We're looking to do a playtest for Clash: Artifacts of Chaos later this month.
Those selected will play through the opening of the game. We'll be collecting feedback on Discord and via a form, using this to tweak the game ahead of launch.
During tonight's Nacon Connect, we revealed a new trailer for Clash: Artifacts of Chaos, taking us through one day in the life of Pseudo, a hermit living on the fringes of the colorful world of Zenozoik.
Pseudo's life will be thrown into turmoil upon his discovery of the Boy, a small creature with mysterious powers that have attracted the attention of Gemini, the Mistress of the Artifacts. This one decision leading to an adventure truly unlike any other.
The adventure begins on February 9th!
Clash will be at tonight's Nacon Connect!
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos will be a part of this year's Nacon Connect!
Nacon Connect is an annual celebration of games and accessories with new trailers, gameplay, and exciting reveals.
For those eager to get another look at Zenozoik, the stream starts: 📆 July 7 at 6pm BST | 7pm CEST | 10am PDT Subscribe & hit the 🔔 to get notified when the show starts (we know you can't watch directly here, but the large box does grab more attention).
See you this evening!
Playtest completed!
We wanted to send a big thank you to all the people who made themselves available to test this version of the game, and also thank you for your very constructive feedback.
We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the world of Zenozoik!
Playtesters WANTED!
We've got some outlaws on the loose and we're trying to bring them to justice! Jokes aside, we're looking for some people willing to brave an alpha build of Clash: Artifacts of Chaos and give us some feedback on the game.
This playtest will last until April 11th, here are a few things to note:
Sadly, not everyone who signs up will be selected
Selected applicants will need to sign an NDA prior to being given access to the game
This is not a fully finished section of gameplay (commonly known as a vertical slice), there will be WIP content which includes (in addition to gameplay content and balancing), the voiceover, subtitles, and the watermark Steam ID which is displayed as a security measure.
Feedback will be given via a form that can be completed after you've finished the content available in the playtest.
There will also be an optional discord where testers can give feedback directly to the developers.
If you're interested then you can get a more detailed explanation and sign up here!
Gameplay Reveal Trailer
Last night we revealed the first look at Clash: Artifacts of Chaos during the ID Xbox event. Welcome back to the world of Zenozoik, but unlike how you've ever seen it before. In this 3rd person action-brawler you play as Pseudo, a hermit living out his reclusive lifestyle on the fringes of a weird and wonderfully chaotic society.
This society has one law, the Ritual, a game that can influence the rules of combat. Psuedo finds himself drawn back into this world when he comes across the Boy, a small helpless creature he decides to protect. This simple action triggers a story that will see the pair trailed by mercenaries as they travel the world and go up against Gemini, the fabled mistress of the Artifacts.
Check out the video and don't forget to follow us on socials @ClashAoC or let us know what you think on the Steam Community Hub.
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is scheduled for release in November 2022!
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Level Design in Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
The first Zeno Clash and its sequel both had very different approaches for their level design. They both had the common goal of showing players a rich world with very distinct and unique locations - but they both approached that goal from a different angle:
Zeno Clash 1 was made by such a small team that we had to create the illusion of scale by having small combat areas surrounded by larger portions of the world you could see in the horizon, yet never visit.
Zeno Clash (2009)
Zeno Clash 2, with its bigger scope allowed players to explore through large interconnected levels, and was much larger, yet the open ended levels offered more space than we were actually capable of filling - making exploration less exciting than we could have hoped for.
Zeno Clash 2 (2013)
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is neither “A” nor “B”. It is “C”. And it is much better than our previous attempts. It is also a reason why the Souls games have a strong influence in the design of this game. I once saw a video of famous youtuber “Maximilian Dood” where he ranked Souls-Like games from worst to best, which ended up with Bloodborne taking the #1 spot. Maximilian, despite focusing primarily on fighting games (and combat mechanics), said that it was probably the world design what gave Bloodborne the crown, and I wholly agree. Bloodborne is a masterpiece of level design - and From Software games are excellent in this regard.
An editor view of the level design of Clash suggests a much more interesting "maze-like" layout with multiple paths and interconnecting areas
Clash has a fully interconnected world that is inspired by Bloodborne (but is not entirely the same). Our game has no actual discernible levels. It has one large world that never goes into a loading screen. “Maps” (or areas of different themes) are interconnected in surprising ways, and discovering / enabling shortcuts is an essential part of the design. You can also see areas of the game at a distance which you cannot access until later portions of the adventure.
The design is not restricted to small combat arenas, and is not based on large open areas that lead to others. We are doing intricate level design - something certainly new for the series. Maps are not too large or small - they are the size they need to be based on what we expect the player to be doing at the moment. And by itself this leads to a surprising enjoyment of traversing and discovering the world. Just getting from one area to another is fun - regardless of the combat or content of such levels.
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
The world and level design has been one of my main areas of responsibility for this project. When we started working on the environments the directive for the team was: “We have a mission - and that is no matter how other parts of the game end up, level design has to be interesting enough to almost carry the game experience through by itself. It has to be one of the brightest aspects of the experience. We are not making a canvas for other game mechanics to exist… the level design must be a game of its own.”
We look forward to seeing people explore our game world next year, and are excited to share more about other exciting features in development. Stay tuned for more information as we continue development of Clash: Artifacts of Chaos.
If you wish to follow other news, follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ClashAoC ...and don't forget to follow us and wishlist on Steam ːsteamhappyː
Carlos Bordeu
Return to the world of Zenozoik in Clash: Artifacts of Chaos!
Hello Everyone,
Were you surprised by our new announcement? We hope you're ready to return to the world of Zenozoik in our new game, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos.
In Clash: Artifacts of Chaos, you play as Pseudo, a powerful warrior on a quest to obtain the Artifacts of Chaos. We don't want to dive too deep into the story just yet, but fans of Zeno Clash will be happy to know there are ties to the other games. Though equally, the game is designed as a stand-alone experience, and it's not necessary to have played those titles to enjoy Clash: Artifacts of Chaos.
We'll be sharing more about the game throughout development, so keep your eyes open here and on our Facebook, Twitter and Discord for all the updates!
And, if you want to support us further, you can wishlist the game here on Steam and let your friends know by sharing our trailers and social media posts.
