The last of the most worthy representatives of marine RPGs is “Corsairs: Curse of the Distant Seas”. There were also attempts to make money on a license Disney with the help of "Pirates of the Caribbean"; the failed revival of the series in the form of the buggy “Corsairs 3”; a series of addons “KVL” and “GPK”, which grew into the notorious development of “Corsairs 4”; the almost finished game “The Adventures of Captain Blood”, which fell into the wrong hands and sunk into oblivion; and the last attempt to squeeze all the juice out of the old Storm 2 engine.5 by the fans of the series themselves in “Corsairs: To Each His Own”.. "Akella" although it is a monopolist in this genre, it has never been able to adequately occupy a niche. Now the company intends to grab the extremely attractive pie entirely Ubisoft using Assassin’s Creed 4 soaked in sea salt. But few people noticed that the black banner of the project loomed on the horizon Raven’s Cry from the studio Octane Games, which also aspires to the laurels of the failed “Corsairs 4”.
Caribbean drama
Raven’s Cry this fall will take us to the hot Caribbean archipelago with sun glare on the blue sea surface and bright sun. Unforgettable equatorial sunrises and sunsets in the 15th century attracted pioneer travelers. It is these times that we know as one of the most romanticized periods in human history.
As soon as people explored the New World in the 16th century, local adventurers, bandits and traitors to the crown began to terrorize the populated islands in search of a way to get rich quick. And such methods were enough for thousands of European guests of the archipelago to feed on robbery – from the ship’s “go-stop” in the middle of the sea to the slave trade. The legitimate colonial representatives of the crown were too far from Europe to hope for its continued support. It was extremely difficult for governors to keep the situation under control in the settlements under their control. Therefore, many of the officials indulged the criminals just so that they would not touch those in power.
It was during such difficult times that the main character of the game, Christopher Raven, at the age of 6, experienced a real family drama. His native Scotland is experiencing a severe famine caused by the sabotage of bloodthirsty lords. The father of the family decides to flee with his wife and child to the New World, about which only good rumors circulated in their area. Driven by hunger and fear, the family, hoping for a better life, finds a merchant ship ready to take them to Port Royal.
Upon arrival in the New World, refugees understand that absolutely anything is possible here – a shoemaker becomes a planter, a blacksmith becomes a construction magnate, a fisherman becomes a merchant. There would be a desire. Freedom here is limited only by means and rampant crime. If you go to the wrong place or make acquaintance with the wrong person, a rich man turns into a slave, and a noble lady turns into a port wench. Life here is completely different from what it is in Europe, which befuddles the mind and makes you feel your freedom differently.
Having settled in a small village, Christopher’s family willingly joins the leisurely life of the British colony. But one day the peaceful existence of the settlement is interrupted by the screams and groans of the dying. Shots are heard, and then a six-year-old boy sees his mother being molested on his parents’ bed by creepy thugs who have just broken into the house. Seeing the boy hiding, the bandits begin to mock him too. Before losing consciousness, he only hears the leader’s nickname – Devil.
The main character of the game, Christopher Raven, is consumed by the desire to avenge his brutally murdered family, and only the player can keep everything within the framework of justice.
Captain Hook
That evening, Christopher’s hand was cut off and his parents were killed. The boy was found by a local fisherman, Marcus. Being a former slave, he had no sympathy for people, but the boy seemed special to him. He told the boy that his parents were killed by the captain of the pirate gang, Neville “Devil” Scranton, a murderer and deserter. Since then, Christopher has been overcome by a thirst for revenge, his life has turned into a dream saturated with cruelty. Instead of a prosthesis, Raven asks the doctor to implant a metal block with a sharpened hook into her hand and vows to herself to kill everyone from the Devil’s gang. He does not disdain other people’s blood and vile actions, he considers it important to achieve the goal in absolutely any way.
Christopher Raven – anti-hero, a cruel type with devilish morals. Throughout the game, he struggles with his own boundaries of morality and conscience, releasing his inner demons to freedom. We will have to keep him within human boundaries and prevent him from turning into a fiend of hell, choosing between bad, very bad and terrible deeds. From the very beginning we have to come to terms with the fact that Christopher will never live in peace and quiet. He will kill always and everywhere; the only question is who exactly and in what way.
Raven is different from other pirates in https://dublinwinscasino.co.uk/withdrawal/ that she is not interested in fame and fortune. The thirst for revenge drives him. The game features many scenes where we choose what Christopher should do with his victim. This could be a stab in the palm of someone who is capable of giving away valuable information. Then we can smash a burning lantern over someone’s head and burn the person alive. But upon returning to this place, the revenge of his thug friends will await us. The game developers note that if the burned victim survives, he will most likely send bounty hunters after Christopher, so you should choose your enemies more carefully.
The Downside of Piracy
The game begins when Christopher has already become an adult and has plunged headlong into the life of a pirate. Finding Scranton turned out to be difficult – the elusive Devil leaves almost no trace. Over the course of six chapters Raven’s Cry we have to go through a long adventure, completing one quest after another in search of all the scoundrels from the old gang, of which fewer and fewer people remain – most either died in battle, or were executed, or perished in remote villages in old forgotten inns.
