Slicing Limbs In Drinkbox’s Severed On PS Vita

After Guacamelee’s stylish take on the Metroidvania gameplay formula, it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that, with a very similar feeling art style, Severed is in some way related to that game. In fact, Drinkbox Studios are completely shifting tack, with a new universe, new mythos and a wholly different genre.

Severed is a fresh take on the first person dungeon crawler, as was recently revisited and revived by the likes of Legends of Grimrock. Despite already having lost an limb, our one armed heroine heads into further danger, as she finds herself in a strange limbo and tries to put together what it was that befell her. Thankfully, she is far from helpless in the face of the bizarre enemies she encounters, with a large living sword in her remaining hand and some rather distinctive touch-based combat.

As a PlayStation Vita game, Drinkbox have built the game’s combat around the handheld’s touchscreen and the possibilities it offers them. Fighting foes is a case of, you guessed it, swiping on the screen to block incoming attacks and then severing the limbs of your enemies when you have the opportunity. Removing various appendages gradually weakens them to the point that you can finish them off.

That’s easier said than done, in some cases. The monsters you encounter might feature several arms, have bizarre fungus-like growths, be able to harden themselves to attack and more. On top of that, you could be facing off against several enemies all at once – up to eight can feature in a battle, with three at a time to deal with – constantly having to shift your view from one to another using the D-pad, keeping a beady eye on the timers that signify when they’re about to attack, and trying to keep them all on the back foot as you weaken them bit by bit.

Of course, as a light RPG, you’ll gradually pick up new abilities as you progress, by defeating bosses and turning their severed parts and their powers into Totems to wear as armour. In an early example, you might find yourself faced with an enemy that shields itself with crystals or something in your path that needs you to use Sunder to shatter what it is that’s blocking you.

Though the continuation of Guacamelee’s art style certainly plays a major part in how Severed looks, another key aspect is the way in which Drinkbox have achieved their 3D effect. Rather than turning to a traditional 3D engine, they’ve evolved that used in Guacamelee to suit. The way it was described to me, as wrapping the world around the player, feels as though they’ve stepped back to some of the unusual techniques required for developing some of the first 3D games. Either way, the bright and vibrant colour palette are quite gorgeous to look at and lend this a most distinctive look alongside the unusual monster designs.

Originally set for release in 2015, the game was pushed back to 2016 a few months ago, with part of the reasoning being to allow Drinkbox to expand the world and further refine how it looks. Each dungeon should take between 60 and 90 minutes to complete, with a focus on you exploring the world and potentially letting you find different paths, as you look around and move from one room to the next.

With a strong pedigree of games already to their name, Severed should already be a game to keep an eye on. However, this is one for the Vita owners looking for something new and interesting to play, and that makes good use of the system’s various capabilities.