Too Human Preview

[GameBanshee News]

UGO Gamesblog has put together a detailed preview of Too Human after getting their hands on a press build of Silicon Knights' upcoming action RPG.

In terms of gameplay, Too Human finds its closest relatives in Diablo and, to a lesser extent, dual-analog shooters such as Smash TV. Melee combat and firearm targeting is controlled entirely with the right thumbstick, with combos possible by jerking the stick in the direction of another enemy as Baldur is in the act of sliding towards the first. Double-tapping in any direction triggers an enemy-launching juggle attack and Baldur can even slide through the air, continuing his combos from above the fray. Firearms, which have a limited clip size but unlimited reloads, are fired with the two triggers; left for primary fire and right for secondary, which can be anything from a second pistol to a grenade launcher.

When it works, combat feels fluid and fast-paced, with Baldur zipping from enemy to enemy with the agility of… well, of a cybernetically enhanced man-god. When the combat doesn’t work, it’s usually a result of Baldur’s movement speed. As agile as he is in the midst of a combo, Baldur generally moves around the battlefield at a sluggish pace. He can dodge-roll but not block, meaning that avoiding an attack involves rolling away and then sliding back. That’s pretty much the pattern of play: wade in and attack some enemies, roll away when one or more rears up for an attack, slide back in, rinse, repeat. Always repeat.

Most of the time this works just fine, especially once you start throwing in juggles and taking those combos skyward. It’s repetitive, no question, but enemies are constantly dropping weapons and armor tokens with ridiculously complicated names. Like Diablo, Titan Quest and others before it, Too Human is a lootfest. Those who enjoy constantly tweaking their RPG characters with ever-more-potent weapons and armor will get past Too Human’ repetition quickly when they’re deciding whether to equip the Myomer Reticulation Suit of The Cunning or the Pure ArmaCore Chestguard of Anger.