Hands-On with Too Human

Monday morning saw a release of a playable demo for Silicon Knights' upcoming action-RPG, Too Human, to Xbox Live Gold members. For some of us, playing this demo is the closest we will get to actually being at E3 this year. For those of us who have taken the time to download and play the demo, it seems that the wait for this much anticipated game has been worthwhile.

At first glance, the game seems to be a fairly standard-issue action-RPG with a high-tech setting and some beautiful graphics. After playing the demo all the way through (roughly an hour of gameplay), the game's depth really starts to show through.

The combat in the game is quick and intuitive. At first, the intuitiveness comes off as simplicity. However, looking at the advanced controls screen reveals that the combo system, and other combat techniques, actually has a bit of depth to it. The depth of the combat system is made even better by the depth of the character building aspects of the RPG design and the massive array of customizable armor and weapons. Not only can new weapons and armor be found (or forged), but they can also affect playing style based on how attacks can be carried out. Beyond these customizations, the full game allows players to choose from five different base classes (each with different strengths and weaknesses).

The game's story is also intriguing. It seems that Norse mythology serves as the basis for a lot of what takes place, but everything is moved into a seemingly futuristic setting. Being a demo, I found myself with more questions than answers in regards to the plot, but I actually want to find out the answers to these questions.

As mentioned previously, the game is beautiful. Character models are extremely detailed, and skin even wrinkles while characters talk. The game world is breathtaking and epic all at the same time. What's even more impressive is that the game's soundtrack is also rock solid. In many ways, I found it reminiscent of "Duel of the Fates" from the Star Wars soundtrack, and that's a great thing. The music builds and softens based on what is happening in the game for added effect.

On the whole, the demo is extremely impressive for those who get past the first five minutes. Morally, there's a lot of violence (though no particular blood comes to mind), references to mythology, and some minor swearing. For those who won't be put off my that content, and have an Xbox Live Gold membership, downloading the demo is practically a no-brainer.

More on the game will come to you after its release later this year.