Name a game in which you can chop off someone's arm and senselessly beat them into submission with it. Doesn't happen does it? Well, all that's about to change. Severance: Blade Of Darkness looks set to rekindle the gaming violence debate in glorious 'rivers of blood' style. Codemasters has accepted the fact this gore-fest will carry an 18 certificate and, although the Warwickshire based publisher is more renowned for its family values (Micro Machines, TOCA, Colin McRae), it is more than content to go along with the BBFC's adult entertainment ruling. After all, violence creates publicity in the knife-edge world of computer entertainment, and where there's publicity (good or bad), there are sales.
Yet Severance: Blade of Darkness is only playable with Glide on Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows 10. However, dgVoodoo 2 now allows playing in Direct3D. Just download the following. Zip archive and unzip it into the /bin directory. Further settings can be made in the Setup menu. Rebel Act Studios. Release dates. Windows, February 21, 2001. Blade: The Edge of Darkness on.
Interestingly, the media-friendly Codemasters is also keen to shake its image as the softly, softly publisher and, with annual profits soaring to more than $70 million, it seems that the time is ripe for oneof the industry's oldest publishers to risk incurring the wrath of the Daily Mail and its tireless anti-violence crusade.
Blood & Bones
But if you're thinking that all this blood and hype is probably just a cynical attempt to boost sales and cover costs for what has been a stellar five-year development period, you might be surprised.Severance is more than just a bloody mess; the bones of the game are very much in place. Spanish developer Rebel Act Studios has created a phenomenal engine (well, they've had long enough to do it) boasting realistic looking mutilation, convincing physics and some of the best lighting we have ever had the pleasure to witness.During one part of the game the player walks into a room adorned with flickering torches to discover there's an enormous hellish shadow on the alcove wall.
As you slowly edge around the corner to face what must be Satan himself, you discover the truth; the shadow is owned by a diminutive runt who's taken advantage of the illusionary effect of the torches to leave you needing a clean pair of pants. Effects like this are used with great aplomb to create a formidable atmosphere from start to finish. Surprisingly, one area where the aesthetics do, in fact, look slightly under the weather is the predictable reflecting water; there's simply not enough random movement there to fool the eyes into thinking it's anything close to realistic. Still, with any luck, that'll be high up the pecking order on the developer's tweak list.
Curiously, the gameplay will have more in common with arcade fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Streetfighter 2. Your nifty array of combatants can knock out two or even three-hit combination moves, which is a lot more intricate than your usual third-person adventure. Instead of simply charging up to a foe and mindlessly flailing, you actually have to think carefully about what would be the best move in that particular situation.
Should you go for a low leg sweep, or possibly a powerful arcing headshot to dispose of your tormenter quickly? There are an almost infinite variety of attacks, defences and combination moves on offer. Mastering those should prove to be one of the major lasting appeals of the game.
Yet Severance is an action/adventure through and through, make no mistake about that. The story is the cliched fantasy formula of four adventurers (Knight, Barbarian, Amazon and Dwarf) who set off on aperilous quest ofgood against evil.
The player chooses which character to play as, and then attempts to hack their way through 17 levels of flaming skeleton warriors, pig-ugly ores, golems, zombies, and - of course -enormous end-of-stage bosses. In total there are more than 30 kinds of monster in the game with various degrees of intelligence assigned to each.
On some of the later levels, the fights are immense. Battles take on epic proportions as neither player nor computer manages to get the upper hand. Metal hits metal and sparks fly as you slowly gain ground and then lose it again. If your opponent's weapon does breach your defences, a wound will appear at exactly the spot where you were hit. Likewise wounds appear on your foes; you can even lop off arms or legs to leave your hapless victim thrashing on the floor before dying from loss of blood. Don't think you will be immune from the same kind of treatment though. The enemies in Severance will be capable of taking off your head with soul-destroying ease. During development, our psychopathically inclined Spanish friends even toyed with the idea of allowing monsters to carve off your limbs so that you can crawl and flop about on the floor howling in agony. They eventually dismissed the idea after discovering that it messed up the balance of the game.
