Stepping Into an Aztec Arena in Aztez - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 14 April 2014 / 2,608 Views
Aztez is a stylish new strategy and action game based on Aztec warfare from Team Colorblind. The black, white and red color palette is reminiscent of the Wii action game MadWorld. The gameplay, meanwhile, involves 2D sidescrolling combat. I managed to play the PC version at PAX East, armed with an Xbox 360 controller.
When using the Xbox 360's controller, the A button is used to jump, X and Y to attack, and the B button to block with a shield. The combat reminded me of God of War as you string together combos that result in fountains of blood pouring from your downed enemies. That crimson blood you seen in the images accompanying this preview are more than just eye candy though - by holding down RT your warrior absorbs the blood, which allows him to regenerate health.
The demo I played was an arena challenge. With four minutes on the clock, the task was to survive the wave of enemies as they increased in both size and strength. What starts off as a rather simple hack and slash affair intensifies into a desperate struggle to defeat enemies, intermittently trying to run away to a safe distance in order to absorb more health. After five valiant attempts, I died each time before the clock reached 0. I was not alone. I stood by and watched many an enraged gamer fail in their efforts to be the ultimate Aztec warrior.
Disheartened but not discouraged, I then tried the game using an Occulus Rift set-up. Woo boy, what an experience. It was the first time I had ever tried the virtual reality rig. Due to the massive size of my head and my long hair, I’m not one to usually sport headgear, but I managed to secure the goggles over my head along with a pair of headphones for audio. The hardware pinched the bridge of my nose and all the while I played I experienced a burning sensation above my eyes that had me worried my eyebrows might be singed off.
Other than the noticeable discomfort, Aztez played pretty much the same as it did in the conventional manner. Looking to the left and right panned the camera so I could see enemies that were otherwise offscreen. I have to admit though, that thanks to the increased visual immersion, playing Aztez with the Occulus Rift was noticeably more intense. I let out a few battle cries as I played, unaware of what a spectacle I had become to observers at the booth.
Aztez definitely raised its profile with its showing at PAX East 2014. In addition to the real time combat, Aztez will also feature turn based strategy elements which will task you to expand and maintain the Aztec empire, though this aspect was not on display as far as I could tell.
Aztez will be released on nearly all major current/next gen consoles, meaning gamers have the choice to play it on the Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Steam (PC/Mac/ Linux). Gamers be forewarned - what lies ahead promises to be a gruelling and gory adventure through ancient Mexico.
