~Even sinners have their dreams~
Shoot, slice, and cast spells through the isolated ruins of a Nazi castle to uncover the dark secrets hidden within its walls in this eerie 2D action adventure for Windows PC.
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Black Camelot is a 2D action adventure currently being developed for the Windows PC. It is a tale set in the early 80' about dark supernatural events unfolding behind the walls of an isolated Nazi castle hidden deep within the inaccessible mountains. Black Camelot can be described as a 2D mix of dark thematics and fast-paced gameplay with the added ability to control multiple characters and experience their story while exploring a large haunted castle and its surroundings.
FEATURES
✞ Fast-paced, varied shooting action with violent melee combat
✞ Deep and intriguing story arc with multiple playable main characters
✞ Ability to control EVERY character (friend or foe) and experience their backstory
✞ Multiple game modes and side content with high replay value
✞ Variety of dark themes and aesthetics with mild horror elements
Gameplay
Gameplay-wise, Black Camelot is a platformer with a strong emphasis on fast-paced diverse shooting action, story, and atmosphere. Depending on the type, the main characters have the skills of fast and fluid movement, but also many combat abilities that players will have to use to overcome a variety of enemies and obstacles.
Movement:
Fluid movement is one of the key elements of Black Camelot gameplay. The player has a series of actions at his disposal that allow him to move quickly and accurately in all directions.
Combat system:
Combat in Black Camelot is the most important aspect of gameplay. It is conceived as a tense outplay during which the player must make quick and correct decisions as well as react precisely to the circumstances.
Gunplay:
Shooting from an automatic weapon is the basic form of confrontation with enemies.
Weapon mods:
There are several different modifications for the assault rifle that completely change its properties. Each of them has specific characteristics in the form of penetration, speed, strength, and efficiency depending on the enemy type.
Melee combat:
In addition to shooting, hand-to-hand combat also plays an important gameplay role. The player has several attacks of this type, as well as the possibility of instant executions in certain situations.
Throwables:
As a secondary weapon, the player has several types of throwables that deal significantly more damage to enemies.
Perks:
Also, with the help of various perks, the player can temporarily increase the speed, health, resistance, or damage he inflicts.
Upgrades:
The game has an upgrade system that can improve and enhance all the abilities and weapons.
Traps and items:
In addition to the enemies in the game, there are numerous interactive objects that can help or harm the player. When activated at the right time, these objects become very useful deadly traps against the opponents.
Enemies
Another key element of the game is the enemies themselves. Enemies in Black Camelot are quite different in strength and endurance, but what differentiates them, even more, is the behavior that is designed to force the player to use every ability during the fight. Each enemy type has its weaknesses as well as resistance to a particular type of attack and weapon.
In addition to making the protagonist's path more difficult, enemies can also serve as a useful combat and narrative tool, by giving the player the ability to take control of any of them in several ways:
Story campaign:
Among other things, more prominent antagonists have their playable sections during the main campaign, which are an indispensable part of the story, thus enriching the overall experience. In this way, the player will further explore the events, characters, and motives behind their actions.
Telecommand:
This is a particularly useful ability that is acquired by progressing through the game. With it, the player can control any enemy in sight, thus gaining all the weapons and abilities that the given enemy has at his disposal. During this ability, the player has the opportunity to explore the biography and specifics of the individual he controls.
Challenges:
Unlockable challenges will be present in the game where the player will have complete control over some prominent enemies. In these challenges, the player will be faced with test rooms specifically designed for the type of enemy he controls. By completing them, he will be able to find out the details, specifics, and history of these enemies.
All these elements combined make the gameplay in Black Camelot a well-rounded and rich gaming experience.
Story
✞The isolated mountains. The seemingly abandoned ruins of a Templar castle.
As a perverted product of a secret neo-Nazi experiment, the resurrected medieval nobleman roams the cursed corridors on his mystic quest.
What kind of bloody secrets will he uncover on his dark crusade? ✞
The story in Black Camelot is an important aspect of the game. Basically, to a greater or lesser extent, it follows three main characters whose paths are intertwined and whose goals are opposite and end at the same point. This creates interesting dynamics, tense relationships between characters, and a handful of twists and turns. No character in this violent story is completely white or black, right or wrong, good or bad. Each has their motives, beliefs, and goals, and it is up to the player to characterize them as he experiences them.
This game will gradually discover its dark secrets and a story full of reversals, more by "showing" rather than by narrative sequences. However, players will be able to complete additional side content or find documents, diaries, letters, and the like, which could provide many important details and help them to fully understand and complement the world and the story of Black Camelot.
PLOT
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“The year is 1981. World War II is long over. Most of Europe is boldly moving towards progress, and the life of Europeans at the end of the Cold War is more or less normal. However, in some places, time seems to have stopped. Strange as it may sound, many places in Europe itself have not been fully explored. Our story follows the events of just such a place.
