“Jericho” by Clive Barker is a game project based on the books of the mentioned writer. The plot is based on the eternal idea of confronting good and evil. Cinema connoisseurs remember the work “HellRaiser” and “Candyman”, and fans of literature - the Books of Blood series. In the gaming industry, Barker left a mark in the form of projects Undying and Jericho.
Overview
Clive Barker is the founder of the sub-genre of horror called splatterpunk, which is characterized by an abundance of bloody scenes. This characterizes the entire gameplay of Clive Barker's Jericho. However, through the efforts of Barker, their nuances were brought into the project.
The writer expressed the idea: to make computer games an art, you need to put a powerful story into the storyline. And so it happened: the idea is based on biblical legends about the confrontation between good and evil (which is not a novelty). But the developers realized a game that is not like any movie or literary work.
The plot is the main component: interesting and unusual. Occultism, demonology, flirting with mythological and religious themes are the components from which this “delicious cake” is baked.
The developers prescribed behaviors for each member of the squad: unique characters not only mow down the ranks of opponents, but also joke with each other, express an opinion on what is happening, enter into skirmishes with the use of firearms.
V.O.D.
The abbreviation stands for Military Occult Department. According to the plot of the multi-platform computer game Clive Barker's Jericho, this is the name of the most classified US agency, designed to deal with manifestations of otherworldly forces in a military conflict.
Initially appeared during the Second World War due to the need to verify information about the preparation by the Germans of a superweapon of unnatural origin. The Jericho squad is part of V.O.D.
Plot
It is necessary to manage a group of seven people - the fighters have established themselves as professionals in the fight against otherworldly forces and the activities of occult orders. The formation underwent a number of changes after the Second World War. The new task of the detachment is to confront the Firstborn.
According to the plot of Clive Barker's Jericho, this is the name of an entity created by God before humanity. The creation turned out to be evil and envious, but the Creator failed to destroy it, but locked it in a dungeon in a different reality.
Over time, the Firstborn gained strength and tried to penetrate the world of people, this happened during the Sumerian kingdom. The gap in reality was opened thanks to the priestess who sacrificed the builders of the temple. Evil managed to stop the Sumerian priests, but the creature took with him a "piece of reality."
The second gap occurred during the reign of Caligula, again a piece of the Holy Roman Empire was carried away to another reality. This happened due to the activities of the governor Cassus Vikus, known for craving for bloody entertainment.
The next step is the time of the Crusades. The actions of Bishop Malthus St. Clair led to the fact that hundreds of children were sent to battle with the Saracens. The clergyman convinced Pope Innocent III that the weapons of heretics could not injure the immaculate children. The result was rivers of spilled innocent blood and the attraction of the Firstborn into the real world.
A part of the prison was also a fragment of the Second World War. The activities of the Third Reich opened the rift.
All episodes of “Jericho” by Clive Barker are colorfully written, plot twists are accompanied by narration on behalf of any of the characters. Along the line of time, the detachment moves from the present to the past, solving the riddles of the Pixis. At the end of the Sumerian kingdom they fall into the cave of the Firstborn.
Gameplay
Events begin in the Rub al-Khali desert, where ancient ruins became the center of a surge of paranormal energy. The actions of the Black Dawn terrorist organization led to a gap. In the first act, the squad leader Captain Devin Ross dies, and the long journey of the unit begins.
In a multi-platform computer game, the highlight is management, which is closely tied to the plot narrative. Once inside the space-time prison (in the game it is called "Pixis"), the soul of Ross gained the ability to take control of the members of the squad. So the player gets the opportunity to control any character.
Each soldier of Jericho has unique abilities, character and outlook on life. The gameplay is not diverse: you have to move through the blood-stained ruins, corridors, dark tunnels and shoot back from demonic enemies.
Periodically, scenes arise where you need to press certain buttons to leave the pursuer, to hold on a ledge or to break out of hand-to-hand combat with a distraught cultist.
The whole process of passing “Jericho” by Clive Barker is carried out with the same guns. Ammo and abilities are conditionally infinite. If a character runs out of health, he simply falls to the ground until healed. Therefore, there is no death in Pixis as such, because a player just needs to take control of another member of the team and “revive” the wounded. But if all soldiers run out of health, a swarm of flies will cover the screen and the game will end.
Characters
The characters of Jericho by Clive Barker are doomed to endure the consequences of the captain's metaphysical existence. When moving the soul from one body to another, some express indignation, someone grumbles, demanding to "get out of the head", and someone takes everything for granted.
