The most touted feature of Elveon is actually its very unique combat system. Four classes are available to be selected at the start of the game, and all have different attributes which must be used well in order to succeed on the battlefield. Gamers can select from the ranged, dagger, sword and spear classes and modify them to whatever suits their style of play best. It’s not just cosmetic either, as your class will determine what enemies you face. Equipping a bow will give you good distance, but the enemies will come at you and try to get in much closer in order to fully take you down. It’s the same for selecting standard weaponry too. Armor also is impressive. You can completely customize and even change your armor as you progress through the game. Find a blacksmith and you can enchant it allowing for many different gameplay options. 10Tacle, although remaining light-tipped, have also said that the armor has full cosmetic damage and will change accordingly to how much it was been worn in battle.
The combat itself has ventured away from the standard, limited pre-determined animation collision, and instead has gone for real, fully modeled fight sequences. What this means is that instead of attacks being all the same when they hit, every swing will be different. 10tacle have also incorporated an impressive assortment of motion captured combat and allowed the AI to freelance fight somewhat. In motion, it is a sight to behold. Fights look amazingly realistic, and due to the weapon collision the game has, you could be mistaken for thinking that everything was pre-rendered. Combos can be strung together well, and when the AI is as smart as it is in Elveon, they block and counter attack so well. They also can dodge effectively and even in some cases completely outsmart you. It is so majestic, and by far the best fighting system I have seen in any game before.
Elveon also has multiplayer, but as of yet developers 10tacle are keen to showcase it at another time. They have said however, that both the PC and 360 versions will have numerous battle modes and objective based games. If you are a 360 owner in particular, you can look forward to many marketplace downloads full with quests and weaponry. PC gamers can expect custom mods as well.
10tacle Studios are certainly impressing with their first debut into the next generation. Elveon is not only visually impressive, but its gameplay could well become very similar to Oblivion. It has free-roaming elements there and a different take on the combat system of RPG’s today. The Unreal 3 engine not only has allowed the developers to do things that have never been attempted before, but it is also allowing for some very nice visuals. Lighting, character models, and soft shadows are exquisite to look at and when a game is as beautiful in landscape as this is, it certainly adds to the experience. The Slovakian developers definitely have their work cut out for them, but with Elveon's uniqueness, it should go on to become one of the best RPG's of 2007.
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