NeverDead
DeveloperRebellion Developments
PublisherKonami
DirectorShinta Nojiri
ProducerShinta Nojiri
Shinya Fujimatsu
ArtistAtsushi Tsujimoto
WriterShinta Nojiri
ComposerMark Rutherford, Osamu Migitera, Seiro Hirose, Rina Yugi, Akihiro Honda, Kazuma Jinnouchi, Yuko Takahashi, Daisuke Kurosawa, Yasunori Nishiki
PlatformsPlayStation 3, Xbox 360
ReleasedNA: 31 January 2012[1]; JP: 2 February 2012; EU: 3 February 2012; AUS: 23 February 2012
GenreThird-person shooter, hack and slash
ModesSingle-player

NeverDead (ネバーデッド, NebāDeddo) is a 2012 third-person shooter hack and slash video game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Konami. The game was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America in January 2012 and in February worldwide. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

The protagonist is an immortal and is able to survive severe injuries. Over time, the player loses body parts and will have to collect the removed limbs by rolling into them. Players can cause large objects to crush nearby enemies, harming them but not the player themselves. The Gameplay also features puzzle elements. A female partner assists the player, however she is not immortal and the player gets injured trying to protect her.[2]

Plot

The player controls a wisecracking human demon hunter named Bryce, who was cursed with immortality five hundred years ago by the demon king Astaroth. Now in modern times, he hunts demons for money and revenge with a female private investigator in order to stop a demonic invasion that has nearly destroyed the city.[3]

Characters

Bryce Boltzmann

Voiced by (English): David Lodge[4]
Voiced by (Japanese): Hiroshi Shirokuma[4]

A wisecracking demon hunter who was cursed with immortality five centuries ago by Astaroth after he witnessed the brutal murder of his wife at the hands of the aforementioned demon king. Since then, he has become a disheveled, bitter alcoholic who hunts demons for money and revenge, often using his ability to remove and reattach his limbs to his own advantage. Now in modern times, he is accompanied by a female private investigator, Arcadia.[5][6][7]

Arcadia Maximille

Voiced by (English): Michelle Ruff[4]
Voiced by (Japanese): Sayaka Kinoshita[4]

Bryce's partner. She is cold and methodical.

Astaroth

Voiced by (English): Joe Romersa[4]
Voiced by (Japanese): Kiyoyuki Yanada[4]

The main antagonist of the game. Astaroth is the demon king who murdered Bryce's wife. While Bryce was horrified by the murder, Astaroth gouged out one of his eyes and cursed Bryce with immortality. Astaroth is the demon king responsible for the demon invasion in the city.

Development

NeverDead was directed by Shinta Nojiri, and developed by Rebellion Developments.[8]

Music

The main soundtrack to NeverDead was composed by Megadeth, while the credits song "Pharaoh★Love" is composed by Osamu Migitera (Des-ROW) with vocals by Megumi Nakajima or Brittney Snyder depending if the player has set the game language in Japanese or English. Also, the song was made playable in REFLEC BEAT limelight and Pop'n Music Portable 2.

Reception

NeverDead received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[9][10] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four eights for a total of 32 out of 40.[11]

The Digital Fix gave the PlayStation 3 version a score of seven out of ten and said that "its successes far outweigh its failings and for every frustration such as the pitch black sequence (where you have to set yourself on fire to find your way out) there are multiple moments of humour backed up by a solid combat system. It's not going to change the shape of gaming or be remembered forever but it far exceeds any claims that the body destruction element is a gimmick and nothing more. NeverDead deserves to be played but a sequel only deserves to happen if Konami and Rebellion give Bryce the world and freedom you will want to see him in."[12]

Digital Spy gave the Xbox 360 version a score of three stars out of five and called it "a prime example of a game that conjures an excellent premise, but then destroys it with poor design choices. We don't play games to be exhausted, we play them to have fun, and there are just too many moments in this game that feel like a chore."[13] The Escapist similarly gave it a score of three stars out of five and said, "NeverDead does try something new and original, but its mechanics are unpolished and poorly implemented."[14]

However, 411Mania gave it a score of 4.5 out of 10 and said it was "very predictable and uninspired."[15] GameZone gave the PS3 version 3.5 out of 10 and said, "We had high hopes for NeverDead, especially after seeing it at E3, but the end result falls apart as quickly as Bryce does. The gameplay never really develops a structure that leads to any fun, and the presentation's flaws are hard to overlook."[16]

References

  1. ^ Fleming, Ryan (12 April 2011). "NeverDead shows off in these new screenshots". Digital Trends. Designtechnica. Archived 15 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  2. ^ Kennedy, Sam (21 August 2010). "NeverDead Will Make Heads Roll". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  3. ^ Steimer, Kristine (2010-09-16). "TGS: Heads Will Roll in NeverDead". IGN. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  4. ^ "NeverDead - Cast Images". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived 2 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  5. ^ Steimer, Kristine (16 September 2010). "TGS: Heads Will Roll in NeverDead". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived 5 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  6. ^ McWhertor, Michael (21 September 2010). "NeverDead Preview: Amputation Amplified". Kotaku Australia. Allure Media. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  7. ^ Reed, Kristan (5 October 2010). "NeverDead (Preview)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived 16 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  8. ^ McWhertor, Michael (18 August 2010). "Step Aside! New NeverDead Screens Comin' Through!". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 20 October 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  9. ^ "NeverDead for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived 5 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  10. ^ "NeverDead for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived 28 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  11. ^ Romano, Sal (24 January 2012). "Soulcalibur V scores big in Famitsu". Gematsu. Archived 27 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  12. ^ Gallagher, Gareth (31 January 2012). "NeverDead Review (PS3)". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey. Archived 25 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  13. ^ Laughlin, Andrew (31 January 2012). "'NeverDead' review (Xbox 360)". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived 27 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  14. ^ Goodman, Paul (16 February 2012). "NeverDead Review (X360)". The Escapist. Defy Media. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  15. ^ Watson, Dan (17 February 2012). "NeverDead (Xbox 360) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  16. ^ Workman, Robert (12 February 2012). "NeverDead Review (PS3)". GameZone. Archived 16 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 May 2018.