Nightcaster Preview

As the Xbox game library continues to bulk up postlaunch, we're starting to see a bit more variety in the genres available for the system. The latest action title for the system, Nightcaster, is a mix of Gauntlet-style adventuring with a bit of RPG powering up thrown in for good measure. Developed by VR1 Entertainment, the game looks to offer some unique gameplay elements and solid graphics. We tried our hand at a build of the game and found it to offer a change of pace from current Xbox fare.

The game puts you in the role Arran, a young boy from the village of Perth, whose life takes a unique turn on a spring day during a game of hide-and-seek. Happening upon a cave, Arran encounters a talking magical orb that enlists his aid in combating the growing evil of the Nightcaster, a malevolent creature who threatens to engulf the world in darkness. To relight the world and abolish the Nightcaster's darkness, Arran must collect four essences of magic, which can be used to fight the Nightcaster. The catch is that the quest to collect the orbs will take years. The young and eager Arran agrees and, orb in tow, sets out for adventuring.

Gameplay in Nightcaster is basically linear action game fare. You'll make your way through a level that features an obvious path to the end, and you'll encounter chests that contain useful items, as well as scrolls and books that provide information on gameplay elements. The most important item you'll encounter will be "spell spheres," magical items that provide Arran with new spells to use or increase the power of spells he already has. Exploring off the path usually yields a hidden item or bonus area of some kind. You'll also encounter a variety of NPCs that offer useful information or initiate quests. A variety of enemies will crop up to stop you, and destroying them yields health- or mana-restoring items and sometimes brings down barriers that block your progress.

An interesting feature you'll notice in the overall gameplay of Nightcaster is that Arran will in fact age as the game progresses. More than just a graphical touch, Arran's age will affect how you play through the game. While Arran is young, his magic will be good but not great, as will his physical attack. As he gets older, you'll notice a better balance between the two for a bit, until he gets to be an old man--at which point physical attacks are simply not a very effective option. Fortunately with age comes wisdom, and Arran's magic is quite powerful--compensating for the potential hip-breaking hazards of elderly combat. It's an interesting bit of gameplay that keeps you thinking as you play the game.

Control will take some getting used to; it is basically OK but has a few quirks. You'll move Arran with the left analog stick and move the orb with the right stick. Moving the orb switches the camera to a top-down view to allow you to aim your spells and look around you for a bit, and clicking the right analog stick or pressing the X button will return the camera to the standard third-person view behind Arran. The left trigger will cycle through your available spells--you'll be able to equip one from each class of fire, water, light, and dark. The right trigger will fire your selected spell. The white face button toggles a free-look view when held down. The black face button resets the camera behind you. A is used to make Arran attack with his staff. Holding down Y calls up a map of the area you're currently exploring. B toggles any runes you've collected. The setup works fairly well, although targeting can be a problem when attacked by a horde of enemies, as can cycling through your spells--which can be done only in one direction. You may see precious chunks of health lost as you cycle back around to call up the right spell. The fact that enemies are color-coded to reflect their elemental affinity helps a bit--for example, a red enemy is obviously a fire creature and can be dispatched most effectively with water. In a crowd of enemies of varying elemental affinities, however, things can get a bit hairy.

Graphically, Nightcaster runs the gamut from impressive to sketchy. Lighting and spell effects are nicely done, and Arran's character model is made up of a generous number of detailed polygons. As mentioned, you'll see his model age as the game progresses and the years pass. NPCs aren't quite as attractive but still look all right. Enemies are modeled well, although some of their designs are a bit bland and not very interesting. The environments that Arran finds himself in offer a disparate visual experience, mixing detailed ground textures with blurrier textures on rocks and mountainsides. Hopefully, VR1 will have time to smooth things out by the game's release.

Sound in the game is good, featuring a solid mix of ambient noise for the environments and effective variety in Arran's footfalls as he makes his way across a variety of surfaces on the land. The game's soundtrack is a mix of electronic music and eerie tunes that suit the areas in which you'll find yourself. Voice acting is about what you'd expect: a mix of good and bad. Fortunately, it doesn't affect gameplay.

Overall, Nightcaster is a unique game in the Xbox library, offering a change of pace from what's available for the system so far. Action fans will want to keep an eye out for it when it hits stores early next year.