Product Mini Profile Zeno Clash in: Adventure (PC) links » p/reviews

Independent developer ACE has more to say about their upcoming first-person action fighter, Zeno Clash.

The game will be available at detail and online via Steam some time in Q1 2009.  More information is also revealed on a finalized fact sheet sent out earlier today.

Screenshots have already shown us a colorful yet dangerous world, spanning from "the anarchic city of Halstedom, a green skied desert with impossible rock formations, the exotic woods where the nihilistic rejects live," and other incredibly bizarre locations.  The combat system revolves mostly around melee, and players can chain their attacks into a variety of combos, though Zeno Clash does offer an unusual variety of weapons that can be used to keep enemies at a range.  Firearms and explosives are handy additions to the melee arsenal, as different enemies may require different strategies.

Perhaps the weirdest yet most interesting aspect of Zeno Clash is the protagonist's background story:

Zeno Clash is a story driven game. Player’s will play the role of Ghat; the son of a impressive hermaphrodite creature called Father-Mother, who’s children form the most powerful clan in the city of Halstedom. Ghat must escape from his family and start an incredible journey with his female companion Deadra, who will aid him in the dangerous lands of Zenozoik. Unlike most fantasy stories with an obvious distinction between good and evil, Ghat’s motivations could be rebelliousness or revengeful. As new information about Ghat's past is revealed by playing in different timelines, players can make their own judgment.

He certainly looks normal enough, considering his origins; then again, he's also rather mundane compared to other characters and creatures unsettling punk fantasy world.  Father-Mother made quite an impression him/herself as narrator in the game's teaser trailer.

Speaking of which, here are the new screenshots for Zeno Clash.  We get to see more of the game's odd wildlife, including the familiar and somewhat endearing Mucalosaurus, from ACE's previous batch of images, and a flock of Rathbirds.  Oh, and don't forget Father-Mother!