Severance: Blade of Darkness - PC

Prior to the 32-bit era, the majority of games were considered to be 'for the kids' and the prospect of a video game being stamped with a BBFC rating of 18 was pure fantasy. But as the industry becomes increasingly popular and more open minded, age limits in double figures are not unusual. Severance, with a deserved BBFC 18 certificate, distinguishes itself as the industry’s goriest game to date, and at the same time incorporates some gripping gameplay.

After choosing a character, whose motivation is based on blood, guts and gore, you can either begin the first of the game’s challenging levels or choose to enter a flesh-ridden arena. Upon first play, those of you with reasonable graphics cards will appreciate the sheer beauty of Severance. Levels are superbly detailed and have some stunning lighting effects that really enhances the atmosphere. Environments are varied and some have fantasy themes, such as the Demon Spire or the Frozen Fortress. But the world of Severance is not sparsely populated with friendly Moomins. Instead, there is a dense world of man-eating, indescribably hideous monsters. To help you tackle these gruesome fiends, in excess of 100 weapons have been made available, but as the game progresses, many of these will become redundant. Also, you have the option to turn an auto-lock system on and off as you please, depending on your difficulty preferences. The combo system is intriguing, and sometimes gives Severance the qualities of a 3D beat-em-up, but ultimately it combines several genres and develops them into a fantastic game.
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