NecroVisioN

NecroVisioN
Developer(s)	The Farm 51
Publisher(s)	1C Company 505 Games Aspyr Media
Engine	PAIN Engine Havok Physics
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	EU 20090227February 27, 2009 NA 20090525May 25, 2009
Genre(s)	First-Person Shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ACB: M (cut) BBFC: 18 ESRB: M PEGI: 18 USK: 18 (heavy cut)
Media/distribution	Optical disc

NecroVisioN is World War I "alternate" history horror first-person shooter developed by Polish developer The Farm 51 and published by 505 Games. It was released for the Microsoft Windows platform on 20 February 2009. The game was also published by Aspyr Media in the United States, on May 25, 2009, and Canada on August 10, 2009. A prequel entitled Necrovision: Lost Company was released in February 2010.

Setting

NecroVisioN is set in 1916 during World War I. The player takes the role of Simon Bukner, a young American soldier recently recruited into the British Army. In addition to German soldiers, Simon soon finds himself fighting supernatural forces, including vampires, demons, and zombies found in locations varying from the battlefields of World War I to secret laboratories and underground caverns. The main setting is the battle of Somme, during which a rumor of a mysterious infection has appeared, which causes all people to turn into zombie-like state. Later, the game takes player into two new settings, the underground realm of Vampires, and the demonic realm, Hell.

Plot

The game begins with the protagonist Simon Bukner being awakened by a British soldier within a bunker. It is apparently time for a counter attack against German lines. After a rallying speech by the commanding officer, Simon is to follow his squad of soldiers towards the assault point. But as soon as they arrive, they are ambushed by heavy German machine gun cross fire and mustard gas. Many of the soldiers die and Simon is seen running aimlessly, searching for cover from both bullets and gas. Soon, Simon collapses.

When Simon reawakens, he is in another bunker with several corpses and a surviving British soldier. The soldier claims he has barricaded the bunker from the inside to prevent anything from coming in. That includes members of Simon's squad escaping the gas. Simon is visibly upset and angry at the soldier's cowardice. The soldier continues rambling due to battlefield stress about having German passwords and other intel, including some on patrol routes. Thus he plans to evade and escape the trenches with the information he has. Simon then threatens him and soon, a fight ensues. Simon kills him and takes his rifle. Simon is disturbed by the fact that he has to kill a friendly soldier. By blowing up the barricade, Simon fights his way through the trenches and meets several soldiers who Simon initially believes are in a bad mental state because of the horrors they have seen. However, soon the zombies, hell hounds, and other netherworld creatures begin to manifest.

Nearing a trench, a demonic looking face manifests itself and starts rambling about a savior, and that Simon can be that savior. This is one of the last vampires, a mystic race that stood against demons. Simon begins to wonder what is going on here and suspects that there is something much much more sinister happening at the trenches. Along the way, Simon begins to unravel and discover bits and pieces of information about what is going on. This leads him to Jonas Zimmerman, the person behind the monstrosity that has been going on. Eventually, the player travels through trenches, old ruins (where he first encounters Zimmerman, but is tricked) and finally the stronghold where Zimmerman was last located. At the basement lab of the stronghold, the player discovers a mechanical walking tank created by the Vampires. Using it, Simon proceeds to a showdown with Zimmerman who commandeers a Scorpion-shaped walking tank ten times the size of Simon's tank.

After getting rid of Zimmerman, Simon is chosen as the owner of the new Shadow Hand with Menthor inside - the spirit of an old Vampiric champion, bound within the glove. This glove was the source of Zimmerman's power over the undead, and now it is to be used against the demons deep underground. Menthor will act as the companion of the player, guides him all the way, and provides instructions about the spell system in the game. The goal of the game from now on is to conquer the great demon - Mephisto. Simon descends deep into steampunk-styled underground Vampire realm, which has been corrupted by demons.

After a long journey, Simon mounts an ancient dragon and makes his way to Hell itself, where he battles Mephisto's second-in-command, the fallen angel Azazel (who rides three-headed Cerberus). Later, Simon encounters Mephisto himself, and clashes with him in final battle.

The game has three endings, which are chosen based on the difficulty level:

• EASY - Simon is waking up in the trenches directly when the war ended. Medics tell him that he had "shellshock" and everything he saw was a dream, but nobody can explain weird multiple scars on his arms.
• NORMAL - Simon becomes one of the hell's soldiers, and Mephisto gives the human race a breath of the freedom.
• HARD - Mephisto dies, and Simon becomes the new King of Hell.

Gameplay

NecroVisioN is a first-person shooter which also has a close-combat system and an ability to use both arms with different weapons. The health system is based on limited regeneration, with an ability to use a health pack or a red shard to restore it. Slain enemies may drop health or mana, which is used for spells. The gameplay is varied, and includes combo system, challenge mode, and storyline sections where player pilots a Vampire-made robotic exosuit and rides a dragon.

Multiplayer

There are no demonic spells, weapons or powers. The Player can choose either to be a Human, Undead or a Vampire. The modes are Free for All, in which players fight each other in a classic deathmatch mode; Capture the Artifact in which teams attempt to capture a vampiric artifact and bring it to their base; Team Deathmatch in which players are grouped into teams to fight each other in a classic deathmatch mode; and Last Man Standing in which players start the game with additional health and fight each other. The last player left alive wins the match.

Critical reception

Necrovision received average to good reviews.

• Best Gamer 82%
• Now Gamer 72%
• Video Gamer 70%
• PCGZine 65%
• VicioJuegos 65%
• GameStar 60%
• Resolution Magazine 60%
• IGN 69%
• "Gamespot". http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/necrovision/review.html?tag=result;score;0. 
• "Frictionless Insight". http://www.frictionlessinsight.com/archives/2008/06/necrovision-pre.html. 
• IT Reviews Recommended Award

External links

• Official website
• NecroVisioN at MobyGames
• Necrovision at Aspyr Media