caverns, bloody corridors and crumbling stairwells guiding you ever deeper into blackness. Since the twisted creatures lurking within the darkness aren't particularly courteous, it falls to you to greet them with your considerable armaments. Madrid-based developer Mercury Steam Entertainment has extended the environment's sense of the macabre to the combat, injecting a wonderful flair of brutality and energy into violent confrontations.
Seemingly on holiday from Silent Hill, pustule-covered monsters will explode in a rancid cloud of mist after wandering into the sights of the screen-shaking chain gun wielded by the group's "tank" character. Another operative fires a well-placed shot with an automatic pistol, shortly before eviscerating an undead crusader with a razor-sharp katana held in the other hand. The boldly animated melee attacks are especially exciting, though a close encounter with a wily foe may send your own character into a visible and disorienting stumble. You'll fight through the occasional interactive cutscene as well, with one encounter depicting a squad member wrestling with a creature as they plummet down a deep well. Upon reaching the bottom, Joe Falke misses a crucial button prompt and is rewarded by a spinning camera falling to the floor -- a morbid, yet charming indication that he'd been decapitated.
Death is rarely the end though, as squad mates within reach can easily be revived through the power of the supernatural. When not used for healing purposes, these same powers can be used to inflict damage or enhance player abilities, each one diversifying the ways in which you might confront enemies. Certain abilities, such as unleashing wailing spirits of fire, cater to offensive strategies, while launching ethereal strands to hold a monster in place lends itself to a more calculated approach. Conventional RPG classes seem to define most of the squad members, with some gifted more in the ways of magic than unbridled physical violence. A reality hacker in the group can highlight obscured beasts or slow time down to a crawl, and the team's sniper can steer a bullet around a corner and through the splattering heads of multiple enemies.
Though Jericho finds itself in two very familiar genres (first-person shooter and horror), the super-kinetic action and immediate character-switching dynamic make it a joy to see in motion. With squad mates barking orders at each other and unleashing magical blasts as they're beset by the forces of evil from all angles (in the rain), Jericho depicts an intriguing micro-war between fantastic supernatural beings. Provided the team AI doesn't end up flinging itself into chasms or headlong into walls, we suspect this is a battle you'll want to participate in this September on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
