Set in the steampunk-influenced world of an alternative Nineteenth Century America in which steam-powered robots and high velocity weaponry has increased the duration of the American Civil War by many decades, an evil dictator by the name of Prescott aims to do away with both the Confederacy and the Union via an army that's juiced up on his own brand of super strength serum. It's a very interesting premise for a videogame world and one that delivers an equally interesting looking world for you to traverse. Sadly, that's about as much story as you're going to get out of this game as the poor scripting leaves the story lying face down on the ground.
Welcome to the bland, bland West.
If you can look past the vastly undeveloped plot - and let's face it, many gamers do it all the time - there are some noteworthy elements within Damnation that first-time developer Blue Omega should be congratulated for. Blue Omega has managed to create a game world that is peppered with levels so vast that the scope of it all is nothing short of awe-inspiring. This is apparent from the first moment a level loads up, as the camera pans across the landscape showing the many obstacles that you will have to traverse on your path to reach your goal. Upon first glance the length of the journey and the breadth of the obstacles in your way seems like an impossible gauntlet that will surely stop you in your tracks. Though as you pick up your control to move the game's protagonist Rourke through it all, you'll find that that manoeuvring through these elements is quite effortless and - for the large part - enjoyable. While this type of platforming isn't anything we haven't seen before in the likes of Prince of Persia or the Tomb Raider series, we must commend the development team for concocting a world filled with such imaginative level design.
To tie these massive levels together, Blue Omega has introduced vehicle sections to the title to spice up the variety in the gameplay stakes. Damnation's wide open spaces give gamers a chance to motor around and bag some enemies without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately the only thing these sections add to the game is a serious case of buggy gameplay - not to mention remind us of the ridiculous motorbike sections that have plagued Tomb Raider for so long.
Damnation will have you traipsing all over the environment.
Bugs are a really big issue in Damnation. In fact, if Damnation was a house we'd be calling in the fumigator. While other aspects of the game aren't as tight as they good be, the biggest letdown is the mass of bugs that are infesting the game so much that they've literally sucked all of the enjoying aspects right out of the title. Sound popping in and out of the game, floating enemies, slow loading times in the middle of a level and a number of other wacky technical issues make you stare at the screen and wonder how this game made it on the shelves of retail outlets in the first place.
Aside from the technical flaws, those gamers that enjoy platforming titles will get a kick out of some of the aspects that Damnation has to offer. Each level is so large that it offers much in the way of exploration, giving gamers multiple options to tackle their goals. In fact, there is nothing like the satisfaction of reaching your goal and looking back over the terrain that you have travelled to get there. The only shame with this excellent platforming mechanic is that it's coupled with an underwhelming third-person shooting mechanic that proves to be a frustrating mess littered with so many annoying features we'd rather not dwell over them - though if you were to create a list, it'd read something like this: an awfully inaccurate aiming system, stupid enemy AI, terrible character animation, weak weaponry and some of the worst hand-to-hand action ever coded into a videogame.
Let's climb some more.
All of this downside makes it a n even bigger disappointment when you notice that Damnation comes packaged with a solid set of features out of the box. If you have a charitable mate, you can both watch the horror unfold as the game comes equipped with a co-op option to the single-player campaign. Damnation also comes packaged with a multiplayer option that proves to be a quick distraction, but ultimately you'll put it down quite quickly as the game's inherent flaws are just as glaringly obvious in multiplayer as they are during the single-player portion of the title.
Overall, Damnation is an unfinished title with a concept and scale to rival some of the best shooters on the market. Sadly, the poor execution and bug riddled gameplay makes you wonder how great this title could have been with a little bit more quality control.
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