Some of our readers may recall hearing about the title, or at least be familiar with its presence. The Ship originally began its life as a quirky Half-Life mod, which eventually took off and is now something much more. Developers Outerlight have coated the game to make it look much less of a budget title, and has constructed a game that has hit all the right buttons with us at PALGN.
This game could be wheely fun. Cough.
You’re invited to a cruise ship thinking that you’ve won the trip of a lifetime, but there’s a slight twist. You’re a murderer, and so is that lovely lady with the umbrella and that gentlemen with the funny glasses. In fact, all the passengers on board are just part of Mr. X’s sick and twisted game referred to as the Hunt. All of the contestants are given the name of another contestant, and must murder them. However, it isn’t as simple as picking up a gun and shooting them. No, Mr. X prefers to see you do your dirty deeds with unusual techniques such as using a golf club, a frying pan, a flare gun or even a letter opener. Another interesting aspect is that none of the crew is aware of the little game that is going onboard the ship. Meaning that you’ll have to avoid being too suspicious in front of the crew’s staff, security and other passengers, or face the backhand of the law and order aboard the ship.
Of course, you're not always going to be aware of what your victims look like, how they dress and their usual stomping ground. So this is where The Sims gameplay elements kick-in. You must talk amongst other passengers to discover key information about your target, but at the same time not becoming too obvious of your intentions. It’s important to note that during all of this, you’ve got another passenger busy at work trying to track you down also. So, it’s best to fit in as much as possible, form relationships and just appear as one of the many numbers aboard the ship. To do this you must fulfill your characters needs by using the ships facilities by sleeping, eating, dancing and socialising.
Always watching. Much like that cute brunette that always follows me to work.
The Ship is made up of several modes. There’s a single player mode where gamers can tackle the story mode or arcade mode. The story mode has gamers being invited to the dream cruise, and eventually becoming apart of Mr. X’s game. Shortly after, a female journalist approaches you who’s trying to unravel the mysterious game being played on the ship. As you take part in Mr. X’s game, you’ll also assist the journalist in uncovering the stories behind the ship. Meanwhile, the arcade mode has you playing against computer opponents, which is purely a training ground before entering the online mode. The enjoyment seems to kickoff once you enter multiplayer though. Whilst playing online you are in one big hunt where you must hunt down and kill another human player, while another human player is hot on your heels trying to kill you.
The visualsaren't too fantastic, but they suit the style of the game perfectly. There’s a lot of humour in the game itself, and the characters and personalities seem to suit this game to the tee. Plus, the whole setting and vibe to it all is just so light-hearted. Besides, how often do we get to play such an odd title such as The Ship?
Those of you who are eager to get your mits on the refreshing new title can do so by downloading the game via Valve's Steam client, although the retail version won't be available until later next month.
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