Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Hands-On Impressions

On a recent visit to the movie-themed area of Sony's PlayStation Experience event, we managed to get a little hands-on time with Ubi Soft's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The game resembles the Tenchu series in many ways, but whereas those games are stealth-based, Ubi Soft's offering is all about combat.

The level we played took place in the grounds of a large building, and, as in the Tenchu games, much of our moving around involved negotiating rooftops. Since the Jen Yu character we were using has all the same abilities she did in the movie, we were able to jump great heights and glide between rooftops without the need for grappling hooks and the like. Jen Yu is also able to run at incredible speeds for brief periods of time, which definitely comes in handy when you find yourself surrounded by enemies.

The combat in the game is controlled using two hand-to-hand buttons and two weapon attack buttons, but the most effective way to fight often seemed to be counterattacking--which is achieved by pressing the block button at the exact moment an enemy attacks. As we progressed through the level, we noticed that each of the potential exits from the current area was flanked by flaming torches. As well as being aesthetically pleasing, the torches perform the function of letting you know the status of the exit without you needing to go right up to them and see if they open when you push the action button. A blue flame means that the exit is open, a green flame means that the exit is an alternate route, while an extinguished torch means that the exit is still locked.

The release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is now only a month away, and we're pleased to report that the game seems to have come together nicely. Obviously we're not able to determine just how good it really is after such a brief play, but the game's combat system was certainly quite satisfying once we got the hang of it, and we're now looking forward to bringing you a full review next month. For more information on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, check out our previous coverage of the game.