Developer/Distributor:
Microids
Projected Release Date: November 2001
Platform:
The first time I saw Druuna
hidden in a secluded corner of the Microids press room at the
E3, I literally did not know what to think–it was unlike anything
I had ever before seen in an adventure game, but the disturbing images
and well-endowed heroine were burned into my retina. Francois Picard,
Microid’s Public Relations Manager, attempted to explain the game’s
backstory, a losing battle amidst the noise and flashing monitors
in the crowded room, but I put this game on the back burner of my
mind for future reference.
Now that I have had ample
time to research the history of Druuna, I am even more impressed.
Druuna: Morbus Gravis is very unlike what any gamer in North
America is accustomed to in their copasetic gaming world. Unlike many
games that pretend they are for adults but are marketed toward children,
Druuna is unabashedly, unflinchingly for adults only, and no
apologies are offered. She is, in her animated novels, usually nude
or topless, and to call her well-endowed would be a supreme understatement.
Druuna: Morbus Gravis
is based on a very famous erotic comic by the Italian author Paolo
Eleuteri Serpieri. His works are considered as “Fumetto d’Autore,”
which, translated literally, means “Author’s Comics” to
distinguish them from the many low-content mass productions of most
of the modern comic houses. Druuna’s erotic science-fiction universe
has been faithfully reproduced in 3D and motion capture animation.
The graphics are best described as the vicious characterizations of
Clive Barker set amidst a demented H. R. Giger. Druuna is not
a game for the weak of heart or mind.
Druuna’s universe is a
postatomic cyberpunk world where chaos, sex, violence, mutants, and
pestilence (morbus gravis means severe disease in Latin) reign. The
game begins with Druuna connected to a dream machine in a vegetative
state. A symbiotic computer linked to her brain allows you to browse
through her memories and relive the circumstances that condemned her
to this state while simultaneously avoiding the people suffering from
a terrible virus that has transformed them into bloodthirsty beasts.
Once you have succeeded in “hooking up” with Druuna’s brain,
you must find the serum that will lead to salvation. The search for
the antidote is only half of the adventure, though, as Druuna will
then have to face the high priests of her world.
The game is an adventure
with some 3D action “inserts.” It has six CDs, can be controlled
via gamepad or keyboard, and its inventory objects will automatically
be used whenever the right location or character is encountered. The
action part of the adventure is simply running to escape from dangerous
situations. Druuna does not shoot or kill anyone, but she can die.
This is a “must experience” game for anyone tired of the
sameness of the gaming industry.
Now I have to be honest
and admit that I don’t understand why futuristic erotic comics with
beautiful naked women saving the universe are so popular in Europe,
but then I also don’t understand why mind-numbing blood-fests like
Doom and Quake are so popular in the United States.
But given my druthers–I think I would choose the sexy Druuna over
a cold machine gun any time.
Download the video here.
Thank
you to reader Martin Legner for providing some of the material for
this preview.
