Warpath Preview

The Kaladi system. One planet … rich in beauty and resources. Three races – the House of Kovos, protectors of the world and descendents from a noble line of warriors; the Ohm, relentless biomechanical aberrations who wish to possess and consume the planet; the Human Coalition, settlers on a planet that is about to become a war zone.

This is the background for Warpath, an Xbox title from Groove Games and Digital Extremes, slated for release in early June.  

Warpath is the tale of three races locked in a struggle for one planet. It is known as the Trinity Wars. Players can choose one of the three races to play as (yes multiplayer will be included in the final build), each with its own look in both armor and weapons.

Once a side is chosen you move to the battle planning phase, selecting the zone which the player wishes to attack. This is a progressive battle. Choosing one zone will unlock access to the next. Fighting in a zone will also allow players, seemingly, to unlock weapons. For example, the House of Kovos was chosen as the race and the first zone to fight in was the Crypt, which pitted Kovos against Ohm. The zone chosen unlocked a new weapon called the Violator.

Unfortunately, the preview code received was a little buggy and it was not possible to progress along this path in the single-player mode with all the races. The reason? Some of the weapons were locked and you cannot progress without the weapon loadout to start the match. Switching over to the Human Coalition produced more favorable results.  

There is a heavy multiplayer element and even in the single-player game, the feel is still run ‘n gun multiplayer, albeit with AI-controlled NPCs. The single-player game is very simple – eliminate the opposing factions to capture the whole world map. This is done via combat zones. Each faction begins with five zones that represents their home territory. Each faction takes turns moving through the zoned areas until they meet in a contested zone. Once that happens, it is time for war. There is only one battlefront during a game. If you don’t attack an opposing player’s (or the AI’s) zone, but one of your zones is attacked, you must defend it until that battle is resolved.

Weapons are upgradeable, using a device known as a C.A.M. Vehicles are also available in the game.

If you die, you can respawn and continue the game.

The controls are very easy to use. The right analog stick is for targeting, left is for moving. The right shoulder trigger on the Xbox controller fires your selected weapon (Y brings up the weapon list) while the left shoulder trigger is melee with an equipped knife. There is a targeting reticule that is centered in the screen. You move your view to put it on a target.

All battles are real time and in the vein of most first-person shooters in an enclosed environment. You move through it, eliminating the enemy. It is pretty simple in concept.

The environments were varied and looked good. The combat arenas are reminiscent of a Quake-like area. The sound is solid. Difficulty levels are Just a Flesh Wound, Damage Control, Heroic Measures and Flatlined.

Warpath does not appear to offer much that is truly new in regards to game mechanics. What it does offer is taut shooter action that is challenging. It looks good, plays well and is fast-paced action.