PRYZM: The Dark Unicorn Hands-On

This November, Sandbox Studios and TDK Mediactive are bringing us PRYZM: The Dark Unicorn, a deceptively simple action game, with a tone quite grounded in the darker side of fantasy. The game stars Pryzm, a young winged female unicorn, and Karrock, an old grump of a troll. An unlikely union to be sure, and one brought together by a most vile set of circumstances.

Weird plants are starting to spring up all over Pryzm's world, infecting and mutating the inhabitants of most of the realm's five kingdoms--those of the elves, the trolls, the gnomes, and the nymphs. All but the unicorns, strangely enough. When the elders of each race gather to determine the cause of this blight, they resolve that, indeed, the unicorns must have something to do with it. Thus, in light of some prophecy regarding a "chosen one," Pryzm--a young unicorn girl gifted with downy wings--is selected for the task. The suspicious trolls, however, decided to send Karrock--their chosen emissary--to make sure Pryzm does no wrong. While their relations are initially cold, Pryzm and Karrock will indeed take to each other eventually and form a strong friendship, the TDK producer conducting the demo assured us.

We got to see very little of the game in action at the demo earlier this week. What we did see, however, indicated that, when final, PRYZM should turn out to be a tight, playable game. Essentially, the levels had lots of physical geometry in place, though none of it was textured nor lighted. The gameplay mechanics that governed the character, however, were very much in place and, even at this early stage in development, seem very finely tuned. Those who've played a Spyro game will find PRYZM's control scheme quite familiar. Pryzm can jump and hover; thus, the higher her point of take off, the longer she can remain in the air. You move by using the analog stick, so how fast Pryzm moves depends on how long and far you hold the stick. You can also charge by using the triangle button, which causes Pryzm to adopt a hearty gallop. Further, Karrock is mounted on Pryzm at all times during play, and there are simple mechanics in play that let you control either. You move by means of the left analog stick, as mentioned before, and the face buttons control your jumps, charges, and attacks. Pryzm and Karrock each have individual attacks mapped to the circle and square buttons, respectively. Each has two attacks--one performed while on the ground, another while in air. Pryzm blasts foes with magic missiles from her horn while on the ground, and she buffets and sweeps them with her wings while in the air. Karrock, being a warlock, uses progressively stronger bolts from his staff while on the ground and in the air. Finally, to locate level objectives, Karrock is equipped with a handy divining rod, which you use by means of the right analog stick. The divining rod will perpetually point toward the location of the vile flowers you eliminate, and if you spin it around fast enough, it will repel enemies.

The game will basically have Pryzm and Karrock trotting through each of the five kingdoms, squashing evil flowers wherever they go. The path won't be linear, though--each stage you clear will let you access a handful of others, so you can take whichever path you deem appropriate. The levels that we saw--however barren--seemed compactly designed, intricate, and full of multileveled geometry. Tunnels, cliffs, ravines, and bridges seem to permeate the environments, and judging from what we've seen, TDK appears to be going for something of a dark, albeit whimsical, fantasy tone. It is really too early to make any further comments on the game, but rest assured that its core mechanics seem very sound.

TDK is looking to release PRYZM: The Dark Unicorn in November. The company is trying to keep the game consistently simple and accessible to gamers of all levels of devotion. Thus far, it looks like it is on the right track. The game's controls are very tight, and if the level's designs follow suit, PRYZM should prove a solid enough game. Keep your eyes open for an updated look as soon a playable build is released.