Somebody schedule Clive Barker an appointment with a psychiatrist because this dude is seriously mental. After going hands-on with his first game in over five years, it's clear that his twisted imagination lends well to gaming. Jericho is one of the most surprising titles we've seen in some time, promising a blend of first-person shooting, tactics, and paranormal activity.
Jericho chronicles the screwed-up story of seven individuals tasked with repelling a demonic force from invading Earth. Before the creation of humanity as we know it, God apparently formed a primitive successor that was locked away in another dimension. This failed form regularly attempts to come to our world with an army of dark minions and it's the responsibility of the Jericho team to knock them back to their God-forsaken realm. As if it was bizarre enough, only six members of the Jericho squad are alive; you actually play as Captain Devin Ross, whose death has enabled him to possess the other members and control them in combat.
Through the course of the game, you'll switch among the seven operatives by targeting them with the on-screen reticle and tapping the A button. It's a remarkably simple system that works well. We were able to move between characters instantly without any issue. You'll want to switch characters frequently in order to take advantage of their unique powers, all of which tap into paranormal energies.
The Jericho force is divided into two separate squads of three members apiece, alpha and beta. We played with the characters of alpha squad: Lieutenant Abigail Black, Sergeant Frank Delgado, and Sergeant Wilhelmina Church. Working through the underground ruins of the level we played demanded constant switching among the party to use their abilities in overcoming obstacles and battling enemies.
Among the three characters of alpha squad, the paranormal powers are varied and quite intriguing. Lt. Black's powers are rooted in telekinesis, allowing her to sniper enemies using bullets that can be directed mid-shot. Hitting the left bumper with the sniper rifle equipped allowed us to telekinetically guide a bullet to an enemy – you can even take out multiple enemies with one shot using this method. (A true magic bullet!) The camera changed to the perspective of the bullet with the left thumbstick moving it to our intended target. Lt. Black was also capable of pushing objects using telekinesis, which we did when faced with a pile of rubble. A quick repulse and the rocks were heaved out of the way.
Dramatically different from Lt. Black was Sgt. Delgado, a hulk of a man equipped with a heavy chain gun. Along with his massive firearm, he's also able to unleash a powerful fire spirit in the form of a snake on his right arm. A casing around Sgt. Delgado's right arm keeps the spirit from wandering; although, hitting the right bumper releases the spirit to automatically attack enemies within sight, raining fire upon them. Not only is it highly effective against a group of enemies, it's gorgeous to watch too. The catch is that the fire snake damages his hand (i.e. it melts it…) the longer he keeps it in play so you can’t just abuse this power because it’s shockingly devastating.
The third member of alpha squad, Sgt. Church, is a blood scribe capable of drawing her own blood for special combat powers. For instance, tapping the left bumper instructed her to let blood from one wrist in order to summon tentacles from a dimensional hole. Doing this behind an unsuspecting enemy, the tentacles latched on and held it in place so we could rush forward and slice its head off with a katana.
