When Konami showed the following trailer at its press event last night, I was taken aback:
Wow, that sure looks like Shadow Complex, right? They couldn't even avoid using the word "complex" in the trailer. So the split for me was between shaking my head at a game that looked like a shameless clone of one of last year's best games and getting all excited because I'd totally play through a Shadow Complex clone, especially one that's knife-focused and bears the Rush'N Attack name.
They weren't letting folks play the game last night, but I did go take a look at the brief demo and saw that, despite the incredibly similar visual styles, Ex-Patriot is not a Shadow Complex clone. The biggest difference is that Rush'N Attack sounds like it's a much more straightforward game. It's not about collecting items that grant you access to other areas of the "complex" that you weren't able to access before. It doesn't look like they're working from the same "Metroidvania" blueprint at all. Instead, you'll work your way through three large environments, each of which ends with a boss fight. The game will have a stealth slant to it, meaning there are alarms that you can trip if you aren't careful. If and when you set off an alarm, walls slam down on either side of you and you'll have to fight a rushing force before you can proceed. EMP grenades are one of the ways you can disable alarm systems.
Of course, if you just want to stab fools, you can just charge through and set off as many alarms as you like. As you play, you'll level up, which will unlock additional knife combos. While you'll find weapons along the way, they work a lot like they did in the original Rush'N Attack. You can only fire them forward, and they have a very limited amount of ammo. So if you find a rocket launcher, you'll get three shots off and then toss it aside. As you play, you'll earn points and raise your multipliers by knifing a lot of guys. You'll also get more points for finishing a stage quickly. Online leaderboards will track your progress there and let you compare it against others, obviously.
So... yeah, it sure does look like Shadow Complex. But it's definitely sounding like more action than adventure, with just enough of the ideas from the original Rush'N Attack to set it apart. Could be cool.