Warhammer Eisenhorn: Xenos - a cinematic action game

[vonAchdorf]

What would you do if you were Games Workshop and held the rights to one of the most highly praised non Space Marine novel series in the 40k universe? Right, you'd hand them off to a new mobile company which only released one (even a rather good one for mobile standards) action adventure game.

Announced last year and to not much fanfare, they recently stepped up their marketing with ads on the back cover of the re-released paperbacks of the Eisenhorn trilogy and now even put a (release or reveal?) date (0.710.015.M3) on their new website http://eisenhorngame.com.

And since the game will also come out for the PC, a thread here was due.

Information is a bit scarce, a few screenshots and interviews here and there. The game is an action focused adventure, following the story of the book. They try to not make it a button masher and introduce some strategic elements like action points and want to create a "cinematic experience" with good production values, using Unreal Engine (3).

In Xenos, we’re going with a more traditional console approach, with separate inputs for melee and ranged combat. We’re trying to balance a lot of interesting elements, such as different equippable weapons and items, as well as the effect of the retinue members the player has chosen to take on a mission. This is without talking too much about some cool nods to the original board game we’ve put in such as action points, morale, and the Inquisitor’s ‘Pause for Breath’ ability (which I’m going to hold back from revealing too much about right now!).

http://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/interviews/10356-nader-alikhani-pixel-hero-games-xenos

You'll be able to recruit a bodyguard character (non-playable) as support in combat and a support character for non-combat.

Xenos will be optimized dependant on the platform. Thankfully our experience using the Unreal Engine means we have a lot of control for delivering the best experience for users. On mobile devices or tablets, the game may run at different frame rates and with different settings, however the minimum frame rate on every device will be 30 frames per second. The STEAM release of Xenos will allow for customisation by the user of the usual graphical bells and whistles depending on their particular setup. As far as controls are concerned, we’ve rebuilt our controls from the ground up to allow us to make sure we are delivering as similar an experience as possible on every platform. Our primary focus is a gamepad oriented style of controls, with virtual sticks on touch screen and additional device specific gamepad support. As well as working with gamepads, the STEAM version will also support mouse and keyboard controls.

 

[Siel]

Nice a new cinematic game. I bet this one also has an innovative visceral combat system. :D

 

[Infinitron]

That's it. We need a Warhammer games subforum.

EDIT: A prefix is good too

 

[Anthedon]

Dan Abnett's books are some of the best when it comes to 40k. Looks like Cherubael will be in the game too. A shame this is going to be utter shit.

Why GW hands out licenses to every studio now remains a mystery, ugh.

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

Mystery? Quite the contrary: They're handing that shit out because they know that their property is dying a slow death and they want to squeeze what little milk is left out of that cow before the entire body goes the way of Nurgle.

What a fucking shame too. Imagine what a GOOD company could have done with the licence.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Bad trigger discipline is triggering me. One immediately knows that the artists never have served or held a gun before.

I like Abnetts books and the Eisenhorn trilogy, but there are still lots of annoying and not so good passages in them.

Dan Abnett's books are some of the best when it comes to 40k. Looks like Cherubael will be in the game too. A shame this is going to be utter shit.

I wonder if he will be naked all like in the books.

 

[Excidium II]

"Pixelhero Games"

Now that's a mobile shovelware company name if I ever seen one.

 

[DraQ]

Bad trigger discipline is triggering me. One immediately knows that the artists never have served or held a gun before.

In before selfie.

 

[stray]

This looks like it was made 6 years ago.

I don't have a problem with the underlying idea though... action and cinematics. Sure, why not. There's plenty of decent enough games like this, but with far more terrible stories.

But this is still probably going to suck.

 

[muds_animal_friend]

Based on a Dan Abnett novel ... So it's Mary Sue simulator then? I talked to at him during a convention, and he struck me as a genuinely nice guy. That almost made me feel guilty for repeatedly taking the piss out of him on the Black Library Forums. Almost. For maybe a fraction of a second. Although he has really raised his game with Pariah. That novel is quality.

Naturally, given that the Eisenhorn novels directly inspired Dark Heresy, an actual 40k RPG, GW's first choice to licence a game based on those very same novels would be a quasi-interactive mobile game. Why not? How could it be any different? Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark present of GW licencing there is only shovelware.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Based on a Dan Abnett novel ... So it's Mary Sue simulator then? I talked to at him during a convention, and he struck me as a genuinely nice guy. That almost made me feel guilty for repeatedly taking the piss out of him on the Black Library Forums. Almost. For maybe a fraction of a second. Although he has really raised his game with Pariah. That novel is quality.

I don't care that much about the Mary Sue aspect, the books are still entertaining, but I think in Eisenhorn he has some bad habits of a novel novel writer, which makes some passages sound a bit pretentious or focus on unneccessary details while only glancing over (imo) more important or interesting stuff.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Meh

 

[ghostdog]

Eisenhorn was good for a game-related novel, even if it felt like a space opera from some point on.


This game smells like shovelware though.

 

[Mangoose]

Based on a Dan Abnett novel ... So it's Mary Sue simulator then?

I've never read his Inquisitor stuff. Just his Spess Mehreen and Marvel Comics stuff. Didn't see much Marysuism there.

 

[Night Goat]

Holy fuck, they're using this for a promotional image? He's hoverhanding his gun somehow, and his fingers are clipping through the trigger and trigger guard. They're not even trying to make this not look like shit.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Will they be making the inevitable Ravenor games a tank simulator then?

 

[vonAchdorf]

Gameplay trailer:

 

[Angthoron]

in the grim future of mankind there are many crates

 

[Parsifarka]

It looks like shit and has QTE. Awesome.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

It looks like shit and has QTE. Awesome.

Those words are synonyms.

 

[Azalin]

Damn,the graphics look like they are from 5 years ago,is it so hard to give the licence ti a decent studio?

 

[Shadenuat]

I don't even have anything to say at this point

 

[tormund]

So, it's like Uncharted or The Order 18someyear, only without even a fraction of production values and polish that are some 95% of those games appeal..

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

Helmawr's rump, that looks like crap!

 

[vonAchdorf]

The animations look like they are either from the asset store or made by Bioware.