So we find ourselves in a world where there is no power, where no one demands order. The black pages of pirate expanse in the Caribbean archipelago are presented in Raven’s Cry without the screen of romance, which we have heard about from works about glorious times.
Each city here is much larger than those we saw in the series "Corsairs". Two huge population centers have already been shown: the Spanish capital in the New World – the heavily fortified Havana – and the British supply center for the western colonies of Port Royal. Both places are radically different. The Spanish possessions are steeped in peerage and high fashion, boasting rich architecture and pompous settlers. But the British haven of adventurers is overcrowded with bandits and merchants.
As night falls, we can witness showdowns, murders, rapes right on the streets. Sometimes small cutscenes pause the gameplay to show an interesting episode. All this makes the game more believable, so that the player can feel the atmosphere of those events. Until now we have only been shown royal colonies. It’s scary to imagine what a gloomy place the pirate base would be, where there are no representatives of the king, and murders occur every evening.
Caribbean setting
Story Raven’s Cry largely linear, even taking into account the options provided for choosing actions in dialogues. All six chapters we will follow the scriptwriters’ lead. We will be allowed to go on secondary quests, but within the framework of the plot. However, the developers promise difficult tasks and situations from which you can get out of in several ways. At the same time, the style of passing is so multifaceted that it can fit Raven’s Cry It’s simply impossible to fit into a single genre. And the authors even promise to keep the story, intended for an adult audience, at the level of famous films about pirate times.
Christopher will constantly move between colonies on his ship both in locations and on the global map. In the Caribbean Islands we are free to sail in any direction. Micromanagement and trading are promised, but so far remain without comment – their development is still ongoing. But what will definitely happen is an abundance of mini-games. For example, Christopher can leave the helm at any time and begin setting sails, loading cannons, preparing boarding, and so on.
All cities in Raven’s Cry are much larger than in Corsairs. They received a unique appearance, architecture, population.
We are not always welcome in colonial settlements. Somewhere there are guards, somewhere there are village bandits, somewhere there are bounty hunters – we will always be in danger. You can penetrate a hostile settlement using a system of shelters and secretive movement. Stealth elements in Raven’s Cry used for spying on the enemy, silently killing a target, stealing, etc. At the same time, at any moment a dog could jump out of the alley or some drunken brute could fall out.
A Pirate’s Destiny
One way or another, we will have to constantly fight. However, there are no countless crowds of villains here – the game carefully selects our opponents. Captains, assassins, guards and thugs are proficient with flintlock pistols, swords, sabers and even axes. The battles take place quickly and brutally, using the hack-and-slash system, but their outcome largely depends on what the characters are armed with and how well their combat skills are “pumped up”.
The main character also has unusual abilities. The thirst for revenge destroys his conscience and releases his inner demons. Each kill replenishes the morale scale, which can be spent on psychological attacks – from intimidation and intimidation of the enemy to Voodoo magic. The latter is carried out with the help of special amulets – dried heads, arrowheads and other totems of the Caribbean savages. If you actively use the morality scale, then Christopher will receive more and more terrible abilities, up to resurrecting the dead. For such deeds, the main character will face terrible troubles, which the developers are keeping secret for now.
If many people are killed in any colony, we will not only have to face our demons, but also flee from the royal guards. Messages about a reward for Christopher’s head will appear on the pillars. If they are torn off, the main character’s fame will begin to decline. The population will also react to Christopher’s presence with bows or jeers. As the game progresses, he will become recognized in many cities.
Battles take place using completely different weapons – sabers, swords and axes; even Christopher’s hook can be replaced with a blade or chain.
Raise the sails!
The most mysterious element Raven’s Cry a sea battle remains for journalists. Representatives Octane Games honestly declare that this is the most interesting part of the game, to which they pay special attention. They had to save on character animation for the sake of marine technology. The developers preferred tactical battles with careful calculation of maneuvers to arcade battles.
True, we had to sacrifice many hours of fights for the sake of dynamic gameplay. As a result, the guns are loaded several times faster than in real life, and the sails are set in a couple of minutes. The ship’s dependence on the wind is not so significant. In the left wind, of course, the ship will stand up tightly, but on passing courses any colossus will be quite manageable. During battles, the main character can pass the helm into the hands of the first mate, giving us the opportunity to aim the guns ourselves or take part in setting the sails.
The developers also assure that if we see something on the horizon, we will definitely be able to swim to the object and take a closer look at it. But still Octane Games never provided screenshots or videos showing the global map and naval battles. Therefore, it remains to take their words on faith.
The authors are in no hurry to show the sea part of Raven’s Cry, but they are already proud of it and promise to surprise players.
Gloomy Raven’s Cry promises a revival of pirate-themed games after several years of languor "Corsairs". Many will think that Octane Games trying to make money under the guise of the autumn launch of Assassin’s Creed 4. However, the story of Christopher Raven loomed on the horizon much earlier than the announcements Ubisoft. Be that as it may, one thing is clear for now: “Corsairs 4” is now unlikely to “unfreeze” with such strong competitors.