My idea for an Hour of the Dragon video game
Feb 22, 2016 1:22:37 GMT -5
Post by lordyam on Feb 22, 2016 1:22:37 GMT -5
I posted this on the old forum and because I thought it was good I've decide to repost it.
If one were to adapt a conan story into a video game I think Hour of the Dragon the most likely candidate. the 07 game needed a novel length storyline to justify thirteen levels and I believe that Conan's tales provide a few levels (Beyond the black River could squeeze out possibly 4). Hour of the Dragon is in many ways the biggest Conan tale and most importantly takes us everywhere, from Aquilonia to Stygia.
I'd have the campaign is follows
Level 1: Introduction: This is a tutorial level just before they head out to Shamla. We learn some of the basics of Combat, observation, exploration.
Level 2: Aftermath of Valkia. Conan's army has been wiped out, but Conan is being accosted by Tarascus's army. This is where we learn about combat. Before hand we fight a hopeless boss fight with Xaltotun that is over in ten seconds.
Level 3: Escape from the dungeons: You are accompanied by Zenobia. The boss fight would be the haunter of the pit. While the fight wasn't long in the books, a video game is a different beast entirely. Having a cutscene killing would be LAME! We have cutscenes of Conan trying to kill Tarascus and witnessing him stealing the heart. We get Conan and Zenobia kissing, and Conan promising to save her.
Level 4: In Aquilonia. Conan fights his way through various wilderness; the level ends with him encountering Zelata.
Cutscene: Escape with Zelata
Level 5: Aquilonia: This is when Conan enters Tarantia, and learns that Albiona is being held captive in the Iron Tower. The level would be trying to save Albiona. The level ends with Conan and Albiona being helped to escape.
Cutscene: Conan meets Hadrathus; learns that with heart of ahriman they have a chance of defeating Xaltotun.
Level 6: Conan tries to get the heart back; fights the men in the bandit fortress; second half is a fight against ghouls as well as an “uber ghoul”. The Uber Ghoul is the boss fight
Level 7: Argos: Conan has to sneak his way to the merchants house in a stealth section (following the paranoid guy without being seen). This would be a stealth mission for the first half. Than you have the fight with the goons by the waterfront.
Cutscene: Conan is knocked out. The Khitains force Publio to take them to the docks and find they just missed Conan
Level 8: The Black Corsairs: Basically kill the shit out of all the enemies on the ship.
Level 9: The Black Walls of Khemi: Conan has to sneak into the city. Killing enemies stealthily to avoid being noticed entering the city.
Level 10: Into the Dark: Conan has to escape from the murderous crowd for the first half. The second half involves a quick prompt when the guard realizes Conan is no priest (if you don't hit the button the guard kills you) and than involves following Akivasha. The final part is running the hell away from Akivasha.
Level 11: The Great Pyramids: Conan has to fight his way through the pyramid, past various undead warriors and creepy horrors. At the end there's two parts: the three way melee with the priests and Khitains. After that we get a boss fight with the Khitain leader
Level 12: Rallying the soldiers: This involves attacking a major fortress in preperation for the final battle; involves several parts to gain the army.
Level 13: The Road to Acheron: Conan prepares to join his troops but there's a problem. While the heart will weaken Xaltotun it won't kill him. Conan will need to help finish the wizard; Even worse Zenobia has been chosen as the sacrifice to usher in Acheron. The first half of the mission is desperately fighting your way to King's altar past Xaltotun's acolytes (the crazed hillmen, new toadies that he's gotten due to his influence as Fakir). We get there in time to stop the ritual. Hadrathus bares the heart and it weakens Xaltotun. However, due to his time studying in preperation he's gained strength. Cue final boss fight with Xaltotun. This would be like Graven in the game, but less annoying and more challenging. After the fight with Xaltotun we get a final playable section where Conan joins the troops and kicks Tarascus's hiney. The battle plays out like Cloud and Sephiroth's fight in FF7. You can't loose even if you want to. Xaltotun is the real final boss of the game and a major challenge.
Now some of the concepts might be blasphemous (the heart doesn't immediately waste xal.) however in a video game having Conan not be involved in what's arguably the most important part of the battle would annoy a lot of gamers, and having Xaltotun go down like a chump once the heart is unveiled would be anticlimactic. Having a full on boss battle remedies this and it gives players the satisfaction of kicking Xaltotun's ass.