The AI seems to be finely tuned with a fair amount of organisation amidst the enemy ranks. A few of the sneakier denizens plan their attacks in groups of three or four in an attempt to overwhelm and confuse you. Other monsters are sneakier still; Liches will operate in units of four and vomit a lethal poison into your face when close enough. Some monster groups will even have leaders, if you can take them out first, your chances of survival will be greatly increased.During early skirmishes, monsters aren't so bright; you'll find it easy to carve your way through the hordes, with arms, legs and heads soaring through the air in all directions. It's quite clear that Rebel Act has decided that under no circumstances should they compromise their 'art'. There's no green blood here. This is gushing, oozing and spurting red stuff.
There are fountains of blood as far as the eye can see and dismembered bodies litter the floor like autumn leaves. If you kill somebody on some steps or stairs, the blood trickles down and forms a nice little pool at the bottom. Alternatively, you can watch in disgust as recently detached heads bounce off walls and roll onto the floor leaving distinctive crimson trails in their wake. If Rebel Act hasn't considered developing Advanced Abattoir Simulator for Codemasters it certainly should do.
Heads Will Role
So have we really got an action/adventure with as much gameplay as gore? Mike Hayes, Codemasters' marketing director certainly thinks so: 'While the cleverly done gory combat sequences will attract everyone's attention to Severance, it is the immersive role-playing adventure and intricately detailed graphics that will win the game its followers,' he coos in that distinctive marketing language.
To a certain extent his claim is true (characters can level-up and learn more powerful attacking moves), but don't expect the role-playing intricacy of Dens Ex, Vampire, or System Shock 2.
Still, with around 100 weapons lying around waiting to be used, players are encouraged to find a weapon they like, practice with it and ultimately attempt to master all the moves that particular item has to offer. It's also worth bearing in mind that most of the higher-level weapons have at least one unique special move associated with them. So, if slicing creatures in half horizontally with a sword is getting kind of boring for you, you can always look out for a large axe and attempt to decapitate two ores with one swing. The novel variety of ways in which to rearrange your enemies is enough to make your local butcher squeal.
You'll even find that some characters are more adept at using certain items than others. The Amazon, for example, is not really up for staggering down a dimly lit corridor dragging a sword the size of a horse behind her. The 7ft tall Barbarian on the other hand would fare better. Then there's the Dwarf; he's so good with an axe he could shave with it - if he wanted. It's a case of finding a combination of character and weapon type that you are most happy with.
Beware though, characters tend to tire quickly. Once again it depends on the character as to how quickly they weaken, but when they do,youwill need to make sure there are no nearby enemies to threaten your hero while he rests.
There's also a small puzzle element to the game; nothing too taxing mind, that would ruin the flow. The average brainteaser might consist of a doorway blocked by boxes that must be burnt in order for you to pass through. Oh yes, keys, buttons and levers also make an appearance - well, it wouldn't be a third-person adventure without them.
At the moment, the level design is still something that both Codemasters and Rebel Act are working on very closely. In fact, a lot of work is going into one of the Amazon-only levels to ensure there are distinctive landmarks the player can easily identify. Hopefully, with this kind of attitude from the developers, we can expect the castle, temple, dungeons, catacombs and Severance's numerous other locations to be the kind of places where we won't actually mind getting lost.
Risky Business
One of the more conventional areas of debate that could divert argument away from the filth and slaughter is the interface and control method. Firstly, this action/adventure will not feature any somersaulting, tightropewalking or daredevil manoeuvres of that ilk. That's Lara territory and Rebel Act doesn't want to go there. Severance territory is strictly running, jumping, ducking and diving with plenty of swinging balls of fire.
The control method, therefore, is a relatively straightforward affair. Players use the mouse to look around and attack, and the cursor keys to walk. Double-tap the forward key and you run. There s also a targeting system, as seen in Legend Of Zelda. Using this, you can select an enemy and remain facing them regardless of where you move. You can also defend yourself with your shield for when you need protection.
Apart from the occasional fireball-shooting sword, arrows, throwing knives and chucking body parts around, Severance is about getting up close and personal. As far as Rebel Act and Codemasters are concerned, you've got to get into the thick of it and have a bloody good time. If you're looking for wizards and spells, you can forget it.Jonathan Smith is a game designer at Codemasters who is working closely with the Spanish contingent. He explains why they wanted to stay away from the magic pixie thing: 'We wanted to focus on combat. This is a visceral, kicking you in the face, chopping your head off, slicing your arms off, punchy fighting game. Magic users stand at the back of the room and wave their hands a bit.'
