E3: Evil Dead: Hail to the King impressions

[05.12.00] » The GIA takes a look at what will be the first ever survival comedy title for both the Playstation and Dreamcast.

   Though many had expressed skepticism after seeing Heavy Iron Studios' call for programmers and designers to work on Evil Dead: Hail to the King, the end result may surprise some people. Shown in playable form THQ's booth, the first ten or fifteen screens of the infamous abandoned shack were ready for prime time.

   The game will use the standard survival horror control scheme on prerendered backgrounds, though some of the backgrounds incorporate short FMV loops, such as the swaying shadows of branches through the window in the derelict house's living room. The character models for Ash and an infinitely-respawning Deadite were well-done, and the promised appearances by Annie, Linda, and recognizable Deadites should be just as polished. The main difference between the PSX and Dreamcast versions were the higher polygon count and better framerate in the Dreamcast version.

   As has been heavily publicized, Bruce Campbell will be providing voice acting for the game, but these voices will be used in a way not usually seen in survival horror games. The infamous catchphrases will be used as taunts, which, when used, will have an effect on the AI patterns of the enemies. Some might run away; others might just get angrier. The battle engine so far incorporates a chainsaw in one hand and secondary weapon in the other; in the demo this is a shotgun but an ax, a double-barrelled shotgun, and other weapons are also planned.

   The game will have a lot of weapons because, as the developer stated, "This is not a game where you get have only 15 ammo and have to sneak around and conserve things. This is a game where you want a slaughter." Action won't be the only focus, however, as there will also be puzzles strewn throughout the game. Supposedly these will all be logical, though it remains to be seen if the developers can resist the temptation to get needlessly creative. On all other fronts, though, the game is looking surprisingly good and should be interesting to watch.