There are plenty of recent reasons to resurrect your PlayStation Vita from its potentially dusty coffin, and Severed is definitely one of them. I had hands on with the game at a recent press event prior to
Severed, the next game from the developers behind Guacamelee, is a Vita exclusive releasing Spring 2015. Players control a one-armed heroine who fights back her enemies with a living sword. I won't spoil the rest of the story. Suffice to say that DrinkBox has given it room to breathe, sticking to a loose narrative that leaves room for interpretation. From what I've played, that story seems dark but with tones of redemption, and I'm looking forward to unraveling it.
But that's not what immediately drew me in. What was so captivating in my brief time with Severed was its surreal world and its method of strictly visual storytelling and teaching. Severed progresses a bit like a "Dungeon Crawler-lite" with branching paths, in an environment painted over with a striking palette and bright swaths of color. Because nothing is bluntly spelled out for the player, it lends an air of mystery and discovery to every room.
The enemies, however, are what will keep your fingers and touchscreen busy. DrinkBox told me that one of the inspirations for Severed was iOS hit Infinity Blade, but the studio wanted to improve a couple key things like enemy variety. Thus far? Mission accomplished. Each boss and enemy type becomes a puzzle as well as a fight. You learn to parry their attacks -- a challenge in and of itself given some of the 6-armed variants -- but also must discover each one's weakness in order to take it down. It requires some quick thinking, but fortunately deaths are forgiving and you'll resurrect just outside the room where you fell.
Once vanquished, the bosses will drop Totems, living armor pieces which allow you to upgrade your skills. I didn't experience this element (honestly I was too wrapped up in the exploration and fighting), but Drinkbox promises to give players autonomy over the upgrade paths.
The gameplay is simple but challenges both reflexes and mental power, and everything in Severed is told visually, bereft of dialogue and text. It takes a very capable hand to tell a story and teach a player in this manner, and it's clever design that I can appreciate.
Below is a video with about 60 seconds of gameplay footage from Severed. It features music from Juno-nominated band YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN, who supplies the soundtrack for the game. I can't stress enough how much I'm looking forward to this one.