Bloody Web
So there you have it. Kicking, chopping and slicing. That's Severance in a nutshell. But that's not quite the end of the story. There's a multiplayer version too. Modem or Network players can enter into an online arena where they challenge other players in one-on-one combat. Players will not actually be able to use their singleplayer characters however. Instead, there will be a separate online-only system that will probably involve players moving up a ranking system, gaining new moves as they progress. It's a simple concept that's not trying to infringe on anyone's online territory, especially Diablo 2. As an added bonus for what is really a single-player adventure, it's a worthy addition.
It remains to be seen whether Codemasters will eventually be ordered to tone down the violence when the BBFC get to play a finished version, but if the worst comes to the worst, it looks like Severance will be able to stand on its own two feet anyway. Find out for sure next month when, after five long years, Severance is served.
> >Blade of Darkness
4.68 / 5 - 167 votes
Description of Blade of Darkness Windows
Read Full ReviewOnce upon a time, there was a controversial game called Cannon Fodder, released on the 16-bit machines in the early 90s. At the time, it attracted media attention for two reasons; firstly, the promotional art relied heavily on an image of a poppy, causing many grizzled old British Legion types to wail almost as loud as the last time they spent their entire pension on sherry. And secondly, because when you killed one of the ten-pixel high enemy soldiers, he lay on the ground kicking and screaming, and spurting blood all over the grass. Yes, blood. Now no action game is considered complete without liberal splatterings of claret, and to shock these days, games have to plumb new depths of depravity.
Hence Severance. Though it certainly has blood in abundance, its 'unique selling point' is the ability to hack enemy's limbs from their bodies in graphic detail. If that's not shocking enough, once the limbs are detached, players can then use them as weapons, to batter any enemies unfortunate enough to be still around.
So that's the hype out of the way, then. If the truth be known, once the initial amusement has worn off, being able to dismember your opponents is a bit of a gimmick, and compared to a good honest sword, the limb of some goblin (or similarly stereotypical fantasy bad guy) doesn't make much of a weapon.
Severance sees players taking the role of one of four characters, each with his or her own fighting style and choice of weaponry. The knight uses one-handed swords and shields, the barbarian prefers two-handed, heavy broadswords, the more agile amazon uses staves and bows, and the sturdy dwarf employs, you guessed it, an axe. Nothing new there, then.
But the game's environmental modelling is rather more novel. Similar to this month's Hostile Waters, it has an understated physics system, so stacked crates, stools, tables and Severance's other props move and behave as you would expect. Flaming torches can be used to burn other flammable objects, and cast real-time, realistic shadows on walls and other scenery. Often the first warning you'll get of an impending fight is seeing the shadow of a bad guy round a corner; this is an atmospheric touch.
Though the castles, cliffs and dungeons of Severance are well-textured, detailed and lifelike, they carry quite a processor overhead. Those real-time shadows don't help either, and it was often necessary to turn them off to maintain a reasonable frame-rate. Owners of low-end machines need not apply.
The plot is the usual nonsense about the forces of evil and a legendary sword, but makes a convenient excuse for the action. Each character starts in a different location, and goes about retrieving the sword in a different way, so once you've finished the game (or become irretrievably stuck) as one character, there's still plenty of replay value. Simple puzzles are involved occasionally, but rarely venture outside the familiar 'kill-the-orc-and-get-the-key' or 'press-the-button-and-open-the-door' varieties. Commendably, though, thanks to some useful text labels and a carefully designed interface, it's always obvious which level elements can be interacted with, and which are just window dressing.
Combat is straightforward enough - the controls are mouse-and-keyboard, and feel much like Ritual's Heavy Metal: FAKK2. Pressing different directional keys while attacking gives different attacks, and various combos are possible with button sequences. As your character kills enemies and gains levels, you'll get new combos and stat increases. There's a lock-on button to make sure you're always facing your foe, so it's possible to dodge and roll sideways while still being ready to attack - almost a 'circle-strafing' kind of manoeuvre. Characters with shields can block attacks, but too much of that behaviour will cause your shield to break.
