in which each opponent has certain
‘tells’ that indicate which attack
they’re just about to perform. In Unto
The End you’re looking out for the
same things. You’ll need to observe
the movement of your enemies to
successfully take them out in combat.Northern fights
One encounter we experience has
us trapped between two enemies.
Immediately, we’re impaled by a
spear thrown by the enemy in front.
Thankfully, the checkpoints in the
game are forgiving, and we return
to the action just moments before
the encounter. During our second
attempt, we duck and roll to dodge
the spear and it flies straight into the
enemy behind us, killing him. We try
to take on the spear-throwing foe
but he disarms us and clouts us on
the head, slaying us. We go for a
third attempt. This time we dodge the
spear, skewering the enemy behind
us, and we immediately follow up by
throwing a dagger at the remaining
fighter, staggering him. We land a
couple more blows with our sword, but
he fights back. Blocking his high and
low attacks using the analogue stick
in the corresponding directions, we
riposte and chip away at his health,
eventually defeating him.
There are many encounters like
this but not all need to lead to
confrontation, however. Some, you
can choose to bypass entirely. At one
point we actually help a character
by providing them with some of our
supplies. These decisions have a big
impact on the game’s narrative, and
have far-reaching consequences.
During your travels you’ll come
across bonfires, and resting at them
will give you the option upgrade your
equipment or craft items. You can
save the game at these safe spots
by falling asleep at them, while you
slumber you’re treated to dream
sequences where you encounter
visions of your family. Depending
on your actions, whether they’re
honourable or dishonourable, these
dreams could turn into nightmares.
There’s a lot to love about Unto The
End. Despite its deceptively simple
surface, there’s a ravine of depth to it.
We can’t wait to get our hands on the
full game, which will be available on
Xbox Game Pass upon release. QDeveloper 2 Ton Studios wants to
help make videogames become a
well-respected art form. “I don’t think
they’re there just yet, they’re just
seen as entertainment,” highlights
co-founder Stephen Danton. “The key
to getting there is allowing games to
tell stories in a way that only games
can, and that’s in the interactions
between the player and the world, and
the characters in that world.”
Originally, the story for Unto The End
was one of revenge, where a father’s
wife and child were killed but this soon
changed. “We always wanted to tell a
story of a father, not of a super knight
or demigod, and the more we thought
about it, that original story didn’t make
sense,” explains Danton. “We thought
it would be much more interesting
and grounded to say he fell down a
crevasse while out hunting and it’s his
mission to reunite with his family.”
At first glance, Unto The End is a 2D
platform adventure and it can look like
a straightforward affair, but that’s far
from the case. There’s a lot of nuance
to the story and the combat takes
a certain amount of practice and
patience to master.
The developers were inspired by
a variety of games, most notably
Playdead’s Inside and Limbo, but one
of the more surprising inspirations
is the old boxing classic Punch Out!!,The game was inspired by locations such as Iceland, Scotland’s Isle Of Skye and Patagonia
Unto The End
How far must a father go to
reunite with his family?
Adam Bryant
PUBLISHER BIG SUGAR DEVELOPER 2 TON STUDIOS
ETA 2020LOOSE ENDS
The mother in the
story is just as
competent a fighter
as the father, and
another part of the
game’s narrative was
originally intended to
follow her journey of
fighting to save her
husband, but due to
scope this wasn’t
possible. The
developers do,
however, wish to
create a sequel or
add-on to the game
in which you can
experience this story.
“The combat takes a
certain amount of practice
and patience to master”
030 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE
PREVIEW