WET - Second Look Preview

With the spotlight firmly focussed on the likes of Ghostbusters, Prototype, and Bourne following the great Activision-Blizzard purge, we'd almost forgotten that A2M's third-person shooter WET was another title caught up in the mess.  Still it seems Bethesda was keeping a close eye on the situation, with confirmation from last week's London event that the Elder Scrolls and Fallout 3 studio has picked up the title for release during the autumn on Xbox 360 and PlayStation3.

It's been quite a while since we last saw Rubi Malone in action, so to recap: WET is a third-person 'acrobatic' shooter with a highly distinctive Grindhouse style.  It's easy to see the game's influences, think Kill Bill with a little House of the Dead: Overkill - only without zombies and not quite as much swearing, but definitely the violence.  Players take on the role of Rubi Malone, a Man with No Name kinda character (only she's a woman), caught up in a story of double crosses and violent retribution.  Of course, such a proposition merely provides the canvas for plenty of guns and sword action, a la Devil May Cry, although A2M were keen to stress the importance of 'acrobatics' to the cause. 

The demonstration began early on in the game with Rubi tracking a shady looking character known as Simmons following a drugs deal that has rather predictably gone wrong.  After he escapes, Rubi gives chase and has to fight through waves of hired goons along the way.  The grindhouse homage is splattered heavily throughout what we saw, so expect plenty of deliberately poor dubbing, scratchy visual filters, a 70s soundtrack, and even the odd occasional intermission sequence popping up between levels. 

Beneath the action, A2M are keen to ensure there's a constant flow and high tempo to the proceedings, so much so that Rubi's repertoire includes the customary wall runs and flips, to the slightly more sensational knee slide where she jumps onto her knees and promptly slides around as though everywhere is coated in ice.  The concept being that combat should flow from one battle to another and never break down.  The sense of flow lends the game a comparison to Midway's Stranglehold, so much so that A2M don't want gamers to pause for a second and ponder about where to head next.  Posts that provide a handy place to swing from and walls are clearly evident in a manner not too dissimilar to DICE's Mirror's Edge.  Although it didn't feature in the demonstration, a Rubi Vision feature promises to expand on this and should help to underpin the concept even further.

Armed with dual guns - the emphasis appears to be largely on the guns with swordplay looking rather tame and slightly stilted in comparison - WET introduces a 'split targeting' mechanic, whereby a second opponent will automatically be targeted during an acrobatic manoeuvre allowing you to focus on manually aiming at another.  In principle it sounds as though it's reducing the skill element, and although we'll have to wait until hands on to actually know for sure, the fact remains that it compliments the fast-flowing nature of the game even if it does look a tad ridiculous at times.  Gelling the combat together is a tried-and-tested combo mechanic that rewards points for chaining together attacks, which in turn allows Rubi to unlock new moves and upgrade the four different weapons she'll get her hands on throughout the game. 

Towards the end of the demonstration, A2M highlighted the Rage Mode that kicks in at specific scripted points within the game.  Indicated by the stylish use of warning sirens, a la Kill Bill, and a close up on Rubi's blood-covered face, Rage mode temporarily increases her strength and speed whilst switching the colour palette to a stylish use of red and black exclusively.  It looks as though it will compliment the exaggerated nature of the game perfectly, whilst the decision to implement it sparingly is probably its best quality.

Several combat arenas and many dead bodies later, the demonstration concluded with Rubi chasing after Simmons on a highway.  Essentially an on-rails section with plenty of QTE's chucked in, the section looked spectacular enough as Rubi leapt from car rooftops amongst explosive action to disguise the limited gameplay on offer, which certainly whetted our appetite for more.

A2M expects the final game to offer between 8 and 10 hours of gameplay, and whilst they're focussing on delivering a strong single-player experience at the cost of no multiplayer, further replay value stems from collectable cymbal-clashing monkeys and a Rubi's Home mode that provides plenty of different challenges.

WET is shaping up to be a solid and stylish third-person shooter.  The idea to streamline combat and ensure a fast flow throughout appears commendable, although it's hard to make a definitive call on whether it works until we've actually got our hands on it.  Much rests with A2M's design skills and hopefully a control setup free of frustrations, but with SEGA's Bayonetta also on the cards we're looking forward to some explosive femme fatale action later this year.