Coming from one of the genius minds behind games like Fallout 3, The Axis Unseen looks like a blend of everything that the creator has experienced in his career. Considering how Nate Purkeypile spent 14 years at Bethesda, it’s natural for his solo effort to include inspirations from the titles that he worked on as the developer’s employee.
Skyrim is one of Bethesda’s most iconic titles, which is something that Purkeypile’s also been a part of, but the Just Purkey founder makes it clear that his horror game has plenty of fresh elements to differentiate it from his previous works.
How The Axis Unseen Differentiates Itself From Other Bethesda Games
Parting ways with Bethesda and deciding to create an indie game through a newly founded studio takes a special kind of confidence, so when we had a conversation with Nate Purkeypile about his title, he provided us with insight about what makes The Axis Unseen stand out. “Some people joke that my game is a game just about being a “stealth archer” like in Skyrim,” stated the Just Purkey founder when asked if Bethesda fans’d find familiar aspects in his horror title.
Continuing that his “game plays pretty differently,” Purkeypile mentioned that it’ll feel more like “a hunting game” as compared to the previous titles that he has worked on.
Bethesda’s catalog is usually praised for its world-building abilities and RPG elements, but the combat in acclaimed titles like Skyrim has been a cause for criticism. Fortunately, Purkeypile seems to have improved on it in his game, stating that “there’s a lot more depth to the combat with things like wind direction mattering, tracking creatures, etc.”
Although there are situations in The Axis Unseen that encourage the players to take a “stealthy” approach, they can completely “ignore” it, but the developer says the latter route is much “harder.”
Not All Creatures in Purkeypile’s Game Have the Same Weakness
To elaborate on the game’s combat depth, Purkeypile gave the “weaknesses between creatures” as an example, which means that although a headshot can be effective against some enemies, it doesn’t do much to others like the Horned Beast, requiring players “to shoot it in the lungs.” Similarly, regular arrows work fine against some creatures, but others require “the fire arrow” to take them down.
The Just Purkey founder stated that he’s also added “custom behaviors” to some of the creatures; for example, there’s one that only moves when players aren’t looking at it, making it a terrifying jump scare opportunity.
With the inclusion of unique mechanics not even found in AAA games, The Axis Unseen is shaping up to be an ambitious title, and given the kind of faith Purkeypile has, it seems like it may live up to its promises.
Are you looking forward to playing The Axis Unseen? Let us know in the comments!
