Voodoo Nights Preview

Something wicked this way comes Voodoo Nights is the brainchild of Mindware Studios, a little known developer formed three years ago in Prague, Czech Republic. Currently awaiting a publisher and scheduled for a 2006 release, Voodoo nights is being developed simultaneously for the Xbox 360 and the PC.

Voodoo Nights is a third person shooter with a difference. The story revolves around two trendy cops with a fashion sense consisting of floral embroidery and a 70’s hangover. The main characters are two partners named Jack and Samuel whose mission is to bring to justice a clique of black magic practising heavily armed gangstas. They have at their disposal wicked voodoo powers and large guns. Going by the premise, you can expect the environment to be dark, gothic with symbols and strange rituals involving sparrow and pigeon heads to be part of the game environment.

When cops go bad…

What’s different about Voodoo Nights is the innovative gameplay. The game requires you to control both the characters as a requisite. Unlike Max Payne 2 where the player got to play as Max and Mona separately, Voodoo Nights will have you play as part of the same scene. Certain portions of the game such as overpowering a hostile bunch of hoods, will require careful coordination of the two characters. During gameplay, a picture in picture feature will allow you to keep a tab on where the other character is and alternate control between the two to get out of a situation. For example, when stuck in crossfire, you can control Samuel to a vantage point from where he can provide covering fire while you switch to Jack and get closer to the enemy’s position.

Acupressure Barbie

The voodoo powers that aid your rampage involve a voodoo doll that you can whip out and unleash dirrrty powers such as Possession and Telekinesis amongst others. You can use both effectively in the course of the game possessing AI and rendering enemy ranks hollow form the inside. Telekinesis allows you to levitate enemies and bang them around as well as watch the physics engine including rag doll physics giving those flailing arms a life of their own. These voodoo powers combined with controlling two characters at the same time adds an interesting twist to the gameplay. Expect certain levels that require a combination of wits and brawn to get you through.

Mindware is also developing online cooperative multiplayer which could let you and a friend to run together through sewers and black churches. In the hope of starting a franchise, they are also trying to offer levels, music, online statistics and replays showing off voodoo skills for download. Watch this space for more info on Voodoo nights as we get the details.