Reviewed: August 10, 2003
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Ubisoft

Developer
Saber Interactive

Released: June 9, 2003
Genre: FPS
Players: 16
ESRB: Mature

9
9
7
7
8.6

System Requirements

I haven’t had this much pure unadulterated fun since KISS: Psycho Circus. Even Serious Sam takes a backseat to this fun and imaginative action title. Much like Sam, Will is a one-man army thrust into an epic adventure against impossible odds. Instead of pesky aliens and mutants, Will is fighting off all sorts of legendary creatures captured from Greek mythology set in somewhat realistic locations.

The story kicks off with an artistic little movie shown through a series of comic panels that are surprisingly well done. In this day and age of super-slick CG movies I personally find this style of narrative a refreshing change and stylistically effective. After a brief history of the rise and fall of the Greek gods we zip forward to present day where we learn that Will Rock is an archaeology student who is coerced into visiting a dig site at Mount Olympus by the seductive daughter of his professor. A fanatical group known as the ORA (Olympian Restoration Army) raids the camp and all hell breaks loose. Ancient powers are unleashed; people die, and others are missing.

When things settle down Will (or rather, you) find yourself under the command of Prometheus at the gate to Olympus. With your trusty pistol and shovel in hand and some deadly fire-crapping hawks circling overhead your adventure (and the insanity) begins. Regardless of whether you choose Will Win (Easy), Will Play (Normal), or Will Die (Hard), difficulty, the sheer number of monsters you are about to face will boggle the mind and test the very limits of your trigger finger and the durability of your mouse.

You move from arena to arena where you must defeat countless numbers of creatures before the doors unlock allowing you to proceed to the next arena where even more creatures of increasing difficulty are waiting. Along the way you pick up treasure, locate secrets, and find new and more powerful weaponry to cleanse the levels just a bit more quickly if you are lucky. It’s all very predictable and formulaic but that doesn’t make it any less fun.

What might surprise you is the level of quality, attention to detail, and sheer originality of the design and several of the concepts in this game. I’ll give you a few examples to get you started and let you discover the rest. The first enemies you face are the circling hawks outside the entrance to Olympus. When you shoot these they realistically plummet to the ground and smack the dirt in a cloud of floating feathers.

The entrance is flanked by a pair of statues that will zap you with bolts of energy. This leads to the discovery that statues can be shot and destroyed. In fact, a lot of inanimate objects can be destroyed in this game and many times this is the key to finding hidden treasure and keys to access new areas.

Monsters are very creative while remaining grounded in historic, or rather mythological roots. The first time you pick-up up that loose pile of gold and the stone Minotaur slowly morphs into flesh and blood and attacks you know something special is about to happen. There are subtle elements scattered throughout the game to keep it fresh and original. An early encounter has you approaching a mirror and as you get close you can see a Minotaur burst from the floor behind you.

There is even some creativity in killing the monsters. When the larger Minotaurs are killed they splat into a pair of red blobs that grotesquely morph into these smaller (but equally deadly) red Minotaurs that throw flaming axes. Not only are these skinless creatures quite disgusting, the morphing animation is over-the-top and even a bit terrifying.

Enough about Minotaurs. How about skeletons? These have to be some of my favorite monsters in the game for two reasons. They have this jaunty animation as they bounce around the level in their clanking armor bumping into walls and each other. It’s nearly comical, and they seem to have trouble stopping on smooth floors and will often skid past your location and have to double back. When you blast them they will explode in a shower of bones and armor, but perhaps the part I love the best is when they see you they shout “Hey” in a gravely voice that I swear sounds just like Beavis. It’s hard to explain but anyone who has seen Beavis and Butthead and plays this game will instantly make the connection.

More monsters are added to the fiend folio the further you progress into the game. You get archers, rats, and even giant statues of Atlas will come to life and start tossing giant stone globes at you. As more types of monsters are introduced they will also start to mix and match their forces. In one of the earlier levels you will enter a giant coliseum and the second you pick up that giant chain gun the game unleashes hundreds of every monster you have encountered up to that point. Birds will attack from above and archers will appear on the bleachers and Minotaurs will burst from the ground all around you. This is mayhem at its finest.

To help you in your quest there are several altars scattered about the levels where you can make a small “donation” to Prometheus and he will bestow upon you one of three Titan powers, strength, speed, or immortality. The best part about these powers are that you do not have to use them right away and that you can possess more than one at a time. Invoking these powers at just the right time can get you through a tough spot in a level or help you out with a boss fight.

Titan powers do cost money so you always need to be on the lookout for treasure. Some of it is lying around in obvious piles while other piles will only materialize after you have destroyed all the statues in a certain room or killed all the monsters, etc.

Puzzles are few and not very complicated. They basically consist of finding a key or performing an action then getting a prompt “A door has opened somewhere” then you must go find it. There are a few clever traps that require precise timing but most of the challenge in Will Rock lies in the endless combat.

There are plenty of special effects like reflections, and real-time lighting and shadows not to mention particle effects, flames, smoke, and very subtle touches to your weapons like flames coming off the hammer of the shotgun or shiny reflections on the crossbow.

Physics are perfectly modeled, as shotgun blasts will send enemies flying backwards from the blast. If you shoot something at close range the blood will spray all over your hand and gun creating a rather disturbing image until it slowly fades away. The sickly pulsating blobs of slain Minotaur slowly morph into these hideous red creatures and it’s quite easy to paint the floor and walls in arterial red as enemy numbers rapidly multiply even in death.

Sound effects are excellent, very precise and well placed in a virtual 3D world. All the weapons have unique and believable effects; you’ll hear the twang of an enemy bow, the whiz of an arrow, and the vibrating thud as it sticks in the wall or floor near you. The screech of the hawks echo off of canyon walls and the explosive booms as monsters erupt from the ground in a shower of rock is overwhelming. There is a lot going on in the sound department but that’s only because there is so much going on in the game.

Speech is minimal but there are a few spoken lines. Prometheus will offer some occasional hints or advice like “I sense treasure”, or “Choose your power”. He has a deep booming voice that sounds suspiciously like the narrator from Gauntlet. Will Rock has a few classic one-liners that only make me wish for more - “Here birdy birdy” when he shoots his first hawk or “Bull’s-eye” when he blasts his first Minotaur are classic. When the first skeleton comes rambling towards him and he shouts, “Grandpa?”, I had to pause the game until I stopped laughing. But I can think of at least a dozen places or scripted events where a one liner was sorely missing.

Will Rock also has a solid multiplayer component with support for 16 adventurers playing Fragmatch, Cooperative, or Treasure Hunt modes. Getting hooked up with other players is easy using the Ubi.com game service and you can host and join games with just a few easy menu entries.

No matter how you approach this game, Will is going to rock your world, sprain a few index fingers and certainly break a few mice. Only hardcore gamers need apply. Everyone else will get a $20 lesson in pain.