April Edition Live Magazine - April 2014 Issue. | Page 56

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Raven’s Cry
Here be dark waters boy. You’re a
long way from old Blighty now. And
don’t let the crystal blue water and
the lush tropical islands fool you.
This is a dark place for a Kidd like
you. So grow yourself a Blackbeard
and prepare to battle the ruthless
pirates that led you into this godforsaken place…
Didn’t depress you enough to stop
reading? Oh good, because Raven’s
Cry is looking to be quite a bit of fun
when it launches later this year. TopWare Interactive, the games developers, say that unlike most Pirate
stories this one is much darker, focusing on the ruthlessness of the
men and women who plundered the
Caribbean during the 17th century.
The storyline itself is interwoven with
historical and fictional elements, with
historically accurate architecture,
naval battles, duels, and several
modified weapons of the era.
You play as a young Scotsman who
witnesses the destruction of his shipand entire family-at the hands of a
nasty pirate chap, who leaves you
with a missing hand and a lot of anguish. After replacing your missing
hand with a handy Hook (good thing
you aren’t a captain or you’d be the
bad guy!) you set out to seek revenge
on the man who led the attack, and
the crew he ordered about. Along
the way you’ll hack, slash and shoot

your way through a variety of areas.
From quaint little tropical towns, the
cess pool of filth that is the Pirate
Capital, Port Royal, the old Cuban
city of Havana, all the way to ancient
and mysterious Aztec ruins. You are
accompanied on your journey by a
pet Raven, which you can use to
scout for enemies, although expect
to scheme and deal with many other
scoundrels and drunken louts along
the way if you’re to succeed in your
little vendetta.

pending on your actions, and these
have an effect on how the world
around you reacts to your actions.
Accumulate enough fear and you
can use this to send your enemies
fleeing in terror; increase your notoriety enough and wanted posters
will start popping up, which you can
then remove ala Assassins Creed
style. Make your enemies bleed
and suffer instead of a quick death,
and your morality also changes,
thereby affecting the world around
you. Pirate Charms that you collect

“YOU ARE ACCOMPANIED ON YOUR JOURNEY BY
A PET RAVEN, WHICH YOU CAN USE TO SCOUT
FOR ENEMIES..”
The game also features role playing
elements, such as a morality system, magic items which can increase
your skills, and several side quests
to keep you occupied. You can also
accumulate ‘Fear’ and ‘Notoriety’ de-

can be used to boost your attacks,
summon flocks of savage Ravens
(Hitchcock would be honoured) and
even cast magic to help you battle.

Naval battles can be fought, and
certain enemies can be challenged
to duels. Modified weapons are
also at your disposal, such as the
pistol sword (self-explanatory) and
the ‘Axe Rifle’, which looks like a
17th century version of the Gears of
War