Surgency Games

I’ve never been a huge fan of Watchman. If this immediately invalidates my opinion on pretty much anything, I apologize. I understand the historical context of the graphic novel and Alan Moore’s completely unique influences on the comic industry, but the book has just never grabbed. Could be the art. Could be the writing. Time may tell. Regardless of my feelings for the comic though, I can safely say the game Watchmen – The End is Nigh, developed by Deadline Games, is in no way consistent with the themes and messages Alan Moore built the story around. The comic is about humanity and the struggle of how to live within a society that’s made up of so many individual personalities.

I think.

The game is about beating people up. And opening doors.

The cutscenes in the game are initially presented like moving panels from the comic book, complete with the limited color palette and stark character designs Watchmen is so famous for. Then, the game cuts to the Main Menu, where Rorschach and Nite Owl are rendered as fully 3D, normal-mapped, HDR-lite, next-gen action adventure video game characters. You pick what character you want to play. You press start.

Then the game goes back to another comic book cutscene.

Then the game starts, and you’re back in next-gen mode. It’s confusing. It has no sense of consistency or style.

The trial revolves around Rorschach and Nite Owl attempting to quell a prison riot at Sing-Sing. They are attacked by two or three inmates at a time. They fight them off using a two-button combo system that responds too slowly to button inputs and moves way too slowly to be any fun. Then you get to unlock doors by pressing the “A” button.

After I opened my second door I stopped playing. The fighting is bland and far too slow to be of much amusement. The style is broken and inconsistent. The writing and voice acting are good, but not being a fan of the series, you’re mileage here may vary, depending on how well you think you know Rorschach’s voice. I understand this can be a very polarizing topic.

If the game offers more than what is described above, the trial does a poor job of showcasing or offering enough incentive to keep playing so as to eventually get to it. Watchmen – The End is Nigh runs $20 and it’s hard for me to believe I’d ever want to spend that much on the full game.  I can only imagine the development team loved the content; why else make a Watchmen a game? Unless it was some sort of cash-in to take advantage of the movie that comes out this week.

But that never happens. I think.