Shooting a rocket launcher is not that much of a science. Just aim, estimate the distance and movement of the enemy and fire so that the shot reaches him. But have you tried it in zero gravity?
How about shooting a shotgun? Escape from angry guards while hovering and circling feverishly? These questions are answered by the multiplayer space shooter Hyenas, which Coming next year on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Its alpha version is currently being tested, and a gameplay demo was also available at Gamescom in Cologne, although we weren’t able to try the game ourselves.
The studio behind the name is Creative Assembly, famous for the survival horror series Alien: Isolation or Total War. It has been run by SEGA for several years now, as seen in the Hyenas themselves: the heroes’ task is to loot legendary toys or pop culture collectibles originating from planet Earth. These relics, which include a Rubik’s Cube or a plush Sonic the Hedgehog, belong to the wealthy who took them with them when they decided to colonize Mars. Our task is to steal them from them in ships called Plunderships, fend off rival thieving teams and not die.
Expect colorful comic stylization, definitely nothing realistic. With humor here and there, Hyenas is aimed at a younger audience. Unfortunately, however, it’s impossible to draw any serious conclusions from the ten-minute demo, which is also commented as a sneaky YouTube vlog. Combat feels very dynamic, even when weightlessness is activated, which is perhaps the most interesting element of Hyenas. And also what developers are most proud of, as suggested by Christoph Will, one of the main game designers, in an interview with Zing.cz.
In the world of hyenas, billionaires have decided to fly to Mars and thereby destroy the Earth. Do you have anything against billionaires who want to fly to Mars?
We definitely don’t mean anything in particularlaugh). This is a classic story about rich and poor, about politicians and people who decide to stand up and fight back. We’ve had it here for thousands of years. Now it appears even today, but we wrote the story about hyenas much earlier. It’s more like reality has caught up with our history, rather than the other way around.
Why Mars?
If you’re familiar with science fiction, Mars makes sense – it’s the closest planet to Earth.
Can we even visit Mars in the game? I mean not only the arenas in which the fights take place, but also the environment.
So far, we only have Plunderships arenas, and we’ve only shown you one of them.
Our goal is to steal relics from Earth on these loot ships. Could you describe one of them to me? I saw, for example, items related to the SEGA company.
There are many relics and objects of particular interest. But it should always fit into the theme, because we try to make each ship unique. We started with Sonic – we’re part of SEGA, so it makes sense. In the video, you could see a Sonic plushie that shows exactly why you should want to steal something like this. Or a hacker device playing a familiar tune. It will bring back your memories.
Five teams of three compete for these relics. What other obstacles will he face?
There are many guards: a standard bodyguard, whose members have a variety of weapons – someone has shotguns, someone has rocket launchers. Elite guards already have a shield or a laser gun. And then drones, which are especially dangerous when you’re in zero gravity. Because drones don’t care.
I understand. The player flies through space with the drone comfortably following.
Exactly. The player, like other people in the game, fights in zero gravity. But you can also use it against opponents.
So is weightlessness friend or foe for gamers?
It is a tool that you can use, but it can also be used against you. Especially other players. In the video, you could see one of the characters, the ballerina Prima, who uses weightlessness very well, because she can create a kind of “zero-g bubble”.
How often do we experience weightlessness?
This varies slightly by game, as each ship has different areas where gravity can be turned off or on. And there are players who can get away with it. Or just Prima, which itself turns it on. But I would say that on average it is half the time. Maybe more, maybe less. It’s a mix where you run on the ground, jump into zero gravity, fly down a hallway, and run again. It makes chasing someone fun because you don’t just run after them – you fly. It is very dynamic and fast.
The idea of weightlessness seems original to me. I hope there will be as many of them as possible in the game, but I also understand that all this cannot take place in zero gravity.
Theoretically, 90 percent of a match could be played in zero gravity. But it can’t be done just like that. If you like weightlessness, just play as Prima. In fact, he is also one of my favorite characters.
That’s what I wanted to ask. What is your favorite character?
Prima is probably my second favorite due to its use of weightlessness. But my favorite character is Mozi because I am a very aggressive player and love shooting games. I used to play Quake a lot. And Mozi has a rocket launcher. So, you fly in zero gravity and launch rockets…
But it is so hard.
It’s hard, but it’s also very rewarding when you succeed.
How difficult is the game for casual players? Weightlessness can be quite a challenge.
Of course, there is weightlessness and various character abilities, and you need to be nimble to fully master the hyenas, just like in other games. But that’s why we’re testing the alpha version to find out where players might have problems. For example, we monitor how they gradually learn to control the game and adjust the training accordingly.
But if you are a person who wants to learn the game, choosing the right hyena will help you a lot. For example, Mozee: with a rocket launcher it is quite difficult to hit someone, but at the same time it is a simple weapon. Simple concept. You’re just launching a rocket, so you don’t have to think too much about how to use it properly. However, as a new player, you probably won’t want to play Prima, as he is one of the more difficult characters to play. (…) But as a designer, I’m very proud that our weightlessness is better than any other game I’ve played. And that’s also because it’s manageable and very easy to understand.
Are there any characters in Hyenas that use melee attacks? Or will we shoot?
Everyone can use a melee attack, but there is no character among them who targets it.
And is there a character who would use brute force or act as a tank?
Transvestite Galaxia. He uses a shotgun, which is a melee weapon in its own right. And at the same time, he has a shield, so he also works as a tank. This shield can reflect bullets and projectiles back, so Galaxia wants to get close to the enemy, absorb all the damage, and then give it to the enemy team.
Galaxia worked hard to find her true voice, but her career went downhill when the Earth was devastated. From the ashes arose the cosmic Hyena from the fabulous Draga Galaxy, who kills everyone using her ability to deflect or cast a shadow.#hyenas pic.twitter.com/oRbn1nONLJ
— HYENAS (@PlayHyenas) August 24, 2022
In the demo, we could see one team of three people. Galaxy in the form of a tank, weightlessness expert Prima and sniper Izzy. How about a hacker or an engineer?
Pro, the only pro in the Hyenas lineup, fits that description best. On Earth, he used to be a bank robber and even ended up in prison, from which he escaped. If you listen to his voice, you can tell that other hyenas annoy him. That’s why he wears a maskwith the face of Richard Nixon – approx. ed.). It was part of his bank robbery gear, and now he uses it to rob… other places. Pro has the ability to place an observation tower on the ground, which can, for example, block the arena. But he also has a shotgun, so he stays with his mount, keeps the area under his control and fires himself at close range.
Why did you take on something like Hyenas at Creative Assembly? It’s a completely different game when compared to older games like Alien: Isolation.
I joined the team four years ago (and the game has been in development for four years – ed.). But there is always something that you like to play yourself, and then you want to create it too. I think the idea came at a time when a lot of shooters came out and we wanted to do something similar. And I think that the implementation of this idea was a success. We are very proud of this game and look forward to people playing it.
ZING.cz’s Gamescom 2022 report features Acer Nitro gaming laptops with processors up to Intel Core i7.
Source :Indian TV
