First impressions of THQ’s Conan XBL demo

With the release of the demo for Conan (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) on Xbox Live, we’re given a new addition to the bloody hack and slasher genre that’ll keep the blood pumping and fountaining. We recommend eating some raw steak after playing the demo.

The demo starts with Conan meeting the warrior queen A’Kanna after they both take down a pirate each. After some not-so-subtle flirting, A’Kanna offers him passage on her ship in exchange for saving her captured crew. We learn that the land is infected with the Black Death and unless they escape, they will perish along with everyone else.

You go through the demo looking for three of A’Kanna’s crew. They’re not hard to spot: they’re the guys in the cages screaming their lungs out. You get to enjoy causing a bloody massacre as you go through the stage looking for them. The demo doesn’t show off the game’s story (and the script is kind of cheesy) but once you get into the game itself you’re in for a world of pain: and you’re the one doling it out.

Check out the rest of the review in the full article.

Brawns over brains

Like any good hack and slash game, the combat system in Conan is a no-brainer. You can plow through your enemies eventually by button mashing but that’s not what a good hack and slash game is all about. It’s all about appreciating the subtle art of gore, which Conan provides plenty of.

Experience points counts as something like money here. You need a certain amount of experience to be able to acquire new moves, which you’d need when enemies start getting tougher. Experience appear as red “runes” that appear when you defeat enemies. There are also green runes that also appear which gives you health points.

In the game there are basically only two kinds of enemies: the weak and the strong. The weak thugs are usually disposed of quickly, sometimes with just one swing. They’re good to practice on and you’ll have opportunities to deal with them in swarms, which is infinitely more fun. Eventually they all pile up to become one bloody mess.

The strongmen however, needs a bit more finesse. At first you’ll only have to fight one of them but at the end of the demo you’ll have to finish off three at the same time. They can be a pain but like any hack and slasher boss, all you need to do is figure out a pattern to know when to strike.

There are two attacks to form combos with: the light attack which is fast but not really devastating, and the heavy attack which can knock an enemy to his feet but is slow in execution. The game doesn’t have an auto aim system, which may be frustrating at first but it’s soon compensated by the wide reach of Conan’s swinging arm. Just make sure you’re facing in the general direction of the enemy and you’re set.

Approaching with caution

There are two things that players have to watch out for: (1) Some combos, particularly the ones that use the heavy attack, can be pretty slow to execute so enemies have a better shot at you. It’s better to start slow combos a little ways away before the enemy can take a pot shot. (2) You’ll have a hard time blocking once an enemy has started a combo on you. You’ll have to be on your toes and block before they can get their chance.

Both qualities are usually present in almost every hack and slash game but in Conan, these are critical: the enemies know how to block and time their attacks well. They are not the AI equivalent of a button masher. You can imagine how frustrating it is to get caught by an enemy’s combo attack while you’re trying to execute yours. The good thing is that once you start a combo on an enemy, they’ll have a hard time blocking as well.

You can wield any sword you come across in the demo. So massacre your enemies and grab their swords (they won’t mind, really). However the best sword to use in most cases is the sword you start out with because it’s the fastest to swing. With lighter swords you can wield two at a time while larger swords can only be wielded one at a time.

You can throw anything you can pick up here. From barrels to boxes, and even the swords you pick up, you can use these to use against enemies to stun them or simply crush them. Speaking of which, you can even throw your enemies – off a bridge or unto protruding spikes to get more of that barbaric blood bubbling – it’s your own personal gore fest.

The gore factor

The most appealing factor of the game may be the blood and violence factor. This game is all about spurting blood and flying limbs. Given the correct angle and combo you can send flying an arm, two arms, a head, and even a torso. Here are our favorite moves for making those limbs take to the air (check for their controls on the combo menu): the Barbarian, which can take off two arms and the Heavy Strike Finisher, which can take off a head after leaving some major blood fountains.

If you prefer a… cleaner way of disposing of your foes you can always execute the Backbreaker – throw your enemies into the air and they land on your knee and um… break their back – and the Body Slam where you slam your enemies on the ground like a rag doll. Twice. You can also stun them and once they’re on the ground, give them the Death Stomp: one swift kick to end their misery.

THQ‘s Conan fills up the basic themes of what the Conan of legend is all about: blood, violence and women. It doesn’t look like a game that’s heavy on story and plot but if you’re looking for a game where you just have the need to have your mouth froth over in bloody glory, then this game would sit well in your video game library. Conan will be released on October 23 for the US.

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