Hard to be a God is a non-linear RPG for the PC with several story branches and 4 endings depending on the main character's in-game behavior. One of the gameplay features is the interference of two epochs in the game universe - the medieval and the alternative future. This provides the peculiar variety of different weapons and armors; from swords and bows to mini-guns, from full plates to force fields and equipment-like binoculars and night vision goggles at characters' disposal. The standard RPG equipment "doll" is amplified with slots for swords, shoulder belts and hidden weapon scabbards on wrists and arms. The events in the game take place in a universe depicted in the novel of the same name, written by the Strugatsky brothers.
Mirrors for the 406 MB long demo are listed below at the Alternative Sources.
Thunderbolt writes: "To save running over old ground, may we direct you to our Hard to be a God preview, because not a lot seems to have changed since ploughing through the early code for a glimpse of what was to come. When given the chance to view games before release you have forgive the lack of presentation and instead take what lies after it. Usually the AI won't have been fully coded, there may be clipping issues and not all features will work as expected. Sadly, I didn't realise that Hard to be a God had been decided on the seemingly unfinished preview."
Hard to be a God,the upcoming sci-fi/fantasy RPG from Akella, has some big shoes to fill. Not only is it based on a novel by the Strugatsky brothers, it's the second game adapted from the Russian sci-fi giants' work in recent years, following on GSC Game World's hit STALKER: Shadows of Chernobyl. Recently, Denis Epifanov was kind enough to talk to Gaming Target about the upcoming release.
Avid Gamer writes:
"We respect that Akella are a smaller studio, but a better effort needs to be made if they wish to succeed. They haven't made a bad game, but simply one which falls into convention and makes no effort to shout 'look at me.' Instead Hard to be a God huddles up in its comfort zone. The game is easily playable and technically stable but could have been improved with an extra couple months of polish or better planning."
