Othercide GDC Preview – XCAUSALITY

While at GDC last week, I had the chance to check out Othercide, the newest tactical turn-based RPG from Lightbulb Crew. When I first got the e-mail to preview Othercide, I was quite impressed by its sharp monochrome visuals and harsh-looking atmosphere. I was even more impressed when the demo I played lived up to my expectations, and got me excited for the full game.

Othercide has a wide range of inspirations when it comes to its tone and visual style. Berserk and Claymore were two of the major series that were cited as references, which is pretty clear in how bleak and hopeless the largely monochromatic aesthetic is. That’s not a knock on the game, however, as it perfectly suits the subject matter at hand. The enemies I fought were Evil Dead-esque demons, and the setting featured a number of large plague doctor statues, so the lack of color felt natural. The black, white, and gray also makes the small hints of red stand out far more, which is handy when you consider that your units health bars are their red scarves.

The gameplay of Othercide is complex but easy to understand. Each unit on the map has action points, which are used up when you have them move, attack, or execute any other commands. You can preserve points for the next turn by acting conservatively, or you can blow them all with a more offensive strategy. You should definitely choose your playstyle wisely though, as Othercide features good old-fashioned permadeath. If a unit dies, they’re gone for good, so you’ve got to be careful. This kind of punishment really keeps you on your toes, as I was for the entire demo. I had to consider whether it was worth risking a unit to try to hasten things along, but then I realized this was a GDC demo, so it didn’t really matter since I’d be gone in 15 minutes. Still, the full game’s stakes will be quite heavy.

There’s no conventional way to heal your units in Othercide, as you’ll have to sacrifice some of your daughters in order to power up and restore the health of your preferred daughters. Othercide is sure to tell you that you’ll be subjecting your chosen sacrifice to an eternity of pure suffering, which really gets you in the mood to buff your daughters up. This is followed by a bunch of red arms emerging from the ground and dragging the sacrifice down, which really hammers home just how awful a person you are. It’s wonderfully macabre and ridiculously dark, but it definitely works in the game’s favor.

Othercide is set to release later this year on PC. For more GDC coverage, stay tuned to MonsterVine.