There certainly was plenty of buzz generated when a new IP, Extinction, was revealed before E3 2017. Little was known about the title other than it was an action-adventure title featuring plenty of swordplay, epic scale, and gigantic enemies. Developers, Iron Galaxy and Modus Games have released a new video showing off many of the game’s features, what we can expect from the story and what the deal is with those gigantic ogres.
The video reveals that the previous nameless hero in Extinction actually goes by Avil. He is the last member of an order called the Sentinels tasked with protecting a land called Dolorum. A portal has opened which allows many terrible beasts through from another world and they are threatening Dolorum. The scariest of the monsters have to be the towering Ravenii which stand at over 150 feet tall. The Ravenii are often flanked with many lesser minions which Avil must contend with at the same time.
The game’s developers have a history working on fighting games and have brought this expertise to the action-adventure genre. Avil’s combat movements can be canceled mid-animation and tied to another attack with a fluidity more commonly seen in the fighting genre. Avil’s abilities to climb environmental obstacles and grapple with a whip also translate to his combat. He can vertically scale the Ravenii like a wall or grapple up an enemy using that trusty whip.
The most exciting part of the combat has to be the fights with the Ravenii. Like Shadow of The Colossus, Avil will have to find a way to get to the top of each Ravenii. The only way to kill a Ravenii is to separate its head from its body. That can only be accomplished with a special strike called a Rune Strike. The Rune Strike ability can be charged by removing armor, or limbs, from the Ravenii or accomplishing other subtasks. Once charged and with Avil placed in the right spot a gruesome decapitation is sure to follow. Extinction releases April 10, 2018, on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
