ReCore, the sci-fi action/adventure game developed by Comcept and Armature Studios, had a major presence at Microsoft’s booth at E3 2016. The press conference revealed the first footage of the game in action. On the show floor, among statues of some of the game’s robot companions, ReCore was playable in a 15-minute gameplay demo that showcased the game’s combat and platforming elements. The demo takes place about midway through the game, and follows Joule as she attempts to find a Core Analyzer. She explores an industrial facility filled with some toxic materials, and the player must clear waves of enemies before making their way to a minor boss. This was the first time we’ve seen the game in extended action, and there’s plenty for gamer’s to be excited about.
Story
ReCore follows the adventures of Joule, a settler who finds herself stranded when something goes wrong on her mission to the planet Far Eden. Robots that were meant to help her and others adventurers settle on the planet have gone berserk. Only a small number of the robots remain loyal, and these are Joule’s companions throughout the game. The plot follows Joule as she attempts to discover what caused the robots to go rogue and find a way to fix them.
Combat
ReCore is a fast and fluid third-person shooter that focuses on varying attacks and outmaneuvering enemies. Joule’s gun can fire four different colored bullets: Red, Blue, Yellow, and White. Each enemy type is paired with one of these four colors, and using the same colored bullets on those enemies will kill them faster. Playing the demo, it was a blast to see a large group of varied enemies, lock on, change to the proper color, and destroy them. Joule’s gun also has the ability to fire out charged shots. These charged shots do more damage and can be used to stagger enemies while they power up for any special attacks. The game keeps a combo counter for your attacks, similar to games like God of War or Devil May Cry.
Companions
Joule’s companions in ReCore are a major part of the game’s identity, and the demo featured two of them that could be actively switched to. The first was a spider robot named Seth and the second was a dog robot named Mack. These companions are assigned one of these four colors as well; Seth is yellow and Mack is blue. Both companions have their own special ability set on a recharge timer. Both moves consisted of area-of-effect attacks that cause big damage. The companions were also used to traverse obstacles. For example, Seth was able to cling to metal tracks placed around the environment, allowing Joule to scale large walls.
Platforming
Joule has the ability to jump and glide across major distances. Platforming took a while to get adjusted to — Joule’s movement in and out of combat is quite quick and fine tuning jumps was difficult. The enemy robots in the game are modeled after different animals, including bees and gorillas. The game’s visual design is certainly one of its shining elements, and the frantic battle system makes the game a blast to play.
ReCore will be released on Xbox One and Windows 10 on Sept. 13, 2016.
