Version tested: Xbox Series X
Inspired by the renowned and appreciated fantasy universe World of Darkness, peeps up PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS4 e PC Werewolf The Apocalypse Earthblood, a title with great potential but which actually fails on almost the whole line.
The new effort of Cyanide, a firm that has been growing steadily in recent years but always unable to make that leap in quality, collides with the harsh laws of the market, without any mercy. L'action-stealth, although bringing some potentially interesting mechanics to the screen, it collapses ruinously on itself, resulting overall a product not in step with the times.
Both on the technical front and above all on that of the gameplay, Werewolf The Apocalypse Earthblood is, unfortunately, inadequate and backward, far too far from the standards not only of the new (or current) generation consoles but also of those of the "older" PS4 and Xbox One.
To find out more, you just have to continue reading our complete review!
Werewolf The Apocalypse Earthblood: an interesting story, but not enough
The game world of Werewolf The Apocalypse Earthblood is a dismal, sick, corrupt world. Human beings have contributed, by their actions, to the destruction of a once thriving ecosystem, now ruinously on the path of unprecedented collapse.
And, as in the best stories, the last bulwark against the evil that advances is represented by the protagonist and his species, obviously the werewolves. As obvious or predictable as it may seem, in reality the basic idea is more elaborate. Linked to nature and the spirit of the earth in a more sensitive way than other races, werewolves, among which the protagonist, Cahal, have developed an indissoluble bond with Gaia, the mother Earth.
For this reason, the werewolves have begun a real crusade against the terrible multinational Endron, responsible for the increasingly marked and inexorable spread of a Corruption that is slowly destroying the fruits of Gaia and, consequently, the whole world.
Cahal, together with his pack, begins a real journey halfway between redemption and personal evolution and the desire for justice, with a splash of revenge that never hurts. Even with some interesting gimmicks in terms of writing, on the whole it all boils down to a continuous feeling of already seen and heard, with many stereotyped elements and above all devoid of any kind of interest.
This is aggravated by the uselessness of the multiple choices, possible but never really decisive, apart from those in the final stages: the only ones to have a really important weight in the arc of about 9 hours of play necessary to conclude the adventure.
And it's a shame, because the sources of inspiration were many and the protagonist has that interesting "light", but everything is exploited only superficially.
A repetitive gameplay
The aspect on which, to be honest, the title shows the worst and most evident limits is that related to the gameplay. And, on balance, it is a real shame, because it was precisely the aspect on which the greatest certainties of production were based.
The action with role-playing and above all stealth game elements shows all its limits, right from the very first minutes of play. As fun as it is, the repetitiveness and the incredibly low level of challenge steal the show in an all too obvious way. In a title where progression and advancement are practically always fine and themselves and damn redundant, this weighs heavily. The heart of the gameplay lies in unoriginal gameplay elements, which are reflected in very repetitive and far too uninspired missions. You enter a base, kill the enemies and move on. End. Fortunately, however, the player has the opportunity to transform into a beautiful gray wolf, which makes the gameplay much more interesting.
Thanks to this dynamic it is possible to overcome some sections of the game, designed specifically for the four-legged version of our alter ego.
Even if this becomes, in the long run, once again an all too obvious and above all simple dynamic. To be clear, it is very easy to understand where to go and how to do it, which greatly limits the gaming experience.
In addition to transforming into a wolf, Cahal can also, by charging a classic energy bar, become a giant wolf man, a being of superhuman physical power. Obviously, under these guises, Cahal becomes practically indestructible, once again exploiting an excessively poor gameplay from the point of view of the challenge rate. This mechanic immediately proves to be more "elaborate" than it may seem. Crinos (the name of the mutation) can take on two different forms in battle, one heavier and one more agile, with obvious changes to the fighting style.
As original and fun as it is, however, it all basically boils down to just that. Advance, slay (almost) defenseless enemies and complete the mission. End. All the dynamics of the game basically turn off here, although the title tries to give a role-playing imprint, which however crumbles quickly.
Technically speaking ...
Even from a technical point of view, Werewolf The Apocalypse Earthblood shows all its limits and reveals its incredibly ancient nature.
Despite having played on the performance Xbox Series X, Cyanide's game appears truly inadequate even by the standards of PS4 e Xbox One.
The software house has brought to the screen a title with a graphic design that is absolutely not in step with the times. Low resolution textures, disastrous frame-rates and in general a poor polygonal size, are only the most striking examples of a product with many, too many limitations.
Not even the dubbing and the sound in general are saved, once again appearing with evident structural problems, even considering the push of Nacon behind the project.
Final comment
Werewolf The Apocalypse Earthblood is an incredibly limited product. The work of Cyanide and Nacon shows all its limits from practically every point of view. Unfortunately, the title thus wastes the great opportunity to exploit an important and well-known brand like that of World of Darkness.
It is a difficult bite to digest, also because some dynamics have amused us and have shown so much potential. Clearly, this is not enough. And it is a pity, because Cyanide still missed the appointment with the definitive qualitative leap.
