Following the international success of Nival Interactive's Silent Storm series, strategy games publisher CDV Entertainment is set to take players back to 1949 in their latest title, Hammer & Sickle, a tactical RPG for PC available from 24th February 2006.
Hammer & Sickle is set in the Spring of 1949. The player assumes the role of a top Soviet spy on clandestine duty in the British-American controlled sector of Germany during the early years of the budding Cold War. In a world where no-one is quite who he appears to be, the player is trapped in a plot that could trigger a third world war, this time between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective nuclear arsenals. Gamers will have to navigate "a web of intrigue" and make decisions that could determine the fate of the world.
Features:
* True RPG Character Development – In true RPG fashion, the player's alter ego can be completely customised in appearance and abilities, and grows in capabilities. Although a secret agent, six distinct secondary professions are available and determine the main character's abilities and tendencies. Characters gather experience and may apply these to more than 25 unique skills ensuring a different experience each time the game is played.
* Extensive Freedom of Action – In Hammer & Sickle, the player enjoys freedom as to how to solve the various in-game challenges and multiple endings are possible based upon the player's actions. Players can choose to act directly to achieve mission goals or "do their homework" by completing various secondary missions and information gathering tasks in order to more easily achieve their primary objectives.
* Extensive World War II Era Weaponry – Hammer & Sickle includes some 90 different authentic weapons that look and function as their real-world counterparts from the post-war era, including prototype and secret arms. Weapons may jam and require remedial action, while ammunition is tracked and reloading is required. Shots may be fired quickly with little or no accuracy, while a time-consuming "aimed shot" may result in the successful incapacitation of a key enemy across from long range.
* Time of Day Matters – Certain times of day may make some missions easier to complete. An infiltration of a home to search for secret documents is much easier when the occupant is away for the day (or night). The purchase of weapons or the preparation of forged documents may only be possible during "business" hours. Daylight also impacts combat and stealth, providing a greater opportunity to sneak up on an enemy or to be caught in an ambush.
* A Living, Breathing Game Universe – Player actions and events have a persistent, global impact. A thoughtless act of violence in an isolated area, for example, may unexpectedly bring law enforcement or enemy reinforcements throughout that region. Regions can be explored and most can be visited (and revisited) as the player prefers, with new events triggered as the story unfolds.
* Persistent Tracking of Appropriate In-game Behaviour – Actions in the initial missions have a potential long-term consequence. The player's alter ego is a secret agent in enemy territory - thus each player action that is inconsistent with that premise will gradually draw the unwanted attention or ire of non-player factions. This reduces the player's ability to forge needed alliances, to maintain stealth and secrecy, and eventually to avoid the escalation toward another world war.
* Sophisticated Dialogue and Personality System – The player may respond to characters encountered in a myriad of ways; all interactions and responses have an impact on the game world and on the characters encountered. This includes their initial and subsequent attitude, hostility, and willingness (or refusal) to help. Through player actions and team-member temperament, characters, even within the player's team, may clash with each other causing them to defect, or they may become particularly adept at attracting new allies of compatible personality.
* The Right Object for the Right Task – In addition to observed actions, non-player characters respond to character dress, possession of documentation and the carrying or concealment of weapons. Disguises and appropriate documents may ease the player's progress, while the open brandishing of weapons or missing identification will lessen chances for success or result in arrest by authorities. Objects in the game may be destroyed or employed, hindering or aiding subsequent mission completion by eliminating existing or creating additional problem solving options.
