Betrayer: a black and white FPS from former F.E.A.R. devs

Blackpowder Games features six of the "key people" that helped develop F.E.A.R. and

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Blackpowder Games features six of the "key people" that helped develop F.E.A.R. and No One Lives Forever at Monolith. They have a new game due on August 14th: a black and white first-person shooter set in a haunted, early colonial-era Virginia.

Betrayer sounds a bit like Far Cry, with its open world and bow & arrow, to boot. However, its vibe is far more sinister--going for a far more horror feel than Ubisoft's game.

"Betrayer washes you ashore in the New World in 1604, where you’re expecting to join a struggling English colony on the Virginia coast. Instead you find only ghosts and mysteries in a land drained of color and life. You’ll build up an arsenal of weaponry including muskets, crossbows and throwing axes, collecting untold treasures along the way. Chart your own course through an untamed wilderness teeming with danger and discovery as you search for survivors and unravel the colony’s many mysteries," the game's official PR pitch details.

PC Gamer has a hands-on preview, if you want to read some of the finer details about the project. Betrayer will be available on Steam Early Access on the 14th. Here's the trailer:

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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  • reply
    August 5, 2013 7:00 AM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Betrayer: a black and white FPS from former F.E.A.R. devs.

    Blackpowder Games features six of the "key people" that helped develop F.E.A.R. and

    • reply
      August 5, 2013 7:11 AM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        August 5, 2013 8:37 AM

        They need to learn how to make a composed, readable, black and white scene, rather than just cranking on a filter and clamping the values, because all I saw was a noisy, unreadable mess in that trailer.

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      August 5, 2013 7:26 AM

      It's an interesting concept, but I don't see how the black and white approach helps the game at all.

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        August 5, 2013 7:29 AM

        Oops, I hit enter by accident before finishing the thought. It's just that black and white is more attributed to old film, flashbacks and the like. But the colonial era precedes film by quite a bit, so it doesn't quite work for me. And from a more practical perspective, the visuals get kind of lost and muddy with all that black and white.

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          August 5, 2013 7:56 AM

          They way they're doing the black and white, based on the video, I agree. There can be other reasons to use black and white + splashes of color, but regardless it lacks definition here. Since they're using a stark motif without a lot of shading they need to use less detailed and intricate art so the objects and details that are there stand out.

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      August 5, 2013 7:42 AM

      Looks pretty sweet. I like buying these early access games, and this looks interesting.

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      August 5, 2013 7:45 AM

      Sweet Skyrim mod, bro.

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      August 5, 2013 8:11 AM

      [deleted]

      • rms legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
        reply
        August 5, 2013 1:45 PM

        The Cat Lady used B&W, with red splashes. I had the same reaction to it initially, but got used to it, and it fit the game's atmosphere and the protagonist's character. Call of Juarez Gunslinger has a similar but less extreme aesthetic, with a desert-sun-drenched, washed-out palette and faded look .

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      August 5, 2013 8:15 AM

      Can't.

      Stop.

      Pumping.

      Cum.

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      August 5, 2013 8:57 AM

      thankfully 'developers of FEAR' doesn't mean Monolith at this point.

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        August 5, 2013 9:04 AM

        Man, I miss classic Monolith. There was a time when I would have killed for a NOLF 3.

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      August 5, 2013 9:07 AM

      Between this, Gone Home (ex-Bioshock devs who did Minerva's Den), and Hard Reset (ex-Painkiller devs who built the engine), a lot of fun games have come out of "splinter developer factions" that have abandoned their previous focus. It's also nice seeing an indie FPS to demonstrate that yes, they can be made. FPSes are more expensive to make, but they're possible.

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      August 5, 2013 9:54 AM

      Reminds me a Source mod for some reason. I'm excited though

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      August 5, 2013 10:09 AM

      Why can't someone make a black and white game that isn't just 100% black and 100% white? There's this thing called grayscale....

      Looks ok though, it'll be on my radar. The first F.E.A.R. was great.

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      August 5, 2013 10:47 AM

      It thrills me to see something new from a Craig Hubbard led studio. I loved Shogo and NOLF, and saw plenty of high points in FEAR one and two.

      This definitely looks off the beaten path and as a result pretty high on the hit or miss potential but I'll be there 8/14 to see for myself.

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        August 5, 2013 12:11 PM

        Garnett, I like you dude.

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        August 5, 2013 5:47 PM

        I 100% agree. I really hope this works out for Craig Hubbard and co. There shooter track record at Monolith is unparalleled. Looks really intriguing. I'll definitely be picking this up next week.

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      August 5, 2013 10:50 AM

      Blackpowder Games features six of the "key people" that helped develop F.E.A.R. and No One Lives Forever at Monolith.

      sold. take my money

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      August 5, 2013 11:11 AM

      yes please. First games I've been excited for in a while.

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      August 5, 2013 11:27 AM

      I love SHOGO, NOLF and MONOLITH, but this seems like a weird misstep. Blackand White Horror FPS set in colonial times? hmmmm... I guess we will see.

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      August 5, 2013 11:36 AM

      They should do a spiritual successor to SHOGO and call it RIOT, lol

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      August 5, 2013 12:04 PM

      Ehh, looks more like a gimmick than an actual aesthetic and, frankly, it looks like shit to me.

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      August 5, 2013 12:13 PM

      looks garish

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      August 5, 2013 1:36 PM

      [deleted]

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      August 5, 2013 7:46 PM

      Whats this game about? Doesn't look all that appealing, especially considering their pedigree I would expect something more captivating. I'll reserve judgement for the final product but so far what I'm seeing leaves me with more questions than answers.

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      August 5, 2013 8:49 PM

      doesnt look that great, style reminds me of Valhalla Rising

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      August 6, 2013 8:57 AM

      Looks too visually hard to figure out whats going on. :(

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