Describing Konamiâs new action-horror shoot âem up NeverDead is something of a challenge for producer and game designer Shinta Nojiri. Itâs a game that might require some re-education, due to its rather unique gameplay system.
The basics are that NeverDeadâs main character, Bryce, is immortal. Heâs been that way for 500 years. And while age, loneliness and an inability to die may have made him a touch cynical and sarcastic, he has, Nojiri says, âa sense of justice.â (Although Bryce appeared as something of a wise-ass in the latest NeverDead trailer and that his partner sometimes shuts him up by shooting him in the face, Nojiri says this is a serious game. Deadly serious.)
Bryce and his prettier partner Arcadia, a relatively normal human being, are working together to fend off the return of the Demon King. That big bad defeated Bryce 500 years ago, so they have some history.
Oh, and the Demon Kingâs responsible for Bryceâs immortality, the reason why the demon hunter can have his arms, legs and head ripped off and still continue. Players will be able to control Bryceâs decapitated head if itâs separated from his body, rolling it around the battlefield until it can reconnect with his bit and pieces.
And while Bryce is immortal, his partner Arcadia isnât. If she dies, itâs game over. (Nojiri says thereâs a second game over condition, but wonât say what it is.)
NeverDeadâs gameplay, Nojiri says, is rather unique for a third-person shooter. Sure, it features a sword-and-gunplay combo system, a la Devil May Cry, but Nojiri insists itâs more strategic, less âautomaticâ than Capcomâs action series. Thereâs gun play, an unidentified sword intriguingly based on a butterfly knife design and the prominent limb-lopping gimmick.
Players will need to strategically think about the best times to use some of Bryceâs immortal abilities, like the option to self-dismember himself. Thatâs a skill that Bryce will unlock by spending experience points earned in battle and a technique that can give him an advantage on the battlefield.
How? In some circumstances, it may be better to let a demon gnaw on your arm while you focus on other enemies with your free arm. Sometimes, it may be better to lob an arm over a wall, letting it fire wildly until you can compose yourself. Maybe it would be better to let a ceiling collapse on you and your foes, because, hey, youâre gonna be just fine.
While we havenât played NeverDead, its prospects are intriguing. Add to that cooperative modes distinct from the single-player campaign that let players play as Bryce and Arcadiaâor two Brycesâand some of the gameâs demons, and weâre now dying to learn more about NeverDead.
