Press Release wrote:Kalypso Media announces The First Templar for Xbox 360 and PC
The First Templar follows the story of two characters - a French Templar, and his companion, a noble lady who has been proclaimed a heretic. Taking control over these two unlikely allies, the player must uncover the mysteries behind the Templar Order, play a role in a grand conspiracy, and discover the secret of the Holy Grail. The First Templar is scheduled for release in Q1 2011.
In development by Haemimont Games, The First Templar is a co-operative action adventure game in development for Xbox 360 and PC. The game portrays a dark and gritty view of the late 13th century where old friends become enemies, corruption spreads throughout the Church and fallen knights oppress the weak and renounce their oaths.
The First Templar follows the story of two main characters – a French Templar, and his companion, a noble lady who has been proclaimed a heretic. Taking control over these two unlikely allies, the player must uncover the mysteries behind the Templar Order, play a role in a grand conspiracy, and discover the secret of the Holy Grail. The heroes face powerful opponents at every turn, in the face of the Saracen, King Philip IV of France and the Inquisition.
The First Templar features both single player and co-op modes. When playing solo, the player can switch between the two characters, leaving the control of the second hero to the game’s AI. At any moment a second player can join in and take control of the AI controlled hero.
Features of The First Templar
• Fast-paced cooperative play: players can assist one another as each takes on the role of the game's key characters. Drop-in/out cooperative gameplay lets the AI take over when one player leaves the game
• Single player- two characters: Play as either character, switching roles as you go to use the best skills for the job.
• RPG inspired character development: each has their own skills and skill paths, which the player can develop as they complete missions and explore the game world
• Rich, historical game-world: return to the 13th century, where European culture is on the brink of collapse. 20 historically accurate locations have been recreated for the player to explore.
Screenshots are available at AGB:
http://www.allgamesbeta.info/2010/06/ka ... mplar.html
No videos of the game yet so I'll confine myself to largely irrelevant commentary. Its rather tedious to see yet another conspiracy-orientated Templar story. By this point its hard to imagine how any Templars found time to fight the Crusades considering the amount of plotting filling up their busy schedules.
Other than that the visuals look weak. The chainmail looks like bacofoil in one shot, there are some weird looking poses which bodes badly for the animations and so forth. Its also odd to see Templars and Saracens fighting in what appears to be a Mexican village.
I can't help but think that the whole thing stinks of the cultural illiteracy of many (current) Western Devs. Presented with the 13th century, the century of Aquinas and Gothic architecture, they bizarrely talk of a (completely mythical) collapse of European culture. Rather than use European medieval art in the same way as, say, 'Okami' did for Japanese woodcuts they've instead gone for dull pseudo-realistic visuals (which will only be average as this doesn't appear to be an AAA title). Rather than use the strange monsters of medieval myths, the skiapods and ypotrills, they've gone for an ogre like creature that looks like its escaped from 'The Lord of the Rings' films. Rather than actually plunder history for colourful, alien cultures they've just plonked shoulder-pads on their characters. How dull.
