KILEAK: The Blood

Sony Computer Entertainment

"KILEAK The Blood" is a first person perspective "Doom" like video game in which you must battle against mechanical robots going through level after level.

The year is 2038 and the Vision assault force has been ordered to investigate an invasion of the underground scientific research base. As the force arrives in proximity of the base with their helicopter, missiles are fired and the aircraft is shot down smashing into a mountain. You are the only survivor of the Vision force from the crash. Armed with only your protective armor, a wales gun and a portable computer, you head towards the base to investigate.

Your computer will keep track of where you have been to produce a map to help guide you. It will also indicate your current inventory and status that includes the power percentages for your shields, energy, radar, driving power and weapons. In different areas of the base you will be able to link your computer to a console and download important information about the base or what has happened to it.

The base is constructed out of rooms, tunnels and over 17 levels connected together by elevators. Rooms contain furniture such as beds, tables, chairs, desks, and computer equipment. Different types of keys can be found that will open certain doors or allow you to move on to the next level.

You will have to deal with many mechanical enemies found all throughout the base as you investigate. They are usually found at the end of long tunnels or right on the other side of a door that you have just opened. To avoid being shot and weakening your shields, you can shoot ahead of time down long tunnels and kill the enemies before actually meeting them.

As you progress through the base, you will be able to upgrade your equipment to obtain a laser gun and many other weapons. It is important to investigate all areas of the base to be certain that you haven't missed something that may help you later on in the game. Other important items to be found are ammunition, shield and charge packs. Your shield and energy power are displayed in the lower left corner as a percentage. Each and every time you are hit, your shields will weaken. A laser gun will quickly diminish your energy power. To recharge your energy you can pick up the energy packs that will restore some of your energy. To recharge back to 100% of energy, an energy charger can be found on each level and is indicated on the map as a red square. When you destroy a mechanical robot an object is usually left behind that can be an ID card, energy, ammunition, or shield pack. The shield packs will restore up to 10% of your shields, while ID cards can be used to access other areas of the base.

Graphics are in 3D and the enemies are textured mapped polygons done in real time. They resemble flying objects with long antennas or box-type robots. The textures are quite impressive and add a nice effect to the game. Unfortunately, the game slows down when approaching rooms and other objects with much graphical details. This can be good in a way, since barging into a room can get a person killed. Rendered cinematic sequences can be viewed when playing back a tape on a console or when Carlos, a soldier, communicates with you to provide advice. On the screen you have your viewfinder that will automatically lock onto the enemies when pointing towards them. Moving about is very fluid and smooth. You can look up and down, move forward, backwards, turn left and right, and move sideways to the left or right. A small map of your current position is displayed in the top right corner and your current weapon is shown in the bottom right with the amount of ammunition left.

The sound in the game is full of suspense with heart beat drums, and other noises from all over the base. Sounds when firing are a little like a big spring being hit but end with a loud explosive sound when hitting the wall or target. It all sounds very realistic. When enemies are close by, an alarm will sound as a beeping device.

Conclusion:

Levels are saved automatically each time you use the elevator. Of course, you need to have a memory pack on your PSX to save any data. Once you complete and master all the levels of the game, you might think about selling it to a friend. Depending on how good you are at such games, a dedicated player shouldn't take more than 12 hours to finish the game. The first few levels contain puzzles in order to gain access different areas which is a nice touch, but they don't last for all the levels.

With only one level of difficulty within the game, KILEAK The Blood is a great game with lots of suspense that becomes a little repetitive after a few hours.