As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and apprehension when it comes to Motion Blur’s upcoming title, Black State. The visuals are nothing short of breathtaking, but the current state of enemy AI and gameplay leaves much to be desired.
The skillful workmanship at Motion Blur Game Studio is hard to miss; sneak peeks of their upcoming third-person shooter, Black State, reveal a variety of beautifully mirrored surfaces, lifelike environments, and for outdoor areas, authentic wind and weather effects that make you feel the chill.
To summarise what Black State’s all about: you, a mercenary and former military legend for hire, is deployed by a mysterious group of scientists known as the Architects to rescue captives whilst uncovering the truth behind a cataclysmic event. This mission is shrouded in secrecy, with the gameplay trailers released thus far doing nothing to embellish the narrative foundations laid by this opaque explanation. You’ll have to play it to find out what’s truly going on, it seems.
Enhancing the puzzle, we have the live-action door system, a standout feature in the game that allows our super-soldier to swiftly move between dimensions by passing through doors. One instant he’s galloping on the deck of an oil tanker, and the next – just like that! – he’s in a rustic cellar adjacent to a gleaming subway carriage. The locations hidden behind these closed doors are unfamiliar to the soldier, ensuring that there’s always something new and exciting for us as players to discover. It seems plausible that the trailer’s narration questioning if any of this is real hints at our mercenary being trapped within a simulation, similar to the reality portrayed in ‘The Matrix’.
Discussing the game, its combat system incorporates a Matrix-like time manipulation feature. Our protagonist is equipped with slow-motion grenades that reduce the world’s speed to a snail’s pace, allowing our character to effortlessly eliminate enemies who appear almost frozen in place, much like the inverse of Superhot. While moving, they remain motionless. We can expect an abundant variety of weapons and tactical devices in our inventory, enhancing our super-soldier’s capabilities for defeating a diverse assortment of gun-wielding adversaries. In addition to conventional pistols and machine guns, the game trailers have showcased a striking shotgun that can fire electrical laser beams, instantly reducing enemies to gory fragments. Motion Blur suggests that the game’s trailer only presents a fraction of the full arsenal and gadgets, so it will be interesting to see what other inventive elements they’ve included given the time-slowing mechanics as highlighted in the game’s press release. The game also features numerous boss battles, with designs reminiscent of Death Stranding; mastery of your weaponry, along with the usual pattern recognition from Dark Souls, will be essential for survival during these encounters.
In our game, it’s not just about gunfights and showdowns. Drawing influence from games like Metal Gear Solid and The Last of Us, Motion Blur is introducing stealth elements into the soldier’s move set. There are plenty of places to hide, with regular patrol routes to study before making a surprise attack on unsuspecting enemies. You can either slit their throats sneakily or choose from over 100 brutal takedown animations. The enemy forces can outnumber us at times, so there will be instances when a quiet approach is crucial to avoid being overpowered. Moreover, Motion Blur suggests that the enemies are intelligent; they won’t think twice about calling for backup if your presence is detected, which adds an element of risk and reward. Like weapon handling, mastering stealth appears to be another key aspect for any mission to succeed.
In the discussion of this adversary character, it’s evident that their intelligence poses one of the more apparent issues with the preliminary version of Black State. Before delving into specifics, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the gameplay shown thus far represents an alpha stage. This means that environments, graphics, animations (including the self-opening doors), and even the AI of enemies are all liable to change. At present, however, it’s challenging to perceive these adversaries – elite human tactical forces and relentless killing machines known as Robosapians – as anything but mindless targets or bullet sponges. They don’t appear to detect danger, failing to notice our soldier’s terrain-scanning drone as it passes by them unnoticed. In combat situations, they seldom seek cover when under fire. Keep in mind that these aspects are subject to change. Additionally, these adversaries seem oblivious to our soldier’s presence, even though he makes minimal attempts to move silently behind them. Whether they wear earplugs or their AI isn’t designed to hear us yet, the soldiers in Black State appear deaf to our protagonist’s stealthy approach. If the game is to deliver the intricate and dynamic combat experience as promised by its developers, enhancing enemy AI should be a top priority.
It’s important to enhance the game’s ultra-realistic visuals as well. While the game’s environments are impressive in their detail, they lack distinct character. The shiny puddles, polished marble floors, and bright subway lights are well done, but they give the impression of coldness and sterility. The focus on high graphic fidelity is making everything look too new and pristine, which feels unrealistic. To add depth and believability, it would be beneficial to introduce some weathering or wear and tear, such as dirt on oil rigs, smudges on subway car windows. If these locations are meant to be part of a computer-simulated world like in The Matrix, then Black State might justify their cleanliness from a story perspective, but they could still benefit from some artistic direction. After all, a world without personality won’t effectively support the game’s promised engaging narrative full of unexpected twists, complexity, and emotional depth.
Time and again, we’ve noticed that tech demos like UE5 often prioritize graphics at the expense of gameplay, story, emotions, and overall experience. However, Motion Blur has made a notable exception with their project Black State. Although it’s still in an alpha stage, its visuals are truly captivating. Yet, it’s challenging to fully appreciate these stunning vistas if the gameplay falls short of expectations. Nevertheless, don’t dismiss this title; it has the potential to be exceptional and is receiving well-deserved attention from other media outlets and the gaming community. There’s a sense of anticipation surrounding its release due to its unique zone traversal system using door portals, making it worth keeping an eye on.
As a gaming enthusiast, I’m eagerly waiting for “Black State,” but unfortunately, there’s no concrete release date yet. With two years spent on research and development, it seems like we might see it in the year after next. The team at Motion Blur has been pouring their hearts into this project, with a massive design document being their labor of love. However, given the size of the team—around 40 passionate individuals—it’s clear that there’s still a lot of work to be done before we can get our hands on it. So, I’ll keep my fingers crossed and patiently wait for this promising game!
As a gamer myself, I’d like to clarify that the opinions shared in this write-up are mine alone and may not reflect the collective viewpoint of GamingBolt as a whole.
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2024-10-01 23:11