Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²

Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²
Developer(s) Ritual Entertainment
Publisher(s) Gathering of Developers
Engine id Tech 3
Platform(s) Mac OS, Mac OS X, Linux, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)

Microsoft Windows, Mac OS

  • NA August 4, 2000

Linux

  • NA November 14, 2000
Genre(s) Third-person shooter, Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² is a third-person shooter video game made by Ritual Entertainment in 2000. A computer game sequel to the Heavy Metal 2000 animated movie, the game stars Julie in her quest to save her home planet of Eden from GITH, an ancient entity seeking to conquer the universe. Using a variety of weapons, Julie must now fight off GITH's forces while at the same time uncovering a secret hidden deep within the planet.

FAKK2 allows players to pair up and use two weapons at the same time depending on the situation - for example, sword and shield for maximum defense, sword and UZI for both range and melee capability, or dual-wield UZIs for maximum firepower. Players can also block enemy attacks and execute powerful combo moves to deal even deadlier blows to their enemies. The game uses the Quake III Arena engine (modified with Ritual's ÜberTools) and combines action with puzzle-solving. The game was ported to Linux by Loki Software, who had previously ported Quake III Arena to Linux.

Plot

This computer game takes place 30 years after the events of Heavy Metal 2000.

F.A.K.K.² stands for Federation-Assigned Ketogenic Killzone to the second level, and is the alias both of the heroine, Julie, and also her homeworld. Before the game begins, we are told that Julie has previously killed a tyrant and "would-be God" named Lord Tyler (during the events of Heavy Metal 2000), and brought the remnant of her people to a planet called Eden. The people of Eden have made a startling discovery: the waters of the planet grant an eternal life to those who drink it, and they have restored ti-rural paradise, pasturing 'creepers' (large bull-like creatures) and peacefully going about their business.

This planet is camouflaged by a FAKK2 beacon and made to look like a biohazard-strewn wasteland in the hope that it will remain hidden from any threat. However, a creature named Gith, who appears only as a disembodied cybernetic head, runs a hyper-corporation called Gith Industries whose "employees" are little more than slaves. He scavenges the universe in a ship composed of three-quarters of a planet, and is headed for a place called Na'ChThraThull, or the "place of the soft machines", which turns out to be Eden.

Then a series of explosive asteroids take the planet's shield down, and a number of nasties (actually, Gith's employees) invade the planet. These include huge mosquitoes and their source, a large queen called the Vymish Mama, skinless bearlike Grawlix, plants that shoot poison darts, huge flesh-eating plants, Gith's cybernetic Fleshbinders and Soul Harvesters. Julie, with the help of gunsmith Otto and other citizens, crawls through besieged Eden to reset the shield, in vain as it turns out, then journeys through the swamps to find a character called Gruff, who unlocks the path to the Temple of the We for her. She then overcomes the four challenges of the We before entering the final temple where the Heart of the We is kept. However, Gith is waiting for her, and he steals the Heart and uses it to bring Lord Tyler back to life, so he could have his revenge on Julie. However, Julie fights and kills Lord Tyler and wins the Heart, banishing Gith. She returns to town only to find out that her pregnant sister is kidnapped by Gith, who returns in a giant space station. It is unknown what happens next as the ending says "Thank you for playing".

Gameplay

The game contains various references to Goddess-cults. Much of the imagery surrounding Gith satirises ad campaigns (the Recruiter who spawns Swarmers in the game periodically exhorts his victims in a cheery voice to 'Join us' and claims to promote 'Peace' and 'Love'). The Fleshbinders are cyborgs who communicate by radio and have various weapons integral to their bodies. Furthermore, if Julie wounds any Eden citizen she automatically fails in her mission. The game is somewhat more narrative-driven and less strident than some of Heavy Metal's other creations or associated works.

The heroine, Julie, was inspired by Julie Strain, who provided the voice for the heroine in the movie and game. The game is linked to Heavy Metal magazine.

Legacy

Game Designer Tom Mustaine tweeted in July 2015 that he has been trying to get Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² re-released for years but unable to do so due to copyright issues.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Mustaine, Tom. "Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 13 August 2015.

External links

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