The cooperative elements work very well, giving both characters unique abilities that will assist each other. E’lara’s ice arrows will leave enemies frozen, becoming easy pickings for Caddoc; Caddoc’s levitate ability will hold enemies in mid air while E’lara can just pick them down one by one. If either player is downed at any time, the other player can revive them with a revive vial if the player is anywhere within sight. If the party is out, then they’re out of luck and are going to have to start that chapter over. While the demo had no time limit, we were told that it is pegged at about 12 seconds during testing, although that can change throughout development.
During the demo, it was easy to get lost or even look for the other player. However, Bethesda representatives told us of two features absent from the demo that would improve this experience: pressing down on the left analog stick would home players in on their partner while the right analog stick would show players the main path. Considering the dark tone of it and how often we were lost during the demo, this will be very helpful. While it helps casual players find their way, it seems it will also let hardcore players find secret paths and quests on their own.
One of the most interesting features about this cooperative game is the internal competition between the two players. In a sense, the duo will be urged to rack up more kills than their own partner. Dialogue between the two characters even changes according to which character did better, which was an interesting touch.
No word yet on when this game may come out, but it will be available on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Look out for more updates in the future.
