E3 2011: Immortality Is an Odd Feature in Konami's NeverDead

There's no doubt about it, dying in the middle of a game and having to start over is quite the frustrating part of gaming, but it provides a challenge that gamers can overcome. When they do get past whatever part that gives them trouble, a sigh of relief is breathed and the monkey finally gets off their back. Death has been an integral part of video games since their inception, but Konami wants to separate itself with NeverDead, featuring a protagonist that's immortal. It does sound like a pretty interesting concept, but without the death mechanic, it could prove to be a problem if there isn't enough challenge in the game.

 Konami had gone into discussion about NeverDead during Konami's pre-E3 show last night. The game tells the story about a man named Bryce. 500 years ago, Bryce was a prevalent demon hunter, taking down monsters and purging the evils of the world. He, along with his wife, challenged the Demon King but wound up losing the fight. To make him pay for his actions, the Demon King killed Bryce's wife and cursed him to immortality so that he may never join his wife in the afterlife. 

NeverDead is set as a third-person shooter and promises some crazy action, with Bryce losing limbs in combat but still fighting despite the handicap. He is capable of some crazy acrobatics as if he learned from Devil May Cry's Dante. Limbs do regenerate over time, so in the meantime Bryce will move around differently and have some other moves available to him. Players can also deliberately remove limbs to their own advantage.

It certainly is a clever mechanic, but I have to call into question the challenge of the game. In almost all games, death is the main fail mechanic. So if Bryce can't die, even if reduced to just his head, where will the challenge come from?

I imagine that perhaps losing limbs will hinder the combat and keep you from continuing in the fight, especially if Bryce loses his arms. But at the same time, I get a feeling of hesitation from this game. It reminds me of Prince of Persia in 2008, where if the Prince were to miss his mark while jumping, Elika would save him from his death every time. I understand that this was to prevent people from having to replay sections over and over again, but at the same time I felt as if the game was giving me no choice but to succeed in beating the game. 

As much as I might get upset about dying in games, I really enjoy the challenges that you have to face. It puts extra pressure on you to succeed, so when you do, you really feel like you've accomplished something. It's not known just where the challenge lies in NeverDead, but hopefully there will be something to cause some frustration to gamers. Otherwise, it's a gimmick that will get some good laughs but ultimately results in NeverDead being a shell of a game.