GB Feature: Hard to be a God Preview

We've conjured up a lengthy preview of Akella and Burut's Hard to be a God, based on the recently released demo and knowledge of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's book of the same name. A quick introduction:
...the kingdom Arkana is in the midst of its feudal age at the end of the Arkanar Massacre, whereas other areas on the planet Arkana are more developed. You start Hard to be a God as a trainee agent of the imperial intelligence organization, which places you square in the mainland empire of Estor. This means you're moving from a more advanced society into a more backwards one. What's more, there is some 22nd century earth technology on Arkana. Hard to be a God features only a helicopter, a mini-camera and some wonderful curative drugs, but the game promises to feature more, with highly advanced weaponry taking the traditional role of magic.