It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
We are LIBERATED, and we are taking over this article!

“Wait, who?”

Erm… LIBERATED is our newly released action-adventure game presented within a beautiful hand-drawn comic book. At heart, it’s a cinematic platformer/shooter. It’s set in a cyberpunk dystopia. We believe it is unique enough to be its own thing, BUT... It might also scratch that itch you might have for certain classic games!





The original [url=https://www.gog.com/game/flashback]Flashback[/url] is a 2D cinematic platformer set in a dystopian future. And you are a fugitive wanted by the police. That sounds a lot like LIBERATED. The thing that makes our game different is its more grounded sci-fi, faster pace and a stronger focus on story (which you can also alter at times). Still, if you find similarities between it and the golden oldie, it might not be by pure coincidence.


Playing Another World often feels like watching a movie. There is a nice balance between taking in the art and controlling the character. LIBERATED is very much like this—in the way that you feel like you're actually reading a comic. You could say we tried to innovate comics in the way Another World tried to innovate animated movies through the interactive medium.


Our game is 100% tech-noir, meaning that it’s black-and-white. INSIDE isn’t. Still, its toned palette is toned down enough to invoke similar vibes. Playdead’s classic indie also retains a distinct 'future noir' style. Story-wise, it's full of dystopian undertones. It's similar, but different. The best kind of similar!


Made by the people who later went to create INSIDE, [url=https://www.gog.com/game/limbo]LIMBO[/url] is an eerie tale of a boy who awakes in a dark forest. And we just love it! Even though you won’t find too many obvious similarities between LIMBO and LIBERATED, there’s one that made us put it on the list. LIMBO is, or at least appears to be, hand-drawn. Oh, and there’s also a dark forest in both games. Differences? Everything else, with the biggest one being the fact that LIBERATED puts much more focus on its story and characters. It’s not that it makes it better or worse - just different.


We chose just the first Deus Ex for a reason: just like LIBERATED, it is set in a not-so-distant future. In both games everything seems simple and plausible. Don't expect to dodge laser fire or drive flying cars. While Deus Ex's later entries went all out with crazy sci-fi ideas, the original stayed down to earth, even creepily so. Despite being a game from a wholly different genre, Deus Ex, just like LIBERATED, gives off the same vibe of “this CAN actually happen. Whelp.”


What is this gem of a game even doing here? You won't find much shooting or jumping in Papers, Please, right? You mostly ask people for papers and let them cross the border or not. However, creating an oppressive atmosphere of a dictatorship is what both Papers, Please and LIBERATED set out to do. Two extremely different approaches to the same basic idea. Papers, please is nothing like our game, but it’s worth checking out to see how you can convey a similar message in an entirely different manner.
Nice format for a post, I like this... informative, crafted.
avatar
Mawthra: Nice format for a post, I like this... informative, crafted.
I agree. It is a nice step up from the usual game release news posts with their meager descriptions.
I tried the demo... I mean; I tried TRYING the demo. If it's anything to go by, Liberated is leagues behind both Limbo and Inside, as both those titles manage to look better than Liberated while having much more sensible system requirements. I mean... 2GB GPU for a game that looks like this?! Yikes. Seriously, the 2D sprites in the 25 year-old Comix Zone still look WAY better -- and more fitting with the comic book aesthetic -- than whatever these guys tried achieving with 3D models...

I'll keep it on my wishlist for a while longer, maybe in a couple of months they either optimize it better or it gets a huge discount that makes it more economically accessible.
avatar
groze: Yikes. Seriously, the 2D sprites in the 25 year-old Comix Zone still look WAY better
Nope
Attachments:
comix.jpg (266 Kb)
avatar
groze: Yikes. Seriously, the 2D sprites in the 25 year-old Comix Zone still look WAY better
avatar
Swissy88: Nope
That's all fine and dandy, but you didn't post a single game "proper" screenshot. Sure, the cutscenes look OK, but, I mean... I can think of a number of games that were going for a comic/cartoon look and nailed it so much better, while keeping modest system requirements. Jet Set Radio, XIII, West of Dead, three that instantly spring to mind (if we're keeping it strictly to those games that use 3D engines).

Plus, do bear in mind Comix Zone is a 1995 game. Sure, the artstyle looks lame and full of "90s XTREME", but that was the comic scene, way back when. Also, yes, it's pixellated, whereas Liberated's *cutscenes* aren't. In-game, though, I'd rather have a pixellated 2D engine than a rough 3D one that clearly doesn't look graphic novel-y at all when in motion, all the while requiring a somewhat beefy GPU...