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Preview  Engalus
- By Michael Loewer


From CryTek Studios comes ENGALUS, to be released for the Nintendo GameCube (in addition to the PC, Dreamcast, X-Box, and PS2)

A madman is attempting to recover an ancient artifact known as Engalus from the edge of the galaxy which will give him the power to remake the universe in his own image. As the high-tech assassin Jordain, you must stop his plans before it's too late.

CryTek tells us the title can be broken down into three primary modes: action, adventure, and story. The action mode consists of fast-paced FPS-style gaming. As is common nowadays, shooting enemies is at the player's discretion. Adventure play consists primarily of exploration, as gamers are free to search for clues and gather information as they see fit. Finally, the story mode consists of cinematic camerawork and storytelling usually as a reward for completion of an action section. We are told that these cutscenes will be of a highly professional quality, to ensure that the gamer is constantly provided with a familiar, realistic cinematic experience.

CryTek Studios is powering Engalus with their own in-house "CryEngine." It is said to include technologies such as:

Bump, Environment, and Phong Mapping
Reflection Mapping
Curved Surfaces
Hierarchical Skeletal Animation
Realistic Lightning-Engine
Volumetric Fogs
Vertex Morphing
TnL Support



From the limited information we've been able to obtain, the title seems promising. The general plot is nothing new. However, from what I can see, CryTek studios is attempting to use the hightened processing power of the GameCube, etc., to create a cinematic experience never before seen on consoles. The combination of an exploration-based adventure mode and a first-person shooter action mode is an interesting combination, especially when the plot is supposed to be so engrossing. Finally, the in-house engine is extraordinarily advanced, at least from CryTek's description. However, official company preview sites can make any title seem impressive, so only time will tell whether Engalus is as good as the hype.


More on CryTek Studios' Engalus as it becomes available.

Visit the Official Site to learn more about this and other CryTek projects.

- 5.1.2001