Raze's Hell
| Raze's Hell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Artech Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Majesco Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | Xbox, Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) |
Xbox Originals |
| Genre(s) | Action, Third-person shooter |
Raze's Hell is a video game on the Xbox console. The game is rated "M" by the ESRB for blood and gore, language, mature humour, and violence. Published by Majesco Entertainment and developed by Artech Entertainment, Ltd., it was released on April 21, 2005 and December 10, 2008 on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Plot
For centuries the Kewletts, a cute and happy race, lived an idyllic existence inside the hallowed walls of Kewtopia. They never mingled with the creatures and beasts outside the gates of their city. They never ventured forth from their perfect world for any reason whatsoever due to the fact that they had everything they needed inside: a wonderful princess, perfect weather, wealth, privilege, the whole enchilada.
Then one day, the Princess made a momentous and somewhat surprising announcement – the Kewletts for the first time in their history would venture beyond their borders for the grand purpose to purify the "ugly" from the rest of the world.
The Kewletts' increasingly vicious colonization efforts are going along swimmingly until they run into Raze, an ugly, simple beast who is transformed when he accidentally stumbles upon some ancient artifacts.
As Raze's heroics spark a swelling underground guerrilla movement, the Kewletts realize they have a real fight on their hands.
Characters
- Raze – General anti-hero, and the protagonist. While the Kewletts are destroying his village, Raze returned to witness his people being slaughtered by the Kewletts. Frightened by this, he ran deep into a forest and eventually came across a cave. Inside he found an ancient artifact which transformed him into an armored rage-filled version of himself, able to use squibs as weapons, he sets off on a journey along with Slivh to save his species. Now it is up to him to fight this invading, yet cute force.
- Slivh – A flying imp-looking creature who was the keeper of the artifact that transformed Raze. He joins Raze and helps him by giving Raze instructions on what to do. It is later revealed that he is a son of the Princess and twin brother to Nylus. His hidden agenda is to overthrow the Princess and become the new king of Kewtopia. He is a Huggly. He has a British accent. At the end of the game, Slivh declares a cease-fire. It's implied that he has no intention of keeping the peace, despite the fact he helped Raze.
- Nyluus – Another flying imp-like creature that serves as Kraag's advisor similar to how Slivh helps Raze. However he ends up double-crossing Raze twice and gets Slivh captured. He is the twin brother to Slivh and is obsessed with winning the favor of his mother: The Princess. He does end up meeting with the Princess who rejects him. Her servant Dr. Mingle kills him during an experiment known as a "Huggly reversal surgery". He is also a Huggly. He has a British accent.
- Kraag – A monster from another race of creatures that are also under assault by the Kewletts. He is initially held captive by the Kewletts, but after he is freed he helps Raze out with the resistance against the Kewletts.
- The Shaman – A holy man from Raze's race. After Raze frees him from Kewlett captivity, he helps later by summoning a creature known as "Big Momma". He also gives advice to Raze.
- Zorlach – An ancient deity that protects Raze and Kraag's people and who powers the ancient artifacts. He provides Raze with powerful spells upon his release.
- Big Momma – A large, flying whale-like creature that is summoned by the Shaman to protect Raze. It attacks by dropping eggs on the Kewletts.
- Shnow – A large, bipedal, bug-eyed creature that serves as a beast-of-burden in Raze's world. These creatures are used by Kewletts and the hinterland monsters. One Shnow in particular helps Raze when he first enters Kewtopia.
- The Princess – The leader of the Kewletts, she is the one responsible for the bloodshed of anything un-cute. The Kewletts all give her praise for her seemingly peaceful expansion efforts. In public, the Princess claims she started "Operation Fresh Hope" to liberate the monsters that live outside of Kewtopia. Her true motive though is to claim three ancient artifacts so she can improve her looks. She is capable of shooting powerful electric shocks; however, she gains these powers through four generators within her castle. In the end, Raze kills her for all the trouble she has caused. The Princess is a Huggly, or an ugly Kewlett. Slivh and Nyluus are her sons who she abandoned to hide this fact. Unlike her sons, she grew into her Huggly form whereas they were born into it. For years, she hid her Huggly identity from her subjects. Her cute exterior is really a mechanical outfit. She has a British accent. She warns Raze that Slivh isn't to be trusted.
