E3 2002Gladius impressions

On the morning of the first day of E3, LucasArts' show booth was already crowded with spectators checking out the company's various forthcoming products. One of the most impressive games on display there, at least from a visual standpoint, was Gladius--an arena-style, turn-based gladiator combat game with role-playing elements. Our recent preview of Gladius provides plenty of background on the style and mechanics of this game, but now, we'll be able to give you even more of Gladius in action.

Fans of other tactical combat role-playing games such as Final Fantasy Tactics and the Ogre Battle series will be able to draw a lot of parallels between those games and Gladius. Though there will be plenty of story sequences--actually, the game has two separate stories depending on which of the main characters you choose to follow--the majority of Gladius takes place in the arena. Here, your squad of gladiators (whom you can recruit from 16 different classes) will square off against all different kinds of opponents in gory battles to the death. You can even enter various gladiator leagues to earn riches and prestige--that is, if you can survive. Battles are purely turn-based. Your characters and the enemy characters take turns maneuvering about, setting up and executing attacks. Attacks can have various debilitating effects and may even damage multiple opponents at once. Gladius does have some pure action elements--attacks can be powered up if you properly time your button presses. This is shown onscreen using what looks like a swing meter from a golf game. Also, characters can perform various combos, which are executed in a manner reminiscent of rhythm games--you must quickly tap the right buttons in sequence to execute the attack string.

Gladius has a lot of fantasy elements, with spells and summoned monsters being almost as common as heavily armed gladiators, so you'll be able to use magic as well as sharp metal to do your dirty work. The game will offer an open-ended play experience, through which you can spend as much time as you like challenging opponents, purchasing or earning better equipment, and generally exploring the world. LucasArts stresses that the game will be very big in terms of its sheer depth. There will be 20 different arenas to fight in, plus more than a dozen other fight locations. And there will be a whopping 850 different skills that can be used in combat, from all the various attacks and the different defensive measures and counters to the different spells.

The various attacks and characters all look very detailed and dynamic--we saw the Xbox version in action, though the game is also being developed for the GameCube and the PS2. The developers noted that a PC version of the game might also be viable at a later date. Gladius is scheduled for a spring 2003 release, so it's still a ways off. But stay tuned for more details on this promising game.