Double Fine's Hack 'N' Slash Is Actually About Computer Hacking

[Steven Bogos]

Double Fine's Hack 'N' Slash Is Actually About Computer Hacking

Hack 'N' Slash is not a hack-and-slash.

Double Fine's Hack 'N' Slash, born as a part of the "Amnesia Fortnight Bundle" [http://www.doublefine.com/fortnight/] is not actually the top-down hack-and-slash game it initially appears to be. Instead, it's a rather clever and cryptic "adventure puzzler" about hacking. You know, with computers. Here's the official description of the game:

"In Hack 'N' Slash, a young elf uses her computer hacking skills to cheat her way through a classic action/adventure game. By subverting old-school gaming tropes with unique hacking mechanics, Hack 'N' Slash allows non-programmer players to experience that same sense of mystery and discovery."

If this intrigues you, you may want to head over to the Hack 'N' Slash [http://hacknslashthegame.com/] website and download the massive .JPG file. "Why is it so massive?" you ask. Well, you'll just have to figure that one out for yourself. It is a game about hacking, after all.

Project Lead Brandon Dillon says he based the game on his childhood experiences hacking games in emulators to "discover new things (and break others)." He says the game comprises of a world of puzzle dungeons based on progressively more sophisticated cheating, hacking, and reverse engineering techniques. "Instead of a sword, you get a laptop, searching for and building software to help you dismantle and rebuild the world around you."

Fans are still trying to pull more content out of the cryptic website, so stay tuned for more info on that.

Hack 'N' Slash will release sometime during the first half of 2014.

Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun [http://hacknslashthegame.com/]

Permalink

 

[hickwarrior]

Quite the spin on what you'd think it'd be. But the onyl thing I can say is how this will turn out.

At least we can wonder about it. That's not how you use english is it?

 

[Domogo]

It took about 30 seconds, to find the two song files and the txt document hidden within. Will keep updated If there is anymore

Edit: too hasty on the post, one is a movie.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

God damn, I was ninja'd.
I was about to say, £20 says it's an archive disguised as a Jpg. used to be a common trick on 4chins.
I'll have to pick this one up when I can, sounds more interesting than most games I've played recently.

 

[VoidWanderer]

This seems deliciously meta.

mmmm... Meta

*drool*

 

[RyQ_TMC]

That takes me back to when, as a wee tyke, I read about Nethack and was surprised that the title evoking cyberpunkish themes was given to a fantasy RPG.

 

[Fortyseven203]

"You may have figured out that this JPEG is more than just an image. It is not an ARG. It is not a transmedia narrative. It's just a puzzle we've built for you that will give you some more Hack 'n' Slash tidbits as you peel back its layers. If you're into that kind of thing, we hope you enjoy it!"

 

[Extragorey]

Gee, with a filename like "HacknSlashAnnounce.zip.jpg", I can't possibly imagine what other type of file it could be...
Seriously though, I didn't know that a zip file could be encoded to have an image outside the archive. Impressive.
The message in the text file is easy enough to read with word wrap - not sure why there's two identical columns though.