Crysis 3 Preview: A Sandbox Environment Built for Hunters

Up until now the only information that we have been able to see about Crysis 3 is the cryptic picture that we have seen on the internet. Today we finally have some substance to go along with that screenshot and an explanation to the compound bow that is in said photo.

The newest part of the series is continuing to push the limits of the Cryengine 3 which was first seen in use in Crysis 2. So now we are able to see more polish and again, a graphically astonishing title from the team at Crytek. 

The setting takes place in the future 35 years from now. The cities in America have been destroyed and the convoluted corporation known as Cell is still trying to gain global domination by continuing to fight the aliens known as the Ceph that are trying to also capture the world for their own use. The main difference between the two is that the Ceph do not want any of the humans around on the planet, Cell just wants to control everything ans it will be up to you to save the remnants of humanity. 

What Cell has done in this story is place nano-domes over all the major metropolitan areas intended to protect the population. These giant structures act as greenhouses that speed up the growth of vegetation to stimulate rampant growth which gives the areas a rainforest-like scene complete with wildlife and plenty of plant life.  Even though it may seem like these enclosed areas might close you off, they are still massive environments that you do not feel trapped in at all. As you travel through the rainforest drenched cityscapes, you can also take notice of the little details of nature around you such as well created frogs hopping around the swampland and other tropical tweaks to give depth to the setting. In addition to the swamp, the team at Crytek has also included other landscapes such as grasslands and canyons to give these secluded environments more variety.

All of these environments are built for what is being called AAA gameplay which stands for Assess, Adapt, and Attack. Meaning, that as you enter each set, you will have the opportunity to visualize your surroundings and then strategically set your plan of action before you go in and destroy your alien invaders. In the demonstration, the main player came up from the subway and was able to evaluate the enemies that were above ground before launching into a frenzied attack which if he just rushed in, he would have been destroyed in seconds. 

In its goal of trying to save humanity, the nano-domes have done little more than make the cities little more than a barrel for the Ceph to shoot at the humans.  So in comes our hero “Prophet”. You might remember him from the previous games and will get to dive into his multilayered personality and back-story as he switches roles against the Ceph from being hunted to being the hunter. 

As Prophet is combating the threat of the Ceph and the ignorance of Cell, he is given a whole new arsenal of weapons and tools to aid him in his conquest. With the addition of the new bow, our hero is able to fire arrows at his enemies now while cloaked. This tweak makes him even more deadly and encourages the player to use all of the tools at his disposal. With the upgrades to his suit, prophet is now able to use the weapons of the Ceph as they seem to be able to slowly fuse to his Nano-suit. The bow also has explosive rounds but they will not be able to be fired while cloaked. In addition to the Bow and the new weapons of the Ceph, there is also the introduction of the Typhoon which is a machine gun capable of firing 500 rounds per minute. In action, it quickly made mince meat of the Ceph aliens that were attacking Prophet. 

We have been invited so far to witness new weapons, environments and of course, new enemies. Featured in the demo was a first for the team. They have introduced a quadruped known as a Scorcher. These four legged beasts are able to team up with each other and unleash a flow of flames against our hero in order to make him into a tasty treat.

The Nano-Suit also has gained some nice upgrades. We have seen the ability to hack in other games and most of the time it ends up being a mini game that in some cases has detracted from the overall experience. In this case you are able to hack into electrical items such as turrets from a distance which will give you much needed time to pave a way to your goal. 

With this small sample of what is to come from the Team at Crytek, expect to see another graphically amazing title complete with awesome weapons, ultra violent enemies, and fast paced FPS action that we have all come to know and love in all of its sandbox glory. As for the release date, nothing is set in stone as of yet, but we are still looking toward the early 2013 release date for the PS3, 360, and the PC. Until then check out the new trailer and enjoy.