Bosses:
1.) Haunter: This is a test of speed. The beast hits fast and he hits hard. You CANNOT let him get in range so you have to always pay attention where the beast is (sometimes he climbs into the rafters and leaps onto you.) You have to dodge his swipes and then wail on the bastard when he's vulnerable. Conan has no armor and only the dagger. I'd have Zenobia help more than in the book; it would explain why Conan sees HER as the woman who he marries and fathers children with.
2.) Uberghoul: This is just a straightforward fight. Kill the ghoul before he kills you.
3.) Khitan Leader: This is modeled after the fight with deathstroke in arkham origins. If you charge in like an idiot you might land a hit or two but he'll be able to clobber you with three to four of his own powerful hits. The only way to win the battle is to be patient; block the attacks when they come, and during the brief opening at the end of the last attack with your sword. You can only land a few hits before retreating, but if you keep on it the guy will regain his bearings and beat the shit out of you. Basically, you have to be PATIENT.
4.) Xaltotun: Even though the guy's weakened he is NO pushover. This is a multi phase fight that combines the elements of the other fights in the game.
Phase 1: The first part of the fight is trying to reach him, since he’ll be hurling magic at you in order to stop you from getting close. He’ll be weakened by the heart, but he’ll still be strong enough to give you a run for your money (the heart weakened him but xaltotun was able to shrug off the spell due to the practicing he’s been doing in his spare time out of a desire to be the strongest one) and he’ll have knocked out Hadrathus. Zelata will tend to Hadrathus leaving Conan to face Xaltotun. Conan will have to dodge energy bolts, which will inflict damage if Conan gets hit.
Phase 2: Close quarters. Xaltotun has close range attacks (the black hand of set) which will kill you instantly, or knock off one third of you’re health. Similar to the fight with the Khitan leader but with less room for error. You have to wail on him, but also be cautious enough to know when to block.
At 1/3 Xaltotun repulses Conan, starting Phase 3. This is pretty much phase 1, with more bolts. Than you get phase 4, where Xaltotun throws in some nasty abilities.
At 2/3 health Xaltotun repulses Conan. Phase 5 is ranged, but even deadlier. Phase 6 is the hardest. You have to dodge the attacks, as well as the newer ones Xal throws in.
At this we get the end. Conan impales Xaltotun, he falls to his knees lamenting that this can't be the end. Hadrathus uses the heart to finish him. After this we have Conan in essentially god mode. You can't loose if you try and you basically kick ass as a god
If one were to adapt a conan story into a video game I think Hour of the Dragon the most likely candidate. the 07 game needed a novel length storyline to justify thirteen levels and I believe that Conan's tales provide a few levels (Beyond the black River could squeeze out possibly 4). Hour of the Dragon is in many ways the biggest Conan tale and most importantly takes us everywhere, from Aquilonia to Stygia.
I'd have the campaign is follows
Level 1: Introduction: This is a tutorial level just before they head out to Shamla. We learn some of the basics of Combat, observation, exploration.
Level 2: Aftermath of Valkia. Conan's army has been wiped out, but Conan is being accosted by Tarascus's army. This is where we learn about combat. Before hand we fight a hopeless boss fight with Xaltotun that is over in ten seconds.
Level 3: Escape from the dungeons: You are accompanied by Zenobia. The boss fight would be the haunter of the pit. While the fight wasn't long in the books, a video game is a different beast entirely. Having a cutscene killing would be LAME! We have cutscenes of Conan trying to kill Tarascus and witnessing him stealing the heart. We get Conan and Zenobia kissing, and Conan promising to save her.
Level 4: In Aquilonia. Conan fights his way through various wilderness; the level ends with him encountering Zelata.
Cutscene: Escape with Zelata
Level 5: Aquilonia: This is when Conan enters Tarantia, and learns that Albiona is being held captive in the Iron Tower. The level would be trying to save Albiona. The level ends with Conan and Albiona being helped to escape.
Cutscene: Conan meets Hadrathus; learns that with heart of ahriman they have a chance of defeating Xaltotun.
Level 6: Conan tries to get the heart back; fights the men in the bandit fortress; second half is a fight against ghouls as well as an “uber ghoul”. The Uber Ghoul is the boss fight
Level 7: Argos: Conan has to sneak his way to the merchants house in a stealth section (following the paranoid guy without being seen). This would be a stealth mission for the first half. Than you have the fight with the goons by the waterfront.
Cutscene: Conan is knocked out. The Khitains force Publio to take them to the docks and find they just missed Conan
Level 8: The Black Corsairs: Basically kill the shit out of all the enemies on the ship.