In 2007, this behavior of the characters was very unusual and was regarded as an innovation. The group is divided into units "Alpha" and "Omega", commanded by all captain Devin Ross. He died from the clutches of the demon-changed Arnold Lich in the first act on the ruins of the city of Al Khali. At the last moment, he unconsciously settled in Delgado and shot a flying cultist.
Armed with an assault rifle. It is Ross who is the object of attention of the Firstborn, which occurs on the way in the guise of a dark child. He is a skeptic by nature, does not take seriously extrasensory perception and everything connected with the other world (despite the fact that he himself travels from one member of the detachment to another). For a gamer, this is a “control panel” team.
Squad Alpha
- Sergeant Frank Delgado. Pyromancer, armed with a Gatling machine gun and a 50-caliber pistol. The fighter managed to make a deal with the Native American spirit of the flame of Ababinili. He sacrificed a hand that became home to an otherworldly entity. To hold the demon, a metal sleeve was made on which Sergeant Church drew magical symbols. The demon is like a parasite, but does not want the owner to expel it. Because it suppresses pain in the hand. On the battlefield, it wreaks havoc and destruction, striving to satisfy hunger as quickly as possible. Sergeant Church is the only one with whom Delgado maintains friendly relations. He prefers to contact with others less often.
- Captain Javier Jones. The seer and the right hand of Ross. Able to move consciousness into the bodies of others. The gift is used in scripted scenes when it is necessary to push the opponent to actions: explode, turn the lever or attack. Armed with the same rifle as the deceased commander.
- Corporal Simone Cole. Engineer of Jericho, whose abilities are based on the level of intelligence. In childhood, the girl was diagnosed with autism, but instead of treatment, her parents taught her the exact sciences, repeatedly developing an innate tendency to mathematics, physics and logic. Superpowers in the form of a Temporary Loop (slows down time) and Paradox (increase damage) are exclusively of scientific origin (according to the girl herself). In battle, uses fragmentation grenades and a submachine gun. He is a convinced atheist.
Squad Omega
- Lieutenant Abigail Black. A sniper with telekinetic abilities. In battle, it is able to control the flight of a bullet, which allows the player to make a triple combination of headshots. It works only when shooting in the head: hitting other parts of the body does not give an effect. With the help of telekinesis, it removes obstacles like walled doors or piling up trash. During the game, Abigail gains the ability to set fire and simultaneously discard. Negatively reacts to the presence of Ross in the head, believes that the captain suppresses it.
- Paul Rawlings. A medic of the detachment, having the priesthood. He specializes in exorcism, healing wounded comrades at a distance and drawing health from opponents with a further distribution between the characters of the game Jericho by Clive Barker. Armed with two pistols. Sometimes he gets into fights with Delgado.
- Sergeant Wilhelmina (Billy) Church. Support soldier, possesses blood magic that can paralyze enemies. Another magic trick sets fire to the enemy, but does not slow down. Each time, Church cuts his palm to cast a spell, during which time his health is expended. Armed with a 4.6 mm submachine gun and katana. He is closely friends with Delgado.
System requirements
"Jericho" Clive Barker was released in 2007 and does not differ high requirements:
- will run on the operating system Windows XP or Vista;
- processor suitable Intel Pentium 4 with a clock frequency of 2.4 GHz or equivalent from AMD Athlon 2400;
- RAM is enough 1 gigabyte;
- GeForce 6600GT graphics card supporting DirectX 9;
- 6 GB of free hard disk space is required for correct operation.
Three studios worked on the project: MercurySteam (Spain), Alchemic Productions and Seraphim Films (USA). In Russia, the publisher was Buka, and in the west, Codemasters (UK).
Positive reviews
Clive Barker liked the Jericho players due to the unforgettable atmosphere of horror action and the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Barker fantasy. Gamers are happy with the plot: the idea is not like any book or movie.
Negative reviews
Despite the large number of laudatory comments, there are also negative ones. Frustrates the monotonous gameplay, the artificial intelligence of partners leaves much to be desired.
A number of abilities are not fully used and are intended only for script scenes. Other heroes have the ability to almost complete the game.
Disappointing vague ending. The developers of "Jericho" Clive Barker left the gamer the right to independently think up the fate of the squad.
Verdict
Many people bypassed the product back in 2007, marking it as uninteresting. And in vain! The project leaves a good impression: not too long, not too short. Passes quickly, does not have time to get bored.
The personalities of the protagonists are almost completely disclosed: their past remains unknown. Dialogue scenes with the possibilities of choosing the answer option would fall into place.
"Jericho" by Clive Barker deserves attention anyway. If in 2007 the project got lost amid a lot of third-person shooters, then after a few years, connoisseurs of the genre pay attention to it.
It remains to wish the writer good luck in his work, and developers in hard work.