Move over, Captain Planet: Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood will be introducing a new environmentally-conscious hero with no shortage of fur, fangs, or talons. Developers at Cyanide Studios have described Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood as a multi-layered action RPG, featuring a werewolf protagonist named Cahal who works to stop the spiritually-corrupted Endron Corporation from polluting and destroying his homeland. How will this high-concept premise, taken directly from the sourcebook of the original Werewolf the Apocalypse tabletop game, translate into functional virtual gameplay? Read on to find out.
Released in the early 1990s by White Wolf Studios, Werewolf the Apocalypse was a tabletop roleplaying game about playing monsters struggling not to lose control, much like its sister game Vampire the Masquerade. There the similarities mostly ended; rather than scheming gothic vampires hiding themselves from the human herd, Werewolf the Apocalypse put players in the role of activist-minded werewolves, raging defiantly at a corrupt, environmentally destructive society and the spiritual forces of entropy that seek to destroy Gaia.
Storylines in Werewolf the Apocalypse generally revolved around player investigating suspicious events in the material world, negotiating with spirits in the spirit world and ripping both spiritual and material enemies to pieces during bouts of brutal fury. The most recent trailers released by Cyanide Studios have given fans and critics a clearer picture of how Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood will seek to adapt this three-pronged Werewolf the Apocalypse tabletop RPG gameplay to digital form – both in gameplay and in narrative.
Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood's Setting
Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood, like the original tabletop game, is set in "The World of Darkness," a grim, gritty urban fantasy version of Earth where vampires, werewolves, mages and other spooky creatures hide their existence from the large population of mortal humans. In this particular universe, werewolves, aka "Garou," are creatures of the Wyld, with the ability to change shape and interact with animistic spirits that embody different concepts of nature, technology, and culture.
The duty of werewolves is to fight the spirits of the "Weaver," a conceptual spirit that embodies order, and the spirits of the "Wyrm," a conceptual spirit of entropy. Too often, though, the greatest threats to werewolves are human civilization, which feeds the Wyrm and weakens Gaia through environmental destruction and their own primal Rage, which can drive Werewolves to turn on pack-mates and potential allies.
Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood's Gameplay
The latest gameplay trailer for Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood shows footage of three gameplay modes, each of which captures a different part of the Werewolf experience. In human "Homid" form, a player can talk with humans incognito, interact with pieces of technology, and employ weapons like guns and crossbows. In "Lupus" wolf form, a player can sneak through the woods, infiltrate high-security locations undetected, and seemingly interact with spirits of nature and technology. "Crinos," the war form, is the half-man, half-wolf shape iconic to so many werewolf movies, which a player transforms into whenever they need to rip apart teams of security guards, construction workers in power loader suits a-la Aliens, and the grotesque servants of the Wyrm.
In the latest cinematic trailer for Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood, viewers can see three contrasting visual themes, themes that embody the spiritual clash between the Wyld, Weaver, and Wyrm seen in Werewolf the Apocalypse. First, there are scenes of nature: vibrant, tangled, colorful, yet wounded. Next, viewers witness scenes of technology and infrastructure: sterile, cold, and thoroughly mechanical. Finally, as the werewolf pack crosses from the material world into the spirit world, viewers witness the spiritual corruption at the heart of the antagonistic Endron Corporation: construction equipment infested with muscle and bone, security guards twisted into creatures of writhing flesh. Implemented well, these visuals will immerse players in the unique perspective of a Garou Werewolf, conveying their distaste for both lifeless technology and unnatural defilement while making their fathomless Rage are the more relatable.
Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood's Release Date
As of right now, Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood is planned to release on February 4, 2021 for next-gen consoles. This information was released alongside the reveal trailer for Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood.