I’ve wanted to get my hands on The Axis Unseen for quite a while. Developed by Nate Purkeypile, a former world and lighting artist on games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 3, The Axis Unseen combines some of my favorite things: stealth archer gameplay from open-world RPGs and heavy metal music. Imagine my excitement when I learned it was coming to Kyoto’s yearly indie games festival, BitSummit.
Nate was happy to tell me all about how the soundtrack for his debut solo game was scored by Clifford Meyer of Isis, a post-metal band based out of Boston. Together, they worked to create a ‘primitive metal’ sound that serves as far more than just background music; indeed, the entire opening tutorial is set to a licensed Isis song called ‘In Fiction,’ though the rest of the score was made specifically for the game by Meyer.
As the song started out slow and melodic, I learned how to wield a bow, collect arrows, and crouch while bringing down monstrous deer-like foes called Horned Beasts. But as the music reached a crescendo, the tutorial whipped me back and forth between scenes of massive, terrifying creatures that swarmed me, giving me a frightening taste of what was to come. Some of them towered over me as if they were made from twisting tree branches, while others rained fire down from the sky.
Then the song ended, and I was free to explore the rocky terrain of the first of four regions. A massive Yggdrasil-like tree beckoned me far in the background. Yet the skeletons of colossal beasts below it told me it would take real effort to get there.
Other than a small reticle, The Axis Unseen places immersion above all else, as almost all the information I needed was inscribed along the handle of the bow or tattooed onto the back of my character’s hand, including the number of magical spells I could cast and the experience I’d earned. One of these spells was a spirit arrow that the camera would follow if I shot it, scouting what might wait ahead. Otherwise, a quick press of a button swapped out the bow to show a quiver of arrows and a handful of healing crosses. No HUD required.
This immersion extends to exploration; nothing but the environment told me which way to go. Birds circle points of interest. Beams of light beckoned me to approach them, revealing ruins containing upgrades. One of these ruins contained a power that manifested as a tattoo on the side of my left hand, and when it glowed, it meant that monsters were nearby. As I descended a hillside after gaining this new ability, I saw a Horned Beast not far below and managed to nail it with a long distant shot, earning Purkeypile’s praise and some experience points.
But my elation was short lived: my tattoo still flashed, warning me of a monster still in the vicinity, and that primitive metal began rising in intensity. Panicked, I spun around looking for whatever foe approached as guitars wailed and drums hammered, when TWO bigfoot-like creatures rushed out at me. One of them slapped me with a massive claw that sent me flying down the mountainside to my death.
Purkeypile told me the enemy spawns are largely random, and with 24 unique monsters and 66 total variants, there’s a lot out there that will kill you. The trick, he said, is both stealth and a dodging system, where I could leap away from just about any attack while staying nimble on my feet—or simply run away. However, running away caused blood to begin pumping in my ears as my stamina decreased, which Purkeypile further informed me would dilute my senses, making it harder to see and hear the monsters before they made quick work of me.
I respawned in a central hub where a statue of my previous kill stood as a testament to my progress through the game. Restocked on arrows and healing crosses, I exited through a checkpoint portal and arrived close to where I died. I successfully snuck by my bigfoot killers, and carried on through a ravine where a sudden downpour revealed a dynamic weather system. The rain, I learned, would make it easier to go undetected by some monsters. Determined, I leveled up my stamina back at the hub area and set out to take down a bigfoot before the demo ended.
Purkeypile’s experience designing some of the most recognizable worlds in gaming was on full display here; you wouldn’t think The Axis Unseen was developed almost entirely solo. He was partially responsible, in fact, for putting together the memorable Blackreach area deep below the land of Skyrim. The environment was (aside from the music) the most attractive part of the experience for me, and I look forward to seeing the other four regions Purkeypile put together.
In the end, I failed miserably in my bigfoot hunt, though Purkeypile did tell me I got close as I filled it with a few arrows and shanked it with a knife a couple times. But I’ll take another another shot at it when The Axis Unseen officially releases.
The Axis Unseen will be available to play on PC in October.
Published: Jul 23, 2024 11:01 am