Deadhaus Sonata
| Deadhaus Sonata | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Apocalypse Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Apocalypse Studios |
| Director(s) | Denis Dyack |
| Composer(s) | Steve Cupani[1] |
| Engine | Unity[2] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing, hack and slash |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Deadhaus Sonata is an upcoming free-to-play cooperative[3] action role-playing video game developed by Apocalypse Studios and directed by Denis Dyack. The game is set to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. In Deadhaus Sonata, players play undead classes in the House of the Dead and fight the living.[4] Deadhaus Sonata focuses on its gameplay pillars of procedural generation, narrative driven design, Twitch integration,[5] and cooperative asymmetric gameplay,[6] as well as looting and fast-action combat.[7]
Deadhaus Sonata is the spiritual successor to Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain.[8][better source needed]
Gameplay
[edit]Deadhaus Sonata is an online action role-playing game, where the player controls a single character from a third-person perspective, alone or with up to five other people.[9] The player will fight hordes of enemies, collecting large amounts of loot, and fulfilling quests to gain experience points and more equipment. To increase re-playability, the game's levels are procedurally generated.[10]
Players can choose from seven available classes to play as; Vampires, Revenants, Liches, Ghouls, Wraiths, Wights, and Banshees.[11] Each of these classes are aligned with one to three of the core attributes of the House of the Dead: Physical, Magickal, and Essential. Dyack has titled this 'the Trinary Archetype System',[12] mentioning that many themes in Deadhaus Sonata will be influenced by the balance of these attributes in the world. Classes more aligned with Physical damage will be more effective at melee and non-magickal ranged damage. Magickal-aligned classes are more specialized in spellcasting, and essential-aligned classes are focused on the use of Artifacts, objects that have gained sentience from supernatural beings possessing them.[13] Each class will have their own unique skill tree, allowing for specializing into different class archetypes. Apocalypse has also said that crafting equipment will play a large role in the game, but they have yet to be specific on how much.
Deadhaus Sonata will be free-to-play with microtransactions,[14] using the in-game currency, 'bones'. Apocalypse Studios has stated the game will have entirely ethical monetization, avoiding all pay-to-win aspects, referencing games like Path of Exile and their strictly cosmetic microtransaction system.[citation needed]
Setting
[edit]Deadhaus Sonata takes place in the Gothic and Lovecraftian[15] world of Nogosaua.[16] The house of the Dead has been created in a cosmic war between two Elder Gods, and the Dead must discover what has brought them back and what their purpose is. In Nogosaua, there are many houses beyond Deadhaus, and a large amount of the story in Deadhaus Sonata will be about the rival between the houses.[17] Being a narrative-driven game, Deadhaus Sonata is influenced heavily by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, Steven Erikson, and Thomas Ligotti.[18]
Development
[edit]Pre-release
[edit]Deadhaus Sonata was announced on IGN on October 24, 2018.[18] Dyack has referenced in many instances his inspirations for Deadhaus Sonata being his previous games, saying his team would combine parts of several of his past projects into the game such as "Lovecraftian overtones from Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, the Gothic role-playing elements of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, where you are undead, and finally, some of the action RPG elements of Too Human".[19] In an interview with VentureBeat, Dyack stated Deadhaus Sonata has a "10-year rollout cycle where we're believing in the community",[20] once again stating Apocalypse' want to keep community-driven design a major part of the games' production.
The studio initially developed the game using Amazon Lumberyard,[21][18] but later switched to Open 3D Engine because of its professional graphics quality and support for customizations that improve the game's capabilities.[21] The game switched to using Unity in April 2022.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Deadhaus Sonata". IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ a b "Apocalypse Studios defines a new approach to narrative in Deadhaus Sonata".
- ^ "Denis Dyack: Silicon Knights Founder Incites Hideo Kojima". Play Crazy Game. Play Crazy Game. May 11, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Ford, Suzie (March 28, 2019). "General : Deadhaus Sonata: Gameplay Teaser (Pre-Alpha)". MMORPG.com. MMORPG.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Deadhaus Sonata - PC". Gamepressure.com. Gamepressure.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Lindsey, Jack (March 27, 2019). "'Deadhaus Sonata' Releases Gameplay Teaser". Exclusively Games. Exclusively Games. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Denis Dyack's Announces Creepy New Game Deadhaus Sonata And Is Targeting All Platforms". Max Level Mag. Max Level Mag. October 24, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Dyack, Denis. "A Spiritual Successor To Legacy of Kain". YouTube. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ McCaffrey, Ryan (March 26, 2019). "Deadhaus Sonata Gameplay Teaser Revealed". IGN. IGN. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Denis Dyack's Studio Announces New IP Deadhaus Sonata". All Games Delta. All Games Delta. October 24, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Palumbo, Alessio (February 22, 2019). "Denis Dyack: Deadhaus Sonata Is Bloodborne Meets Diablo; Legacy of Kain Fans Are Resonating with It". Wccftech. Wccftech. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Denis Dyack announces new game Deadhaus Sonata". Shacknews. Play Crazy Game. February 25, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ Palumbo, Alessio (May 11, 2019). "Denis Dyack: Today's Gaming Medium Is Multiplayer; Deadhaus Sonata Leaning Heavily on Twitch Integration". Wccftech. Wccftech. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Dankers, Patrick (November 4, 2018). "Denis Dyack announced Deadhaus Sonata - Nintendo Switch News". NintendoReporters. NintendoReporters. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Woolsey, Cameron (February 22, 2019). "Denis Dyack Returns To Games And He's Brought A Scary Present". PC Invasion. PC Invasion. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Mowery, Matthew (March 29, 2019). "Deadhaus Sonata Reveals Early Gameplay". mxdwn Games. mxdwn Games. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Silicon Knights Veteran Denis Dyacks Revives Himself with New Studio & F2P ARPG". MMORPG.com. MMORPG.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c McCaffrey, Ryan (October 24, 2018). "Deadhaus Sonata Announced from Eternal Darkness, Legacy of Kain Creator Denis Dyack". IGN. IGN. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ Byrd, Matthew (March 26, 2019). "Deadhaus Sonata: Gameplay Teaser Trailer". Den of Geek. Den of Geek. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (February 21, 2019). "Denis Dyack is Coming Back From the Dead with Deadhaus Sonata". Venture Beat. VentureBeat. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (6 July 2021). "Amazon shifts Lumberyard to open source 3D game engine supported by 20 companies". GamesBeat (VentureBeat). Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
Apocalypse Studios was using the Lumberyard engine, and Dyack's team decided that the Open 3D Engine would be a really good direction to go, he said. It supports high graphical fidelity in the company's Deadhaus Sonata, and it enables the company to build customizations on top of the engine that can enhance what the game can do.