Nobilis gets Hard to be a God

Hard to be a God will be arriving in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2007, courtesy of French publisher Nobilis.

It's a PC role-playing game being developed by Russian brain-box Akella, and is based on the 1964 sci-fi novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

This tale takes place in the medieval world of Arkanar, a land now under the strict rule of an emerging Church, which seeks to wipe out the progressive thinking of individuals like the main hero Don Rumata.

Akella will work closely with Boris Natanovich Strugatsky to recreate the atmosphere and tension of the book, boasting gritty realism and a vast range of social intricacies.

One of the interesting approaches is the existence of two eras, the medieval and alternative future. This leads to a wide variety of weapon types, from swords and bows to miniguns, and full-plate armour to high-tech night-vision. Although we know which we'd rather have.

The combat is promised to be dynamic and made up of special attacks and abilities, which will be complemented by characters you add to your party along the way. Otherwise it sounds as though it's fairly familiar RPG territory, with stacks of equipment to collect and skills to improve.

"We are proud to extend our partnership with Akella, one of the Russia's most talented development and publishing companies," said Arnaud Blacher, managing director of Nobilis. "'Hard to Be a God' is clearly a unique game in its genre and is sure to capture the attention of the gaming community via its many qualities and huge potential."

Venture over to our Hard to be a God gallery to peruse the latest screenshots.