Cyanide is certainly running the gamut with their upcoming title, Confrontation. The RPG-meets-RTC title manages to dabble in strategy while having a bit of an MMO feel to it as well. Even in the early preview build I was allowed to run through, Confrontation is standing out as more than just the sum of its parts. It certainly seems like the game will end up offering a unique experience that will set it apart from just about everything else on the market.
This fantasy takes place in the world of Aarklash as a bitter war is leading towards the end of times. You play as an elite squad of Griffin soldiers sneaking into enemy territory to stop the Scorpion threat. The narrative is driven by cutscenes drawn in a fantasy art style, with fairly convincing voiceovers. As someone with no experience with the source material, I was afraid I would be struggling to comprehend what was going on, but Cyanide has done a fantastic job of telling the story.
My immediate reaction to Confrontation was that I was playing all four parts of a Diablo II lan party. Cyanide‘s title has a similar isometric camera view which allows a view of your four party members as you traverse the landscape, picking fights and occasionally finding loot. Your four party members fit into your standard RPG classes (mage, support, tank and DPS) and you’re going to have to use their skills to the fullest extent to survive. Luckily, the ability to pause the game and issue commands is present, otherwise some of the battles would simply be overwhelming.
Confrontation is still rough around the edges in some areas, but I imagine many of these issues can be smoothed out. The graphics don’t hold up against many of the larger titles out now, but it would be a shame to pass on this simply due to that. It has the ability to be a great game, and while multiplayer wasn’t available in the preview build, I can only imagine that it will add to my enjoyment of this title.
Confrontation releases on April 5th for PC.