What happens when you mix the full-on Valkyries and dwarf-forged swords fury of Norse mythology with the undisputable awesomeness of cyborgs and lasers?
That’s what the developers at Canada’s Silicon Knights set out to discover and what they came up with was Too Human. We had a chance to preview a bit of this game way back in April at the Xbox Spring Showcase in San Francisco and here are our first impressions.
Good Stuff
- In Too Human, you play cybernetically enhanced Norse god Baldur, who must help defend humanity against the onslaught of a fearsome horde of mecha. That’s pretty much worth the price of admission right there, no? The one-of-a-kind Norse legends-meets-science fiction world of TH draws you in quickly and is something you won’t soon forget.
- Melee combat in TH uses a dynamic right analog stick that’s highly addictive once you get the hang of it. There’s a quicker learning curve than in button-based games where you just end up bashing away until you get the hang of things.
- The plot, from what we could tell, is compelling and seems to be heading towards some major twists and turns. TH seems to balance balls-to-the-wall battles with deep character arcs and broad plotting.
- There are some wild and juicy looking scenery, mecha and characters. The design of TH is bold and ingeniously weaves the futuristic with the Norse.
- Our short time on the game didn’t even scratch the surface of Too Human’s skills and advancement system or its monolithic-feeling plot arcs—the game definitely has depth.
Bad Stuff
- Too Human comes with the option to pick your character class, like in games such as Mass Effect. Where it worked in that game, it seems to make things a little confusing and convoluted. Shouldn’t Baldur just be Baldur and not a “Bioengineer”? This is a soft gripe though, as the classes may grow on us given more than about 20-30 minutes of game time.
Should You Count the Days? Mixing the Norse mythos with science fiction, Too Human features one of the most unique worlds created for a video game since BioShock. Throw in kickass dual-stick combat and a deep gamer experience and this feels like a crowd pleaser. If you like your games to have a side order of plot and character with their lasers and explosions, definitely mark August 19 on your calendar.
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