Game convention after game convention seemed to detail some new “next-gen” game that was either over-looked or ignored by most gamers. With a handful of notable titles raking up the press filters and storming news media throughout the gaming industry, lesser known games get pushed off to the side like Hollywood superstars of yesteryear. But unlike most Hollywood has-beens, video games have a tendency of rekindling their fire through brisk sales as a “sleeper hit”.
Like Piranha Bytes and JoWood’s Gothic 3...being a sleeper hit requires more than just the “next-gen” label. Games have to genuinely appeal to gamers to attain a reputable sales title. I’m almost positive that Cavia Inc., and Atari’s Japanese Xbox 360 title, Bullet Witch, is keeping out of the limelight in hopes of capturing a “sleeper hit” status, much like Gothic 3. Or otherwise, Atari really isn’t thrilled with the outcome of Bullet Witch, so far. As a Japanese title going through the localization phase at the moment, the developers admitted that the game needed more tweaking before being presented to American shores. I’m not entirely sure how good that is, knowing that gamer feedback and shoddy bugs needed to be ironed out before the game hit the shelves of American retailers…but, hey, at least it is getting fixed before it arrives.
The actual story follows a young witch named Alicia. She has special magical abilities; these abilities allow her to manipulate her natural surroundings, as well as incorporate physical objects into existence, right out of thin air. She can push objects, destroy things with her powers, or even create a shield to use as covering, or to block incoming attacks or projectiles. As players progress through the game her supernatural abilities will increase, much like a standard RPG. But Alicia is dragged into an apocalyptic scenario after demon soldiers are unleashed upon the earth, and more than five billion people are slain. The story unfolds over these events as Alicia helps to fend the planet from the demon horde.
To combat those freaky looking hell fiends, the protagonist uses a funky looking broomstick called a gun-rod. It actually looks like someone duct-tapped an M16 assault rifle over a wicker lamp stand. Still, the gun-rod is big, ugly, and shoots like a parent chastising a red-headed stepchild...no mercy whatsoever. The gun-rod can also be upgraded, much like Alicia’s magic. Her gun features the ability to transform into a shotgun, a machine gun, and even a rocket launcher. Some objects within the levels can also be shot up to the point where they’ll get destroyed…and destruction has many meanings, even to the user. For instance, shooting up a vehicle will tear it down with bullets until it explodes. But watch out! The physics engine allows particles to fly every which way, and the force of the particles can actually cause damage. So if players blow a car up and the wheels fly off, there’s a good chance that pieces will find a player and damage or kill them.
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