More interestingly, there's a stamina bar that decreases with each attack. Using a weapon that is too heavy for your character will cause it to deplete rapidly and leave you standing breathless and vulnerable. This forces players into a more thoughtful fighting style than, say, Oni - the button-bashers will soon find themselves lying on the floor, probably with something less than a full complement of limbs.
Though the weapon-collecting and levelling-up of Severance invite comparisons with Diablo, this is a much more action-oriented game. Higher levels just mean more health and the ability to use larger swords - both always welcome, but it doesn't go any deeper than that. Severance is much more akin to Rune, but with a much more intuitive and controllable combat system.
Conclusion
Whether or not Severance is the game for you boils down to how complex you like your entertainment. It's certainly one of the best-looking third-person games around, and with the four characters and about 25 levels in total, it offers excellent value for money. But it's not rocket science, and if you're looking for a Diablo-type experience you'll be disappointed. If, though, the prospect of some good old-fashioned hack'n'slash fun appeals, you could do a lot worse than Codemasters' latest adventure.
Review By GamesDomain
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Screenshots from MobyGames.com
Comments and reviews
John Stahl2019-10-022 points
For crashes on Windows 10 after the intro, try this Voodoo-driver. Works for me.
https://www.replaying.de/files/severance-blade-of-darkness-d3d-patch-windows-7-8-1-10/
Windows 10 Home
Version: 1903 OS Build: 18362.356
https://www.replaying.de/files/severance-blade-of-darkness-d3d-patch-windows-7-8-1-10/
Windows 10 Home
Version: 1903 OS Build: 18362.356
Marta Sanchez2019-08-101 point
Ok ... I follow the instructions of KYO and it work. BUT when the game start and i need to choose something the crash and quit to desktop...
any ideas?
any ideas?
nik2019-08-080 point
i need the exact steps to run this on win 10 because i get the intro but then right after it crashes.
Brosky2019-04-201 point
@marvgeek you need to configure the settings before you can play the game
LRGPNS2019-03-170 point
Yes, it can be run in WINE. Your mileage may vary but I've been able to play the game completely through that way once the sound/graphics settings were correct.
Bear in mind it's a somewhat buggy game even on newer Windows.
Bear in mind it's a somewhat buggy game even on newer Windows.
golimar2019-03-131 point
Does it run on Wine?
Dunestorm2019-02-261 point
v Codemasters no longer owns the rights to the game, nobody knows who does. Since it was pulled from GoG then I think this is the best option available to literally anyone wanting to play it.
Kdog2019-01-30-2 points
I'm curious, considering the loose definitions of abandonware, has someone asked codemasters if this is kosher? Is there some bit of information I'm missing?
Oriol2018-12-031 point
Hey, I have a problem. I installed it, but when I run it, it crashes :( What can I do?
ALBERTO2018-10-277 points
ONE OF THE BEST GAMES I HAVE PLAYED ALONG MY LIFE ( I AM 48 YEARS OLD :).
AND IT´S A SPANISH GAME. THE SAME TEAM THAT MAKED COMMANDOS. ANOTHER GREAT GAME. GREETINGS FROM SPAIN !!. ¡VIVA ESPAÑA!
AND IT´S A SPANISH GAME. THE SAME TEAM THAT MAKED COMMANDOS. ANOTHER GREAT GAME. GREETINGS FROM SPAIN !!. ¡VIVA ESPAÑA!
cad2018-10-030 point
thisguy I think next get an alcohol 120% or any other program to run your iso and install the game, then run patch to patch it.
ThisGuy2018-09-25-2 points
I have no idea what I am doing....I want this game back in my life so bad though, can I get a step by step guide because I clearly suck at this and cant figure it out. I downloaded the iso version and the 8MB bug fix and idk where to go from here...
Rodrigo2018-08-120 point
Thank you very much for everything you do!
this is just the version I was looking for
is the spanish one!
thank you!! warm regards for everyone there!
this is just the version I was looking for
is the spanish one!
thank you!! warm regards for everyone there!
cris2018-07-180 point
anyone knows a trainer for this game ?