Far to the north, in the inaccessible mountains, lies a fortress hidden from the eyes of the world. This fortification is actually a small complex consisting of a collapsed medieval fortress under which is tucked a village inhabited by quite specific inhabitants. They have lived their lives hidden for more than thirty years in these mountains. They consist mostly of high-ranking German scientists and operatives of the Third Reich who were transported to this place during the secret operation "Snow Blindness" to continue their research in secret. They continued their activities here even though the war ended in victory for the Allies. However, it wasn't only scientific works that were in question here but also numerous techno-magical experiments. The reason for that is that this place became a refuge for the very top of Ahnenerbe, a secret society in the service of the Reich, which studied occult pseudoscience for years and practiced it regularly. The combination of advanced technology and magic made this place a new Nazi center where various ideas of their leaders were embodied in sinister abominations. The most valuable relics and treasures acquired in expeditions all over the world were transported here.
They provided them with incredible financial security and enabled their "tentacles" to reach far without being noticed. For years, they lived, worked, and created in secret behind the thick walls of the castle, waiting for the right moment to strike back at their enemies and regain what they thought belonged to them. This place was the center through which all the escaped high-ranking Nazis from all over the world were in contact. Thus coordinated, using the knowledge they have acquired over the years, they have made discoveries that go deep into the "territory" of the supernatural.
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The culmination of the techno-magical achievement of this community is the "Black Knight" project. Plans for this project date back to before the Second World War, but have only now been fully realized. The combined knowledge of the top of Ahnenerbe and the technological research department has produced an "object" of incredible power that could finally lead them all to victory. That "object" is not really just an object in its entirety.
Namely, these are the mortal remains of medieval warriors who were brought back to life through a series of ancient rituals and special experiments. The whole complex contains an abundance of tombs, so this may be the logical direction in which the SS leaders were headed. This process, although very dangerous, is in itself perfected and has been practiced for some time even on recently deceased members of the community. However, these resuscitated subjects do not have sufficiently restored cognitive abilities and are therefore difficult to advance to higher level warriors. The Black Knight project should be a solution to this problem. The plan is to completely renew the intellectual abilities of the deceased, actually returning a part of the soul itself to the body. Then, according to the plan, strengthen, reprogram, and train the renewed subject for the most demanding combat tasks. The whole project is in the final phase.
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That finally brings us to one of the protagonists of this story - the Black Knight of the last generation. When he closed his eyes for the last time, in the 13th century, Sir Anselm could not have dreamed that his research in the field of anatomy and alchemy would be a key part of this Nazi puzzle after more than seven centuries. Considering his aristocratic origins as well as the wide knowledge that would be useful to Ahnenerbe, it is no coincidence that his very remains were chosen for this magical experiment. According to the latest secret reports, this time they succeeded. Part of the soul is returned to its reanimated corpse, making it a fully operational individual resembling a living human being. However, the Nazis made one key omission: they did not count on emotions, memories, and dreams that came with the soul in an inseparable form...
...and even deceased sinners have their dreams.”
World
The ruined mountain castle and its immediate surroundings represent a specific world that the player will gradually explore during the playthrough. Besides the main tasks, necessary for further progression through the story, there will be many optional objectives that will deepen the experience.
Although the story takes place on a mountain peak, the locations that the player will visit during the game vary considerably in their aesthetics and themes.
Graphics and Style
Looking at the graphics, this is strictly a 2D game with the monochrome foreground. This style adds intensity to the atmosphere and contributes to the overall impression. The theme varies depending on the part of the game. It is always specific and introduces new elements, but in essence, it captures the atmosphere of a dark and violent world.
The combat itself is quite violent too, as are the numerous scenes throughout the story itself. Overall the game aims for 16+ audiences. There are also mild horror elements included.
Overall, a deep but transparent mature story and violent fast-paced action combined with the specific visual style of the characters and the environment are some of the strongest aspects that define Black Camelot.
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On the technical side, the game (in the current stage of development) aims at a fluid performance at 60 fps at a maximum of 1080p resolution on a PC.
Content
In Black Camelot emphasis will be on the main campaign as the core of the game, which will be filled with content, with a great number of collectibles, hidden areas, unlockables, and a rich story that will encourage players to explore and replay the game.
In addition to the main campaign of the game, SURVIVE and CHALLENGE modes are planned to be included.
In Survive mode the player will face waves of enemies while trying to survive as long as possible and achieve a better result. Naturally, with better results and a higher number of survived waves comes stronger enemies, but also additional rewards which will further complement the overall experience.
Challenge Mode presents a series of Time Trials and other challenges that are unlocked by progressing through Story mode. The goal of this mode for the player is to pass the given range in the shortest possible time while eliminating all enemies.
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Current State
The intensive development of Black Camelot started in mid-2019. Currently, the game is out of the early alpha stage and is partially playable. Regardless of all, the main intended goal is to make a game packed with content, challenges, action, and stories that will provide players with a rich gaming experience, and accordingly it will be released when those goals are met.
Contact
If you have any ideas, suggestions, or criticisms that can contribute to this project in any way, I would be more than happy to hear your opinion. Thank you.
Marko Vuković