PAX East 2018: Bahviour Interactive Brings us Another Asym Survival Game w/ DeathGarden
Our best pals from the Great White North are bringing yet another Asymmetrical Survival game to us, with a fresh new take on the genre. Behaviour Interactive, the developers behind the asymmetrical horror survival game, Dead By Daylight (you can check out my review here) have brought their latest game, DeathGarden to PAX East. DeathGarden revolves around the blood sport of one walking tank of a Hunter against a team of five perfectly parkour adept Runners.
I was able to get a hands on demo, playing as one of the five Runners in a Capture Point game mode. The goal was similar to that of Dead By Daylight where the Runners need to capture 3 spires over time to unlock the escape portals of the arena. In contrast to the maps in Dead By Daylight, the arenas in DeathGarden have a massively increased level of elevation to allow for the Runners to parkour their way around quite literally every part of the arena in order to maneuver around the Hunter and capture each spire.
The Hunter is decked out with two weapons and has several abilities that can be used to place turrets or sentries around each spire. The Hunter’s goal is to eliminate 3 of the 5 Runners, winning the round, and surprisingly enough is faster on foot than the Runners themselves, however the Runners have the ability to climb and wall hang onto every part of the arena, allowing for some crazy outplayability. Runners are really only equipped with a crossbow on their arms which can be used to mark targets in the arena including the location o the Hunter. The real key to escaping is the utilization of teamwork, creating a pretty wide array of varying strategies to outmaneuver the Hunter. Maybe 2 teammates distract the Hunter while the other 3 force one spire at a time, or maybe split all 3 with each at 1 spire. The options are endless and rely on the team you are coordinating with and each persons strengths and weaknesses.
I got the chance to play as one of the runners, and the gameplay, even in it’s incredibly early stages of open playtesting, was beautifully fluid. I was able to easily climb every surface in my path and manage my way through every set of elevation in the arena when it came to either hiding or fleeing from the Hunter. If Behaviour Interactive’s track record shows anything, it’s that they are always looking to release new things to their games, with so many new Maps, Killers, and Survivors being released for Dead by Daylight. I was informed that there were already several other game modes being tested, and I can only imagine they have a ton of extra release content coming upon release and thereafter, in the form of Game Modes, Maps, Hunters, and Runners. If you’re a fan of the asymmetrical genre and have dabbled in Dead By Daylgiht, DeathGarden is absolutely a game to keep your eyes open for. Follow the Twitter page for DeathGarden at https://twitter.com/deathgardengame to stay up to date on their progress.
