Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Malice

Written by Chris Reiter on January 31, 2002

First Impressions: Smashey, smashey!

2001's Consumer Electronic Show (CES) revealed info and movies on an upcoming Xbox game about a strange little girl named Kat, and her adventure into a fantasy world with a giant sledgehammer. This game Malice: Kat's Tale, developed by Argonaut Software, Ltd., and published by Sierra, will be headed to Microsoft's next generation console this fall.

As for such an originally designed game as Malice is shaping up to be, the story starts with an innovative plot. When a girl named Kat, an unlikely heroine, accidentally unleashes a terrible wrath of evil onto the world, it's now her duty to stop the ultimate demonic force known only as Malice. Malice, a hellhound, will stop at nothing to prevent you from defeating him and ceasing his plans for world conquest. Kat's take on this is to grab a sledgehammer and pummel anything that gets in her way.

Known for their amazing work in such 3D games as StarFox for the Super Nintendo, and the Croc titles for the Sony PlayStation, Argonaut is making, yet again, some very amazing, and quite impressive, visuals for the Xbox platform. And for what the developer can do, we should be sure to expect nothing but the best. While the visuals are divulged in a complicated surreal world, the game's aspects will be very much like our own. From shadow effects that cling to the very nature of what character movements take into action, to environments that bulge and glow with luminous amazement, Malice will look quite exquisite from every single nook and cranny.

Better yet, Malice takes gameplay to a whole new level of fun. Kat starts out with only a sledgehammer from which to pound away at the evil forces nearby. In the game, you'll be able to play whack-a-mole with your enemy's heads, faces, and everything else -- literally. Kat will have three forms of attack maneuvers in which she can interestingly use her weapon. One form is to smash an enemy in the head with the hammer like pounding a nail. A second form is for multiple enemies, in which you'll be able to swing the hammer in a circular pattern, attacking whatever lies in harm's way. A final, and very genius form is when using the hammer as a sort of steamroller, by pushing it forward in a rolling motion to run over enemies like bugs.

Other than the use of the hammer, Kat will equip such weapons as a mace, a tuning fork, and she will even have the ability to use magical spells. Ultimately, the gameplay will push and pull you through 25 different levels of "whacky" mayhem. Levels full of stone and brick walls, and assortments of pipes layering the rooms, your task will be to explore and traverse these huge areas. Interestingly, your character is meant to grow throughout the game, to become an ultimate form in the end, to fight the evil Malice as a sort of Goddess. How this will happen is sketchy at this point, but as more of the game progresses, the more the final version is looking better and better.