In recent years, more and more manga-based titles are appearing in the western videogame market, after having been relegated to only Japan for years. This is also thanks to a simple but effective formula that players have begun to appreciate more and more: that of the musou. After the titles dedicated to Saint Seiya, Bleach, One Piece and Attack On Titan the West is ready to welcome the one centered on the saga of Berserk, one of the most controversial manga due to the great violence within it and the source of inspiration for Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the Souls series.
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is the name of the latest effort by Omega Force, developers of the various Pirate Warriors, Hyrule Warriors e Dragon quest heroes just to name a few, coming up PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita e PC on February 24th.
Version tested: Playstation 4
To learn more:
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
The Band of Hawks
The main mode of Berserk and the Band of the Hawk traces the story of the swordsman Guts (or Gatsu in the Spanish translation of the manga) from joining the Hawk Squad until leaving for the Elves. The events follow the anime much more - consisting of 25 episodes released in 1998, three films released between 2012 and 2015 and another series coming this year - than the paper counterpart, while not lacking references to the manga. In fact, it is possible to find in some secondary dialogues visible events separate from the main missions and insights on characters not present in the animated adaptation.
The whole main quest will be tackled using Guts, except for a few scenarios where we can choose one of the six other warriors available. Before throwing ourselves into the battlefield we will have a briefing screen where we can get information on the map, on the armies or consult the combos that our protagonist has. Here we will be able to prepare by equipping objects, obtainable in the stages or purchasable from the shop, able to increase our statistics. In the more advanced stages of the game we will have the opportunity to improve these equipment thanks to the minerals that we will obtain by defeating more difficult enemies and completing secondary objectives, called Bejelit, or merging them together so as to obtain more powerful ones with better abilities. All this will cost money and materials, which can be earned by fulfilling certain conditions in the scenarios or in the mode Endless Eclipse, which we will talk about later. Between one battle and another there will be cutscenes, some of which are made using the game engine, while others are taken directly from the anime. These will then be available later in the Gallery, available in the main menu, once viewed during the story. Here we will be able to consult the list of characters, a short encyclopedia containing the various terms encountered during the game, listen to the soundtrack and view the iconic images that will be made available by completing secondary objectives in the various modes.
While the stages of the story can be tackled using almost exclusively Guts, the developers have included the possibility of using any other warrior (among the seven available) in the mode Free Mode. Here the scenarios will be the same in all respects to those already faced with the black knight and we can use them to increase the level of secondary fighters in view of the Endless Eclipse mode.
Eclipse
The Eclipse is one of the events that most struck and divided Berserk fans for its brutality and for being a real watershed in Miura's work. From here, in fact, the adventures of Gatsu lose the horror element that characteristic in the previous volumes (or episodes) to venture into fantasy. Omega Force has decided to pay homage to this event with an entire mode: The Endless Eclipse. Here, once we have taken the commands of the chosen warrior, we will have to decide a path to bring to term by satisfying the desires that we can choose before going into the first layers of the Eclipse. These requests, in the form of missions, they will guarantee us special bonuses once completed ranging from a particular outfit or unlockable object to the possibility of starting from a certain area. Fulfilled the wish we can return to base camp to continue with the next one and continue our adventure in the Eclipse until the end of the available plans or, if we have seen the conclusion of the story, until our death. To complete the Endless Eclipse it will be necessary to conquer a hundred floors with each usable character (therefore for a total of seven hundred floors) guaranteeing us hours and hours of massacres and destruction.
The Hand of God
Omega Force wanted to re-propose, with Berserk, the same formula seen in the past months with the titles dedicated to One Piece e Attack on Titan focusing on the musou genre, one of the most hated by western fans because they are considered mere button mashing without a particular purpose. Indeed in The Band of the Hawk our goal will be to massacre as many enemies with all the weapons at our disposal. To do this we will have to compose combo with the square buttons, for the light attack, and triangle, for the heavy one, trying to load a bar (under that of the waist), which once completed allows, with the use of the circle button, to activate a kind of trance, called modality Frenzy, where we will be invincible and will do enormous damage to the enemies. While we are in this status, the enemies will release orbs that will help charge another indicator placed on the side of the hud, which will help us unleash a devastating final blow called Death Blow. Some characters, such as Guts with Berserker's Armor or Zodd the Immortal, have the ability to transform while in Frenzy mode and with the killing blow indicator full, thus activating additional powers. During the transformation their power will increase and they will be able to unleash another special attack even more devastating than the one in normal form. Guts, or the hero of our choice, will not only have to attack but also defend himself from enemy attacks; to do this it will be possible, through the L1 key, to enter a defensive "stance" that will allow us to reduce the damage and, using the left stick, make side dodges useful to avoid the opponent's blows and attack them while they are defenseless. In addition to soldiers and normal demons there will also be some battles against gigantic bosses such as Zodd the Immortal or Emperor Ganishka which, especially at higher difficulties, will put a strain on the player, who will have to use any defensive technique to avoid their powerful. attacks. As in the classic musou, in addition to the massacre of various enemies, we will have to keep an eye on the "moral gauge”, An indicator that will show us the morale of the forces in the field which determines the amount of opponents we will have to deal with. By exterminating various demons and soldiers, this indicator will fill with blue, our color, decreasing the strength and number of enemy forces. This will allow us a few moments of respite, while failing the missions that will be assigned to us in the stage or losing our companions, the opponents will strengthen themselves making our task more difficult.
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Blood and violence
Berserk has always been criticized for its excessive violence, when the presence of gore, dismembered bodies with leaking entrails were the norm in the manga. Omega Force wanted to pay homage to the original series by not removing these elements. In fact, during the various stages, Guts will fill with blood as we advance, slaughtering anyone who comes in front of us, and in Frenzy mode, each of our blows will literally cut our enemies in two. Even the scenes of sexual violence ("famous" that of the horse trying to rape Farnese) are present, but partially censored, as compared to the manga we will not see the act but we will have particular camera cuts that will make us understand what is happening to screen.
Graphically Berserk and the Band of the Hawk does not excel presenting, like most musou, problems on the seabed and on small details while the polygonal models of the various characters remain well made. The frame rate remains stable at 30 fps almost all the time and we have not noticed any major problems, except in the last scenario of the story, even in the presence of a large number of enemies and effects on the screen.
Bad news, however, for fans of the Spanish localization: the title is only available in English with Japanese dubbing with no choice.
Verdict 8.5 / 10 But now I'm tired of feeding on his dream and looking at it from below. Now I want to reach him with something of my own. Comment Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is a title created to give a lot of satisfaction to fans of Kentaro Miura's work by bringing back a brand that has never had an adequate videogame transposition. Omega Force has recreated the entire adventure of Guts with painstaking work and that leaves no room for doubt regarding its quality. Surely the presence of a few usable characters, only 7, will turn your nose upside down, compared to a huge number of people that can be exploited by the entire brand. Other doubts concern the graphic rendering, which is not the best, and the absence of the Spanish localization of the entire title while on the purely playful side The Band of the Hawk will be able to make you remain attached to the screen for many hours thanks to the Story Mode and the Endless Eclipse that will give a lot of satisfaction to fans of this saga. Pros and cons ✓ Well crafted character models✓ Ideal for learning about the history of Berserk
✓ High longevity x Few usable characters
x Graphically weak
x The texts are in English only
