Bloody tears. Poisoned paralysis. The constant sound of tiny legs scuttling on baked Arizona dirt. The creepiness is undeniable, but this is no simple exercise in cheap squeals – there’s a heap of sophisticated narrative tricks underneath the hood. Using a flashback mechanic – you’re working forward toward a mysterious gas station explosion that opens the game – the dual characters also allow for neat intertwining stories.
An epic fight with an army of spiders when you play as the scorpion may play out in the background of the tarantula’s take on the same level as he slinks up surfaces the scorpion couldn’t. At several points their paths are set to cross with out-and-out duels between the two – needless to say, narrative tricks will be needed to stop them offing one another: one dead character would probably hinder the two-hander tale. Not that the two will have time for one another once man arrives on the scene.
We pressed Itkowitz for details on the spider vs scorpion vs man encounter, and although he’s keeping mum on Deadly Creatures’s major set piece he did hint that despite his size, a man’s toe was fleshy and defenseless – along with ‘other’ parts of him. One uncomfortable look from us and a sick giggle from the dev confirmed our worst fears about this unconventional boss – but it remains one of our most anticipated moments of 2008. We’re still to see the tarantula in action – complete with pointer-aimed silk-spewing and ninja-like stealth kills – and there is the question of replay opportunities that surrounds any heavily story-based title, but Deadly Creatures is already looking great.
Jul 8, 2008
