World of Darkness is one of the best fantasy worlds out there, but until now we have mostly played board games set in this world. For some time now, however, it has been nice to see more and more developers making video games set in this magnificent world. Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is the latest game set in this world. It is a third-person shooter that combines both stealth and action combat for a brilliant experience. Here is our overview of Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood for PC, in which we wreak absolute havoc as a werewolf.
Werewolf Story: Apocalypse – Earthblood centers on Kahal, who is a werewolf or Garu and part of a pack that lives under the threat of the evil Endron organization. While Kahal has long been active against Endron, fighting to get rid of him as he attempts to invade the forests of the region, a personal vendetta begins when Kahal loses a loved one in a mission against Endron. After the incident, Kahal’s goal is to end Endron and drive him from the forest, but Endron also feels threatened by Garu and prepares his own strategy of counterattack and attack.
The two sides collide in the story “Werewolf: Apocalypse – Earthblood,” in which you play Kahal and his three ingenious guises. Because Kahal is a werewolf, he can change into a wolf and a werewolf as needed. In game terms, his human form is called Gommida, his wolf form Lupus, and his werewolf form Krinos. Each form is unique, and Kahal can perform different tasks in each form. While you can transform between Homie and Lupus at any point in the game, Krinos is only available during combat, and then only if Cathal regains his human form after the battle. What really sets the gameplay apart is that you must use all three forms to the best of your ability to succeed in the game.
In the form of the house, you can interact with doors, locks, security panels, computers and communicate with other characters in the game. This is the most common form of play because all communication occurs during this form of play. Kahal does not fight in this form. For stealth and mobility, you can always press the B button and turn into a wolf or lupus. Kahal is fastest during lupus. Because he is also much smaller, he is also much better at stealth in this form. His footsteps are light, and he can move very quickly in the shadows in this form, which gives him a great advantage. If you are in lupus form, and you have contact with a console or a closed door, or you get a message on the radio, you automatically switch to your human form, which I found very convenient.
The last form is Krinos, and this is your combat form. In this form, Kahal turns into a giant werewolf and then attacks his enemies. In this form, you can further customize your movements and attacks by switching from Agile to Heavy form. During Agile, you are more convulsive and your attacks do less damage, but you can move quickly and make quick attacks. Dodging is also much easier in this form, and you will have to dodge a lot in the game. In the heavy form, your attacks do more damage, but you are also slow, and your attacks take time to attack and land. You are also more resistant to damage in this form, but you take longer to land, which means enemies can attack you more in this time.
Escape plays an important role in the game, because even though you are a big werewolf, your enemies are not very sensitive to it either. They are equipped with shields, shotguns and the deadliest silver bullets that inflict non-repairable damage in this particular combat situation. Therefore, it is better to avoid silver bullets and other powerful enemy attacks. During the story you will also encounter enemy Exos, giant Mechs that want to tear you to pieces, and enemy Super Soldiers, who are Endron Garu’s answer. To survive, you must alternate between agile and heavy forms during combat scenarios, as both have their advantages and disadvantages.
By fighting in the game, you also gain anger, which is a basic element in the Dark World and also plays an important role here. Rage is used to activate special powers and attacks that you unlock in the game. You can also heal with this rage. In addition to the rage meter, you also have a rage meter that fills up when you take hits from enemies. The more you fight, the more this meter fills up, and once this meter is full, you can switch to Frenzy Mode, which turns you into an even fiercer enemy. During this phase, you and your attacks heal, and you face some very powerful attacks in the game. It lasts until you’ve killed all the enemies, or the counter expires when you’ve used up all the energy of the frenzy. It’s perfect for keeping a crowd in check.
Overall, the battles in the game are very entertaining, and I had a great time blowing people away as a werewolf. I can’t remember another game where playing as a werewolf was so much fun. The battles are brutal, and you notice this in the game when you pick up enemies and tear them to pieces, or just chop them up with your giant claws. The extra attacks are even more powerful and do even more damage, and you can make yourself even more powerful and effective in battle by investing spirit points in extra skills. You earn skill points every time you level up in the game, and this is also where the game introduces light role-playing mechanics, as you can invest points and choose a particular build in the game. By choosing certain skills, you can make your forms much better than others, depending on which ones you use.
Another important aspect of the game is the destructive capacity of the environments. If you decide to skip the corners and go crazy, you will destroy the entire area in no time. You’ll go crazy on tables, chairs, computers and other nonsense. When you’re done with the enemies, all you see here and there are broken things, and lots of blood. But if you take cover, everything stays the same and you move silently in the shadows. It is one of the most entertaining elements of the game, where you can clearly see the difference in landscape between stealth and full assault. Both stealth and combat-oriented play are equally enjoyable in the game.
Stealth is very well implemented in the game. It is not just about sneaking up on enemies. The developers have built several stealth mechanisms into the game that really give the impression that you are playing stealth. For example, when you sneak around like a lupus, you can use air vents to move around and hit different places on the map. This allows you to get behind enemies and take them out silently. You can also communicate with various computers and terminals, open doors and close security cameras that relay your position to enemies and set off an alarm. The game saves for every key point in the game, so even if you mess something up and don’t want to panic, you can quickly reboot and try a different approach. For stealth, Kahal also has a crossbow that allows him to silently take out his enemies, while lupus is used only for mobility and stealth.
As for the visual and sound design of the game, both are well thought out. The game is beautiful and the levels are brilliantly designed. The soundtrack adapts well to the game and changes according to the situation you are in. Most of the time you hear heavy metal in the background, but it’s a little quieter so your ears aren’t overwhelmed by the music. It is in perfect balance with the sound of the game, so you can always hear all the destruction you cause in the game. Technically, the game is pretty solid, and the only problem I found was that the connection to the controller disconnected a few times during the game, but otherwise the game worked pretty well on my computer.
Although I liked the character design in the game and even the rendering of dialogue is excellent in most parts of the game, there are times in the game when the facial expressions and rendering of dialogue do not live up to expectations. In cases where emotions should be strong, the dialogue does not reflect the intensity of the feelings. Very early in the game we are confronted with the death of a loved one, but the dialogue the character gave was so lifeless that he failed to make an emotional connection. Until this line, the dialogue was perfect as an informal, casual conversation. In some situations, the facial expressions also fail to convey what the character is trying to represent, resulting in an empty expression that just looks silly. This is curious, because in most cases the facial expressions and dialogue with the characters in the game are spot on. It’s just that in some cases they don’t match in intensity and just seem a bit neglected.
Other than that, I don’t remember anything I wrote down in my notes that I found funny or strange about the game. I loved the battles, I loved the way each Kahal felt different and unique, and the story is pretty well written despite being a traditional tale of revenge from an evil society. Overall, the execution of World of Darkness is one of the best video game adaptations I’ve seen. Everything is perfect except for occasional moments where the facial expressions and dialogue lack the depth and intensity they have now. Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is also a brilliant title that I enjoyed playing from start to finish.
Final Judgment:
At the core of this game, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is an open-world game, not because it gives you a huge open world to explore, but because it gives you complete freedom in how you want to act in your mission. If you prefer to be invisible, you have all the tools at your disposal to remain undetected. If you prefer to meet face-to-face, this option is also available to you. It features excellent combat mechanics and satisfying killer action, combined with a brilliant character design and story. The story may seem like a traditional revenge plot, but it has enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the screen. The transition between the three forms is also very satisfying. If you’re looking for a solid action game this month, with plenty of action, destruction and killing, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is the game for you. Fans of the world of darkness will enjoy the game.
Final Score: 8.5/10
