God of War and The Witcher have served as inspiration for a lot of fantasy worlds, CD Projekt Red’s more than any.
Both video game series have their talents, with God of War being more about combat whereas The Witcher focuses its attention on a compelling narrative and an open-world.
They’re delightful games so it’s no wonder other video game worlds have been directly inspired by them, both in terms of story and world design. This upcoming Steam game feels like one of those titles, but it’s got a massive problem…
Whilst browsing through some of the imminent and long-awaited Steam releases I stumbled across Epitome, an open-world game that actually looked pretty good at first-glance, that is until I delved a bit deeper.
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The promotional images and gameplay footage gave me a look into a gorgeous new world, boasting intimidating characters wearing cool armour and combat that looked a little rough around the edges but fun all the same.
Epitome lets players choose their preferred classes and sets them free to make their own adventure. All sounds great right?
Unfortunately as I scrolled through the game’s Steam page one line stood out amongst the rest, “In Epitome, NPCs aren't just background characters—they're dynamic individuals powered by advanced AI who adapt to your choices, shaping the narrative as you explore.”
Further down Steam gives the game away with a description on what kind of AI the game uses and what specifically it’s used for, and it unfortunately killed all of my ambition to play.
It read: “Our advanced AI enables lifelike conversations, merchant negotiations, and AI-generated quests tailored to your playstyle.
"Soon, AI Player Companions will join you on your quests, assist with tasks, and even help while you’re AFK.
“These AI Companions will grow alongside you, feeling more like friends than game characters, making every adventure deeply personal and immersive.”
Now everyone’s stance on AI can be different and props to the Epitome team for at least being transparent with how much AI was used in the game’s development, but I’d imagine this will lead to a divisive launch when it’s ready to come out.
At the moment there’s no release date to speak of.
It’s a shame we have to survey a game’s description so closely nowadays, because you never know if what you’re looking at is real or the result of AI.
While Epitome may still be your cup of tea if you like God of War and The Witcher, be warned.
Topics: Free Games, God Of War, Steam, The Witcher