Black Wing soars on Salvation

If the gaming industry has any say in it, the end times will be extraordinarily interesting--save for that whole bit about personal death and destruction. Black Wing Foundation is the latest development house to offer a glimpse at humanity's decidedly grim potential future, as the Ukraine-based studio today announced it is creating Salvation in conjunction with N-Game Studios for the Xbox 360 and PC, slated for release in the second quarter of 2009.

With the developer claiming inspiration from dystopian masterpieces, including George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Salvation portrays a world in which a totalitarian government known as the "Regime" has simulated Judgment Day by unleashing an army of genetically enhanced "Angels" to gain complete control over Earth's populace. Those who defy the Regime are either executed or sent to Hell, or what Black Wing calls "a cybernetic virtual reality system, causing a human to suffer unbearably."

Valve's Source engine will power the third-person shooter action in Salvation. Players will mount their resistance as either the genetically modified assassin Narumi Amano, European resistance cell captain Sergei Thor, or the "rather cynical psy-powered smuggler" Alexander Geist. Salvation will play out over the course of 17 missions and span seven episodes, and Black Wing promises a highly cinematic experience that incorporates an easy-to-use role-playing system, unique futuristic weapons, and gameplay that combines elements of "stealth, action, and arcade."

In addition to a story mode, Salvation will feature multiplayer mode for up to 32 players, as well as "the ability to play for enemies and NPCs." For more on the shooter, check out Black Wing's official Web site for the game.