When talking about Absolum, the gameplay reveal does feel like it is a bit underwhelming. This goes without saying, every gamer has been gripped by the lore, the organic yet synthetic world to explore or play in. What do I, as a video game design and development enthusiast, actually expect? No, I am not waiting on the complex mechanics of fighting, the stunning animations, or the dynamic plot twists that get you from your seat. What I am after knowing is the internal aspect, the deep-rooted skeleton of the game which makes it great.
Cybernetic Augmentation
As we know, cybernetic augmentation has been the center of attention for a while now. Many games have tried this, but too often have I experienced it to be nothing more than a skin that sits lightly on the top of a player model. With so much talk revolving around the cybernetic world, it is clear I am not the only one. In fact, it influences the way a player walks, fights, even how they physically engage with the environment. These reasons alone make us regard it as delicate yet powerful.
Think of a system where each augmentation has a distinct shape that alters the player’s center of mass, momentum, and maneuverability. Show us the aftermath of these alterations. Does having a bulky arm implant affect climbing? Does having a neural interface cause some delay in response, forcing players to plan ahead instead of reacting?
It is to enable a feeling of physicality, an immersion that these alterations are beyond mere instruments, but rather parts of the user’s anatomy with all the benefits and risks that entails. Show us the customization options and the trade-offs of one upgrade over the other. Let us witness the player struggle with the implications of their selections, not just from a statistical perspective, but from the way they engage with the world physically.
The Living, Breathing Dystopia: Environment Storytelling Outside Set Dressing
From what I can remember, an important part of environmental storytelling is the beauty and bleakness of Absolum’s world. However, I would appreciate not only the breathtaking views but also how the environment influences the gameplay itself. We must escape the notion of “interactable objects” and “clickable world,” a world filled by one’s essence that reacts to the mere existence of the player.
What about visibility/movement restrictions as a consequence of the weather? Or the city’s infrastructure deteriorating with time? Inhabitants who are controlled by AI can actively respond to the actions taken by the player. Even better, allows the players to experience agency beyond combat encounters.
Allow players full rein over the city’s power grid to permit the creation of temporary safe zones or traps for enemies. Pulled by their weaponization, let them utilize the infrastructure of the city. What if pollution and resource depletion affected the inhabitants’ lives? Now this could alter the state of the world.
The visual presentation is only half the effort; designing for players who buy cheap PS4 games an ecosystem that lives, breathes, and responds to a player’s actions and decisions is equally an important factor.
The Unseen Network: Beyond the Surface
Absolum’s storyline offers faint glimpses into a social structure that seems like a rampant system of individuals and groups battling for power and control, an intricate world of social cutthroat warfare. I envision a rich social framework that exceeds a typical dialogue tree structure where players can shape the flow of information instead of being spoon-fed information manipulating the story’s direction.
Let’s shift the focus and observe the aftermath of the grand social events we triggered in the city, depicting how gameplay can foster social constructs alongside political ones and rivalry and alliance chains outside the predetermined narrative.
Envision one where the player can utilize their cybernetic augmentations to hack the city’s communication network, intercepting messages, listening in on conversations, and managing the flow of information. The unveil should explain to the players during the reveal the intricate balance of the city’s social threads which become available as a result of player action and can weave together to create scenarios that are unpredictable yet deeply significant.
The Uncanny Valley of AI: No Longer Just Simple Enemy Archetypes
Absolutely every character in the world of Absolum is controlled by a friendly or hostile AI, but I do not care about simple enemy archetypes. I want to see true AI that is able to adapt to the player’s strategies and interact with their changing environment in ways that are not predictable.
Demonstrate to us how the AI can observe the player’s actions and learn from them to later change the player’s challenges into more difficult tasks that require creative thinking.
We’d also like to see if the AI is capable of utilizing the environment against the player. Set up flanking maneuvers or use the city’s spatial architecture against him/her. Show how the AI can talk to one another and work together to devise and execute multi-layered strategies where they have to plan and work together.
We are after an intelligent AI that can integrate seamlessly into the game and bring about unplanned but entertaining experiences.
Fundamentally, I’m waiting for the gameplay reveal of Absolum. I expect the game to be unlike any action-adventure title seen thus far, as it tries to challenge the mainstream notions of entertainment and fully immerse the player in a world of deeper themes that warrant reflection on the player’s part. I do not want merely a captivating experience to watch.