Level 9: The Black Walls of Khemi: Conan has to sneak into the city. Killing enemies stealthily to avoid being noticed entering the city.
Level 10: Into the Dark: Conan has to escape from the murderous crowd for the first half. The second half involves a quick prompt when the guard realizes Conan is no priest (if you don't hit the button the guard kills you) and than involves following Akivasha. The final part is running the hell away from Akivasha.
Level 11: The Great Pyramids: Conan has to fight his way through the pyramid, past various undead warriors and creepy horrors. At the end there's two parts: the three way melee with the priests and Khitains. After that we get a boss fight with the Khitain leader
Level 12: Rallying the soldiers: This involves attacking a major fortress in preperation for the final battle; involves several parts to gain the army.
Level 13: The Road to Acheron: Conan prepares to join his troops but there's a problem. While the heart will weaken Xaltotun it won't kill him. Conan will need to help finish the wizard; Even worse Zenobia has been chosen as the sacrifice to usher in Acheron. The first half of the mission is desperately fighting your way to King's altar past Xaltotun's acolytes (the crazed hillmen, new toadies that he's gotten due to his influence as Fakir). We get there in time to stop the ritual. Hadrathus bares the heart and it weakens Xaltotun. However, due to his time studying in preperation he's gained strength. Cue final boss fight with Xaltotun. This would be like Graven in the game, but less annoying and more challenging. After the fight with Xaltotun we get a final playable section where Conan joins the troops and kicks Tarascus's hiney. The battle plays out like Cloud and Sephiroth's fight in FF7. You can't loose even if you want to. Xaltotun is the real final boss of the game and a major challenge.
Now some of the concepts might be blasphemous (the heart doesn't immediately waste xal.) however in a video game having Conan not be involved in what's arguably the most important part of the battle would annoy a lot of gamers, and having Xaltotun go down like a chump once the heart is unveiled would be anticlimactic. Having a full on boss battle remedies this and it gives players the satisfaction of kicking Xaltotun's ass.
Bosses:
1.) Haunter: This is a test of speed. The beast hits fast and he hits hard. You CANNOT let him get in range so you have to always pay attention where the beast is (sometimes he climbs into the rafters and leaps onto you.) You have to dodge his swipes and then wail on the bastard when he's vulnerable. Conan has no armor and only the dagger. I'd have Zenobia help more than in the book; it would explain why Conan sees HER as the woman who he marries and fathers children with.
2.) Uberghoul: This is just a straightforward fight. Kill the ghoul before he kills you.
3.) Khitan Leader: This is modeled after the fight with deathstroke in arkham origins. If you charge in like an idiot you might land a hit or two but he'll be able to clobber you with three to four of his own powerful hits. The only way to win the battle is to be patient; block the attacks when they come, and during the brief opening at the end of the last attack with your sword. You can only land a few hits before retreating, but if you keep on it the guy will regain his bearings and beat the shit out of you. Basically, you have to be PATIENT.
4.) Xaltotun: Even though the guy's weakened he is NO pushover. This is a multi phase fight that combines the elements of the other fights in the game.
Phase 1: The first part of the fight is trying to reach him, since he’ll be hurling magic at you in order to stop you from getting close. He’ll be weakened by the heart, but he’ll still be strong enough to give you a run for your money (the heart weakened him but xaltotun was able to shrug off the spell due to the practicing he’s been doing in his spare time out of a desire to be the strongest one) and he’ll have knocked out Hadrathus. Zelata will tend to Hadrathus leaving Conan to face Xaltotun. Conan will have to dodge energy bolts, which will inflict damage if Conan gets hit.
Phase 2: Close quarters. Xaltotun has close range attacks (the black hand of set) which will kill you instantly, or knock off one third of you’re health. Similar to the fight with the Khitan leader but with less room for error. You have to wail on him, but also be cautious enough to know when to block.
At 1/3 Xaltotun repulses Conan, starting Phase 3. This is pretty much phase 1, with more bolts. Than you get phase 4, where Xaltotun throws in some nasty abilities.
At 2/3 health Xaltotun repulses Conan. Phase 5 is ranged, but even deadlier. Phase 6 is the hardest. You have to dodge the attacks, as well as the newer ones Xal throws in.
At this we get the end. Conan impales Xaltotun, he falls to his knees lamenting that this can't be the end. Hadrathus uses the heart to finish him. After this we have Conan in essentially god mode. You can't loose if you try and you basically kick ass as a god