Cris2018-07-181 point
Also, when i try to save sometimes the game crashes. Any ideas ? Thx. xD
Cris2018-07-170 point
it worked. lol. Searching for the game for like 3 months. If u install what kyo said , select 3dfx voodoo 1-2 from video, config i have it at 1042x768 at 120hz, windows 10 , 64 , no black write appears and is very clear to see what i select. hope i could help u
King of Skulls2018-05-171 point
Thanks! :)
Mallik2018-02-231 point
Good work
DarkPaladin2017-04-15-2 points
Do you have to have a disc in order to play the game? Because I dont have one...
Kyo2017-04-0910 points
You can make it to work with 3dfx:
https://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1061134622&postcount=7
Patch:
http://www.moddb.com/games/severance-blade-of-darkness/downloads/blade-of-darkness-patch-v1001-us-version
Win 10 64-bit, nGlide 1.05 - no crash, no black text.
https://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1061134622&postcount=7
Patch:
http://www.moddb.com/games/severance-blade-of-darkness/downloads/blade-of-darkness-patch-v1001-us-version
Win 10 64-bit, nGlide 1.05 - no crash, no black text.
Xavier512017-04-012 points
Yes it works for Win 10. I've got it working on Win 10 x64.
BUT..
- You must rename the intro video (main.mpg) in the:
CodemastersBlade of DarknessDatavideo
Folder. Otherwise, when you try to run the game, you may see an error due to the video being unable to play.
You will likely need the openGL renderer. Otherwise, you will only see black text. Game will run, but you will have no idea what options you are selecting.
The DLL which is in the zip you download, must be copied to the:
CodemastersBlade of DarknessBinRaster
Folder. Then, you will see rOpenGL as an option in the video list.
You will be able to play in a small window, or full screen.
I don't know how stable this arrangement is, but at least it is a start.
BUT..
- You must rename the intro video (main.mpg) in the:
CodemastersBlade of DarknessDatavideo
Folder. Otherwise, when you try to run the game, you may see an error due to the video being unable to play.
You will likely need the openGL renderer. Otherwise, you will only see black text. Game will run, but you will have no idea what options you are selecting.
The DLL which is in the zip you download, must be copied to the:
CodemastersBlade of DarknessBinRaster
Folder. Then, you will see rOpenGL as an option in the video list.
You will be able to play in a small window, or full screen.
I don't know how stable this arrangement is, but at least it is a start.
Hamed Taha2017-02-212 points
Can i run the game with Windows 10 ?
MD2017-01-230 point
The game is not from UK, it is spanish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severance:_Blade_of_Darkness
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severance:_Blade_of_Darkness
silver2016-10-25-5 points
What is the best 'setup' for this on windows 7?
marvgeek2016-10-040 point
I got it working, but when i tried to download openGL to fix the black text, i still don't see openGL in the settings options
marvgeek2016-10-04-4 points
Do you need a disc for this? I got it installed, but when i click the icon the play game option is there but i can't click on it like a disc is missing. help?
greatgame2016-07-143 points
great game!
![Windows Windows](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125859976/131990856.jpg)
smidsy2016-07-101 point
thank you thank you thank you i have been looking for this game for so long you have made me very happy it works
free999enigma2016-03-061 point
I made a video for this good game :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNK0_G0CGvk
LRGPNS2015-09-25-2 points
The black captions thing is a bug with the DirectX renderer. Unfortunately there's no perfect renderer solution for the game, but this version of the OpenGL renderer, while not crashproof, seems to be the generally best solution:
http://sgi.bigtruck-canada.ca/patches/rOpenGL.zip
http://sgi.bigtruck-canada.ca/patches/rOpenGL.zip
emilio2015-07-15-2 points Windows version
I cant see the highlighted text in the menus. All captions are black... Is something related to the resolution? Also, although I have gore activated, I dont see blood spillings.
admin2015-03-021 point Windows version
This is in english
Goodatlosing2015-02-130 point Windows version
Any english version yet?
admin2015-01-160 point Windows version
True, ISO was supposed to be in English and Russian, but it's heavily modified to be full Russian. Trying to find the English version.
john2015-01-142 points Windows version
Its in Russian, beware
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