“All we want to do is make great games with developers that have a lot of passion,” opened Executive Producer Chris Kimmell. Microsoft's internal lead on the Too Human project, which comes from infamous development house Silicon Knights, hits a point that's clearly true—there's no one in the industry more passionate about their game than Silicon Knights. Through all of the mudslinging and turbulent times, both companies have stood fast and are on the cusp of introducing one of the most surprising games at GDC.
Take Devil May Cry, mash it up with The Lord of the Rings, and dash it with some Norse mythology and you've got Too Human. You play as the cybernetic god Baldur who is part of an ongoing war between Aesir and Hel; in short, the mighty clash between heaven and hell outlined in Norse mythology. This all plays out in a uniquely cybernetic world where the line between living and artificiality is slowly eroding. Participating in this epic war means traveling between Aesir (the land of the gods) and cyberspace. It's in cyberspace that you must solve puzzles to unlock new locations in Aesir where battles are fought.
Above anything else, Too Human is an action game. While drenched in role-playing elements and dripping with heavy-handed references to Norse mythology, it’s an experience that hones in on combat. Attacks aren't pulled off using the buttons or triggers; instead, Baldur actually instigates blows by commands entered via the right thumbstick. Move it in the direction of an enemy and he'll slide up to it for a hit. You can pull off successive attacks or “ping-ponging” as the team put it, by moving the thumbstick mid-slide. The hope is that casual players will be able to pick up Too Human and instantly get the game, while advanced gamers can wield the right thumbstick in combination with the buttons to unleash advanced combat moves.
Although the campaign locks you into the role of Baldur, you're free to choose from five character classes: champion, commando, defender, berserker, and bio-engineer. The default champion class succeeds in all-around combat, taking a slight affinity to aerial attacks. Similarly, commandos excel in combat yet focus on ranged weaponry and explosives. Defenders differ from both classes thanks to a suite of protective skills and the ability to equip shields that shift the emphasis away from an aggressive offense. Lastly, bio-engineers possess the ability to heal in addition to their combat prowess. There appears to be enough variety among the classes to make characters unique. Of course, new classes to become available following the game's release via Xbox Live Marketplace could heighten the diversity.
Character development doesn't end when you select a class; on the contrary, it's only the beginning. Too Human carries more than just a tinge of role-playing, allowing full character customization via a comprehensive skill tree and gads of equipment. Each class comes with three specialization fields to which you can dole out skill points rewarded upon leveling up. Naturally, the specializations differ among classes so the abilities afforded to a berserker are distinct from a defender. There is a limit to development since characters are capped at level 50. As the first installment of a planned trilogy, the game intends to allow characters to crossover into a sequel. It's a little early to be discussing a sequel and the details of transferring characters, but it's interesting to note.
Perhaps more in-depth than skill specialization is the game's unbelievable amount of equipment. Hundreds of weapons, pieces of armor, magical runes, and other sundry items can be picked up through the course of your adventure. Too Human borrows unabashedly from classic PC role-playing games by including a veritable cornucopia of items, most of which come from defeated enemies. Nine different categories apiece for melee and ranged weapons mean more than enough variety. As Kimmell put it, “We're trying to encourage loot lust here.”
Tracking down new weapons and armor means dispatching your foes in the hopes of receiving something valuable. It's also possible to craft items using blueprints left behind by fallen foes; in fact, doing so is the only way in which you'll gain possession of the most powerful equipment. As if there wasn't already enough depth, existing items in your inventory can be augmented with magical runes as long as there are available slots. The greatest benefit to be gained from your weapons and armor isn't instilling them with runes; rather, like classic PC role-playing games Too Human features bonuses for equipping an entire six-piece set of armor.