- Dr. Mingle – A Kewlett doctor who assists the Princess. He is a parody of Dr. Mengele and insists that his name is pronounced "Ming-eh-leh" and not "Ming-el" and even has a German accent. He uses Nyluus in a failed experiment that ultimately kills him. The Princess executes Dr. Mingle afterwards.
- Max – A Kewlett newscaster for QTV. He is mindlessly loyal to the Princess and even has his co-worker Mya executed for treason against her. Near the end of the game, he is promoted to Information Minister.
- Mya – Max's first co-worker. She ends up being skeptical of the Princess and her war. This upsets Max who informs the Princess of Mya's dissent. She is subsequently executed, though Max covers this up as a "treadmill accident".
- Polly – Max's second co-worker. She replaces Mya. Like Max, she is loyal to the Princess.
Gameplay
Raze's normal attacks consist of using his wrist blade and rolling similar to a Goron. When a Kewlett is killed, it either splatters on the screen or bursts into bloody chunks. Raze can suck up these Kewlett chunks to refill his health. Raze can also go into stealth mode and sneak up on unsuspecting Kewletts.
Raze can also suck up special, multi-colored insects call Squibs. These insects serve as ammo for Raze to shoot at the Kewletts. In the context of the story, the Kewletts want to exterminate all the Squibs. Squibs can either be found in native plants or Kewlett boxes. There are different types of Squibs with varying effects, such as:
- Ripper – Raze’s "base" weapon, these rapid-fire Squibs behave in a machine-gun like way. Short to Medium range.
- Spiker – Raze spits these things in a single shot or a charged shot. The single shot-firing mode is accurate and powerful, while the charged shot absorbs more ammo but is equally as accurate and more deadly.
- Blaster – Raze uses these Squibs like a rocket launcher.
- Driller – These Squibs cause instant death by drilling into the head of the victim using his 'sniper ability'.
- Smasher – Short range but deadly like a shotgun.
- Igniter – A Squib that splashes an oil-like substance upon impact which is easily ignitable by either Raze or Kewlett guns.
- Bloater – When shot with this Squib, Kewletts are inflated like balloons and helplessly float up in the air, vulnerable and alone.
- Seeker – After they’re fired, Raze can fly these Squibs around. Raze is vulnerable to attack while guiding these 'remote controlled' Squibs.
- Lurker – This ugly thing crawls around and then blows up. Like the seeker but on the ground.
- Splatter – Much like the Ripper but shoots paint, covering the opponent's screen. Only available in multiplayer mode.
- Humiliator – Just as the name suggests, it is a very humiliating experience to be shot by it. Only available in multiplayer mode.
Raze can also breathe fire by sucking in flames much like he does the Squibs. There are also red crystals scattered about the levels that explode when attacked.
The Kewletts
The Kewletts are a race of creatures that parody different types of cute creatures found in the media. They live in a city-state called Kewtopia. Their ruler is the Princess. Kewletts get their news from a show called QTV. Before the events in the game, the Kewletts lived isolated from the rest of their world. Their first attempt at diplomacy with the creatures of the hinterlands was brief and failed. Afterwards, their Princess decided to launch "Operation Fresh Hope" to "cutetify" all of the monsters outside of Kewtopia.
The true nature behind "Operation Fresh Hope", unknown to most Kewletts, is the retrieval of three ancient artifacts that the Princess desires due to her being a Huggly. Because the Kewletts are intensely nationalistic, they support the idea of expanding Kewletts throughout the war have no problems with ethnically cleansing the hinterlands of all monsters. Their belligerent, racist worldview is in sharp contrast to their cute, gentle appearance. It's implied, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, that Raze's Hell is a criticism of the Iraq War. QTV's news tickers mention things like a "Candy for Oil Program" and how regime-change in the hinterlands has liberated the monsters.
