Ultimate Blade of Darkness announced for the Xbox

Rebel Act Studios has announced Ultimate Blade of Darkness for the Microsoft Xbox. The company promises that the game will be more than just an updated version of its Blade of Darkness PC game, but naturally the Xbox version will share many of its primary gameplay elements with the original. Enhancements planned for the Xbox version of the game include a new control system, smoother and more fluid animation, improved character graphics, enhanced particle system and bump-mapping, improved load times, a simplified interface, blood on weapons and footprints, 3D positional audio and new sound effects, revised story elements, and a split-screen two-player mode and new multiplayer levels.

At its core, the game is a hack-and-slash action title with specific RPG elements. In the game, players can choose to play as one of four characters--a dwarf, an amazon, a barbarian, or a knight--each with his or her own specific abilities. Additionally, each of these characters has a different story that unfolds as the game progresses.

Ultimate Blade of Darkness will be released by Christmas 2002 for the Microsoft Xbox. Rebel Act Studios further confirmed Blade of Darkness II. No specific platforms were discussed.