The live-service extraction shooterHawkedhit the market in February and has since broken the 1 million player mark, boasting treasure-hunting gunplay in the exotic and dangerous arena of X-Isle.Hawkedplayers take on the roles of Renegades—treasure hunters employed by the shady Grail organization to plunder the islands' artifacts
Game Rant recently spoke with Andrew Duthie, My.Games' Executive Producer ofHawked, about its stylistic influences, including thelive comic booklook. Duthie provides a candid look at the principles that went into designing the extraction shooter’s semi-supernatural tropical locale.
Hawked’s Comic Book Origin Story
Some games go through long phases of stylistic iteration before settling on a final look, but Duthie stated that My.Games came up with the aesthetic and mechanical concept forHawkedfrom its inception. This ensured there washarmony between the gameplay, story, and visuals, according to Duthie.
“We always had the idea of making a multiplayer treasure hunting game wrapped up in a live comic book style and so, right from the beginning, we already had a wealth of cultural materials to draw upon”
Hawked’s frame-narrative presents Renegades' quest for loot as an ongoing comic adventure, referring to quarterly seasonal updates as “Issues.” Duthie promises these updates will yield “new gameplay features, stories, characters, colors, music, map changes, and much more,” without compromising the core familiarity of the game. The primary plot line in the game’s story focuses on the Renegades' attempt to make sense ofthe mysterious glyphstone.
Hawked Marries Art and Mechanics
Thanks toHawked’s conceptual unity at inception, Duthie states that there were no dilemmas associated with marrying mechanics to enemies' visual appearances.
“Designers and artists collaborated closely to conceptualize, animate, and refine every element encountered in X-Isle. By intertwining gameplay mechanics with visual design from the outset, we ensured a cohesive and immersive experience for players.”
X-Isle is populated bya variety of different enemiesthat will attempt to impede the players' progress to the central vault, and their flight to the teleporters after acquisitions are complete. The foes range from mask-wearing island “fanatics” to Lovecraftian fish people and other aggressive bipedal fauna.
Hawked’s Stance on Figure vs. Function
My.Games keeps all of the players' gear, like the game’s unique Traverser—a grappling hook/vaulting pole—distinct from their cosmetics, ensuring a player’s looks are never impeded by mechanical necessity. It remains to be seen whether tools and mechanics will be customizable, but My.Games' promisesa steady stream of contentthroughout the game’s first Issue, including St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Love Day.
Havinga robust character creatoris important, and the ability to further refine a players' appearance is part of the core appeal of live service titles. Time will tell ifHawked’s comic book-inspired visuals can keep pace in the competitive extraction shooter genre. But the game’s irreverent style and vibrant color palate is sure to strike a chord with fans of adventure games and squad shooters alike.
Hawked
WHERE TO PLAY
Embark on the ultimate treasure hunt in HAWKED, a free-to-play online Extraction Shooter full of daring adventures, boundless exploration, and all-out PvPvE action in pursuit of ancient treasures.Adventure through a mysterious world where roguish Renegades battle monsters — and each other — to reclaim powerful relics from a lost civilization. Time to flip the page on your Renegade origin story!Play solo or team up in 2- or 3-player squads as you set out on the ultimate treasure hunt. But stay frosty – you’re not alone! Fight hordes of monstrous Disciples and outwit rival Renegades in explosive PvPvE combat. Switch up your loadout to suit the heist at hand, with a fully loaded arsenal of firearms and superpowered abilities at your disposal.Traverse X-Isle, a world lush with verdant vistas, dense jungles, gorgeous beaches, and no shortage of ancient ruins to raid. Get around with your trusty Traverser and Hoverboard, and make new discoveries as you explore every corner of this mysterious paradise… just watch out for Disciples, deadly traps, and other Renegades.Your goal is to solve puzzles, retrieve enough Glyphs to unlock the Treasury, and then claim the shimmering Artifact that lies within. Take it to an Extraction Point (along with any other treasures you’ve unearthed) for the ultimate payday. Artifacts can even be upgraded as part of your loadout — enhance and wield them to unlock game-changing new powers!