The Kewletts come in many different shapes and sizes, each with their own types of weapons and personalities, such as:
- Kewlett Gunner – The first line of defence, these small Kewletts carry semi-automatic Death-in-the-Boxes. They look like Teletubbies only shorter with two antennae on their heads.
- Kewlett Axer – They look the same as the Kewlett Gunner except they carry lollipop axes and can be defeated very easily.
- Special Ops – They also look the same as the Kewlett Gunner except they wear red-brown camouflage with night-vision goggles. They usually arrive into battle by dropping down on heart-shaped balloons.
- Gunner Bear – These medium-sized white bears carry assault rifles and are more aggressive than the Kewlett Gunners. They hate monsters and talk about battles they've been through while fighting.
- Grenadier – These small Kewletts resemble the Kewlett Gunners except without any antennae or visible ears. They dress in yellow jumpsuits and carry grenade launchers. They seem to have an addiction to sugar and monster energy drinks which as a result makes them very hyperactive.
- Bomber Bear – Large orange bears dressed in overalls. These bears carry bombs in a baskett and throw them at Raze. They are the only silent Kewletts and the largest.
- Suicide Bear – Small teddy bears who chase Raze and explode using a plunger on their back. It is easy to tell when they're chasing Raze because they scream while they're after you. If you listen to a Gunner Bear it's revealed that Suicide Bears are used because their lives are cheap, expendable, and using them is convenient.
- Rocket Dogs – These are yellow bug-eyed dogs wielding bunny rocket launchers.
- Sniper Bear – Same as the Gunner Bears except they carry sniper rifles and hide from Raze to get a clear shot.
- Shotgun Bear – They also look the same as the Gunner Bears. They wear helmets and carry extremely deadly shotguns.
- Gas Grenadier – Same as the Grenade Kewlett except dressed in a green jumpsuit. Their grenades create a purple cloud that makes the camera move around thus making it harder for Raze to focus.
- Paintballer – A slightly larger version of Grenade Kewlett except dressed in a blue, paint-splattered jumpsuit. Whenever the paintballs hit Raze the screen gets covered in paint making it harder to see.
- Rocket Cat – These blue bug-eyed cats are a very dangerous enemy because they carry tri-rocket launchers which home in on Raze.
- Rocket Dinosaur – These smiling dinosaurs carry a single rocket launcher that also homes in on Raze. This Kewlett is a possible parody of Barney.
- Kewtinator – The strongest enemy in the game, they are a taller version of the Kewlett Gunner wearing chrome powered armor. They carry a rifle that shoots powerful blue lasers which can kill monsters very easily.
- Elite Kewtinator – An even stronger Kewtinator marked with samurai-looking rainbows on their helmets and shoulders. They have stronger armor and a faster firing rate. Three Elite Kewtinators are generals of the Kewlett Army.
- Hugglies – Ugly Kewletts. They are either born like this or they grow into it. Slivh, Nyluus and The Princess are Hugglies.
Mini-games
There are four mini-games that can be unlocked in Raze's Hell. These games consist of:
- Survival – Survive waves of Kewletts and get a high score.
- Silent but Deadly - Use stealth mode to sneak around Kewlett fortresses.
- Cojones Golf & Country Golf – Knock around a large white ball in an 18-hole golf course or play a game of mini-golf.
- Blood Rain – Protect a Shnow from hordes of parachuting Kewlett troops.
Multiplayer modes
The game features a two-player mode where two players cooperate to kill the Kewletts, as well as an online mode which features a variety of mini-games. The multi-player games consist of:
- Deathmatch – As the name implies, kill everyone.
- Team Deathmatch – Same as the above mode but with teams.
- King of the Hill – Control a hill for as long as possible.
- Team King of the Hill – Same as the above mode but with teams.
- Capture the Flag – Capture the other team's flag and return it to your base.
- Soccer – A more violent version of the real-life game that uses a Kewlett-skin ball.
Reception
The game received generally good reviews from critics praising its unique storyline and humorous dialog. Critical striking points include the rather bland cutscenes and difficulty. The game scored the following ratings:
Aggregeate review sites:
- Metacritic – 71
- GameRankings – 71.32%
References
- 1 2 "Release dates". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2008-02-15.