AquaNox 2: Revelation Preview

Two years ago, Massive Development, a development team based out of Germany created Aquanox - one of the first shooters designed to fully utilize the graphic capabilities of Nvidia's GeForce 3 graphics card. Although the game didn't convey a particularly original gameplay concept, it demonstrated great technical superiority over FPS titles that were being released at the time. Backed up by JoWood Productions, Massive Development continues the franchise with Aquanox 2: Revelation. In addition to Aquanox 2, Massive also recently launched their benchmark program AquaMark3; powered by the same technology (check out more info on that at Massive's official web site). Anyhow, before we get our hands on a full review version (scheduled for August 1, 2003), we were lucky enough to receive the latest beta build of the game, so we can take a peek at what lies ahead.

Where are you going, bud?

Try and maneuver through those things!

The story, once more, takes us hundreds of years in the future - to the year 2666. Instead of playing as Emerald Flint (the main character from the original Aquanox), you'll begin your adventure as William Drake, a rookie freighter pilot who had a pretty tough and turbulent past, living on the outskirts of Aqua. He was transferred to the northern Tornado Zone, which is hardly your average underwater vacation spot. Drake is not particularly keen on his current job either, so he gets a sudden urge to begin a whole new lifestyle, seeking adventure throughout the vast dangerous corners of the Aqua world. New to the ways of an adventurer, Drake will have to be careful which people he chooses to trust. Many shady characters roam the underwater regions of Aqua, so it's wise to be on guard at all times. You'll be passing through three huge oceans, which all have many nooks and crannies that are ideal hideouts for outlaws and other sneaky villains. Trying his best to survive, Drake will be haunted by an ancient prophecy along the way. Anyhow, the lengthy introduction introduces players to a completely new plot. This in turn brought us to the very first praiseworthy improvement in the game - an in-depth storyline and thorough character background, which makes the whole experience considerably more immersive.

Similarly to the previous game, players will receive mission assignments when they are docked in miscellaneous underwater cities. The rules are as follows: you dock into a city between missions, chat with various characters (some familiar individuals will be reappearing), supply your ship with equipment and choose new assignments. The idea is to allow players to carry out tasks that are crucial to the plotline, simultaneously handling a great deal of sub-missions and bonus jobs. You'll find that additional work is a very good thing, since it may be the only way to obtain extra cash.

The basic concept of the game did not change. You are in control of a small underwater vessel, a hi-tech submarine that's able to travel to the deepest areas of the ocean. Once again, it will be very easy to maneuver your little ship, since the controls are handled in the traditional FPS manner. It might be important to mention that this time the game is a lot darker than before, which offers a few new elements to the gameplay. This is actually where the enhanced enemy AI comes in. The first Aquanox game included events and battles with a great number of opponents coming at the player from various sides, which did not put sufficient emphasis on individual enemy behavior patterns. This time, the situation is a bit different. Your foes are highly adept at finding cover across the murky sub-ocean floor, seeking shadows so they can conceal themselves and prepare surprises attacks. Once hidden, enemies will switch off their engines - a feature that makes their vessels almost impossible to detect. (Ain't that the truth! Those bastards! - 2Lions) This improvement may not sound like much, but when you experience it first hand, it clearly shows that the game is significantly more challenging than its predecessor. An enhanced AI routine was also added to your teammates, who are going to provide you with cover on numerous missions. This time, friendly AI-controlled pilots exhibited greater skill and solid support in combat, often handling very tough situations on their own. (We're yet to witness this feature in full effect however. - 2Lions)

Like in the previous game, we got to try out a variety of weapons - some kinetic and some EMP. Once more you'll get to fire rounds from powerful plasma guns and Gatling guns, as well as various heavy rockets and torpedoes. Weapons are another key ingredient of the gameplay. We found that using the weapons has a slightly different feel to it than in the original game. We were most impressed by the so-called vendetta sniper, with which players can completely disable enemy submarines by aiming straight at their cockpit - while playing, this proved to be quite a challenge. All in all, whichever weapon you happen to be using, you're gonna have to look after the amount of energy it drains from your ship. Players are also required to ponder what would be the most appropriate weapon against certain enemies. Particular weapons are extremely hazardous and destructive, so you should think twice before you let loose your wrath. Other weapons, however, can be used to damage enemy ships, yet leave their hull intact so as to maintain their ammo and weapon systems - at the end of the mission, you can use these weapons and attach them to your own ship.

Almost instantly, we detected that the developers have yet again worked a great deal to make the visual aspect of the game stand out. The first Aquanox game had very impressive explosions and terrain. From our point of view, things look even better in the sequel. Explosions are highly detailed and more realistic, featuring splendid-looking particle effects (better than those in Aquanox), while all the maps have been designed with richer surface features and more complex terrain - more plants can be seen on the ocean floor, giving the environments a generally prettier look, and the ship models are beautifully rendered. As you control the ship, it's easy to note that the physics were slightly tweaked, so you'll have a more realistic impression of what it's like maneuvering a small submarine thousands of miles below the ocean surface. Overall, the Krass engine, which powered the first game, seemed to have played its part rather well once again. Technically, we did not run into any problems, which is a godsend and we hope that it will be the same with the final version.

Another good point is that the game received a wide variety of new music tunes that combine hard and heavy and techno songs, spiced up with moments of symphonic-orchestra type of themes swelling in the background - which altogether sounds a whole lot better than the mixed low-fi techno themes from the original.

It's safe to say that Aquanox might receive more acclaim than its predecessor. The almost constant action and the rich story, makes the entire experience seem more fluent and a lot more engaging than before. And, it's evident that the developers worked hard to keep things topnotch when it comes to graphics. On the whole, an excellent job so far.