Csaba “ForestWare” Székely’s Sword Hero is likely one of the most enjoyable upcoming video games: An formidable, open-ended RPG with complicated NPC behaviors, physics interactions, and emergent gameplay—the Hungarian developer affectionately referred to it as a “eurojank” recreation, a label utilized to formidable, however typically flawed makes an attempt by European builders to copy or advance ’90s PC design sensibilities.
Despite its barely derogatory connotation, I’ve had this rising feeling that eurojank has gained. Larian, CD Projekt, IO Interactive, and GSC Game World are only a few outfits that have been second-tier studios placing out cult classics within the 2000s, and now they’re on high of the business whereas many titans of the PS2 and Xbox 360 generations are struggling.
Imagine telling somebody in 2007 that, within the coming many years, Mass Effect studio BioWare would slowly fade, whereas RPGs would come to be outlined by the makers of Divine Divinity, or the corporate that tailored a Polish fantasy novel collection right into a bizarre, cult RPG. I requested ForestWare what he thinks of the latest resurgence of complicated, systemic single-player video games vs. ones with shinier manufacturing values and tighter presentation.
“Increasingly, more [games] had resources moved towards [fidelity and texture resolution], and we lost things such as physics in games—[Nvidia] PhysX is probably the best example here,” argued ForestWare. “We had so many cool games which were flaunting these interactions. I always think back to Mirrors Edge as one of the last very big, very rich showcases of PhysX back at the time. Slowly, they moved this to the back seat, and we got these very nice, very detailed scenes [instead].
“But you may’t work together with it, so it is simply kind of transferring round in a static 3D setting which occurs to have collision. And you are fortunate when you have a bullet gap once you shoot a wall, for instance, and issues like that. It appears very good in screenshots and trailers and whatnot, and I perceive that these days this is essential. But individuals have been craving this kind of expertise, which was supplied by Larian and CD Projekt, which have been transferring the size a bit again to those extra interactive experiences.”
That frustration with detailed but inert game environments is one I’ve felt acutely playing the latest generation of cinematic, triple-A console action games—there’s almost an uncanny valley effect to the environments looking so realistic, but not allowing for granular interaction.
There’s this stiff, slick feeling I get when playing such a game, never helped that screeching halt sense of a scripted environmental interaction: The camera zooms in while your character picks something up, all “Huh, my outdated catcher’s mitt, have not felt like taking part in a lot since dad died.”
I’ve always preferred games like The Elder Scrolls, Baldur’s Gate 3, or yes, the upcoming Sword Hero where you could just pick up that catcher’s mitt and wing it across the room if you wanted to, maybe read about your dad dying in the item description if you’re so inclined. I find that interactivity to be incredibly immersive, and it’s a big part of why I’m so excited for Sword Hero.
The open world RPG has blown past its initial Kickstarter goals, but is still fundraising for added features and content. I was blown away by Sword Hero’s combat demo, and you can also read the rest of my interview with ForestWare, where he talks about planned features, as well as his experience as a largely solo developer. You can try Sword Hero’s demo for yourself and wishlist the game over on Steam.