Worthplaying once more has some media available for the proposed add-on to Monte Christo's steampunk action rpg Silverfall, Guardian of the Elements. You can see 6 new screens and a downloadable trailer here.

Here's Worthplaying's brief description:

Silverfall is an RPG set in a fantasy world of magic, machines and mayhem, the choices you make during the game take you along the path of nature or technology. The addon features an updated engine with improved gfx/performance, two new races, over 50 new pieces of armor, 42 new weapons, 20 new maps, and optimized multiplayer.

Worthplaying has posted six screenshots for an as yet unannounced add-on for Monte Cristo's steampunk-themed action rpg Silverfall.

Worthplaying has news of an as yet untitled Silverfall addon.  The info is brief but 10 screens are on offer:

The addon features an updated engine sporting better gfx and performance, two new races, over 50 new pieces of armor, 42 new weapons, 20 new maps, and optimized multiplayer.

gameSlave has smacked Monte Cristo over the head with a score of 4/10 for their action/RPG, Silverfall:

Silverfall, in a nutshell, is not very good. In summation it is in fact pretty terrible, but to qualify that its shortcoming are really only so glaring as they are show in such stark relief by titles who already got it right. This title lacks the hack n' slash excitement of the Baldur's Gate series, the character depth of Neverwinter Nights, the indulgent fun of Fallout, the character of Warcraft, the story of Planescape, or the polished presentation of Diab… other games. If Silverfall had in fact predated all or any of the above titles, it might have managed to be a passable gaming experience, but the ineptly implemented features lifted from prior games makes for a clumsy experience, un-engaging at best, screen-walloping at worst.

Mike "txa1265" Anderson puts Monte Cristo's stylish action/RPG Silverfall through its paces.  Here's a sample:

All of the character development and equipment and graphics goodness doesn't mean anything if the gameplay isn't fun and engaging. So how does Silverfall play? Well, this is ultimately where the game falls from the dizzying heights of excellent visuals to the mediocre execution of a standard click-attack combat-fest. Left-clicking performs the action currently assigned to that button - either melee, ranged or elemental attack - continuously on the selected target until it is dead. Right-clicking unleashes a single magical attack on a target that consumes Chi power - these are spells like Fireball or special melee attacks like Double-Strike. As you could guess, if you are dual-wielding weapons you want to use the double-attack most of the time since the attack bonus greatly outstrips any loss of defense (which you can also make up with armor). This means that in a crowd of enemies you will be clicking your way into the RSD (repetitive strain disorder) emergency room!

Read on...

I'm not sure if we'll follow the development of Silverfall on the PSP but here's a dev diary on the porting design at Worthplaying:

The companion system, the vast open levels, and the specific look and feel of the game (using outlines on characters for a kind of cell shading effect) round out what makes Silverfall PC unique. These three features were the most problematic for us. Each of them is very resource demanding.

So we went back to the basics. Silverfall is above all a hack ’n’ slash. We had to focus on monsters and the way you get rid of them, on character development, on items, and on this so-difficult-to-catch-and-give-birth-to ‘feeling of power’. It was decided to get rid of companions and have more enemies on screen instead. But to keep the tactical feeling a companion system provides, we decided to have very specific skills. The player is required to think through the moves they will use in combat, much like in Magic: the Gathering. Chained actions are at the core of the system.

A late review for Silverfall at Game Chronicles isn't at all impressed, handing down a score of 5.1/10 and recommending you play NWN2 instead:

It also doesn’t help that most objects in the world have a strange area of interaction. That is to say, many items that can be interacted with can be clicked on in only very specific areas, which may or may not correlate with their graphics. So selecting your character to cast those all-important heal or buff spells can be a difficult thing at times.

If that weren’t enough there is also a slew of poorly executed secondary quests which are usually abruptly given out and usually involve about as much interest as farming quests in any MMO. Not only that, but many of them are so poorly worded or written that most of the plot is a series of forced scenes between what seems like bored villains, and it only gets worse as the game goes on.

GameBanshee has kicked up a review of Silverfall.  Describing it as "B-grade" but worth a look if you are aware of the shortfalls, the score is 7.1/10.  Here's a bit on balance:

 In some games, a simple control scheme can still result in complex and difficult battles, but not in Silverfall. Attacks can disrupt enemies, and so faster attacks are better than slower attacks, and ranged attacks are better than melee attacks. I played a gunslinger in the campaign, and even though there seemed to be an extreme shortage of guns being dropped, I cruised through everything after the initial swamp area. Part of the problem is that you get two companions to help you with the battles, where the battles seem like they were designed for a single character, and the other part of the problem is that you gain so many skills that you can really pump up your character to the point where nothing can stand in its way. My character was supposedly using shotguns and rifles, but after his skill bonuses kicked in, it was more like he was using a machine gun, and I don’t think a single boss battle lasted more than 30 seconds.

Worthplaying has a 100Mb 1.17 patch and Editor update for Silverfall, although no details are currently available beyond that.

Update: A couple of readers have pointed out there are patch notes for 1.17 in German and French but we haven't been able to locate any English details, leaving us wondering if this is a Euro version patch only.  We'll try to follow this up.

Silverfall reviews are still trickling in, with this one at GamingHeaven awarding a score of 7/10:

Silverfall is your standard action RPG and except for a few UI changes it plays almost exactly like Diablo did over 10 years ago. You attack with your left mouse button and use special abilities with the right button. Movement is handled via the left button as well. Oops! The left mouse button controls two actions – this is bound to cause issues down the road. Even Diablo, with its stationary 2D camera occasionally had problems with this, so you can imagine all the unnecessary beatings I took because I accidentally clicked the ground next to an enemy instead of clicking on the foe himself. The other way around is even more painful – I died countless times because I clicked on a huge foe (who was covering half of the screen) instead of clicking on the ground next to him. So instead of running past the monster I ran straight at him with my sword in one hand and an open prayer book in the other (Ok, the last bit is not true. I would’ve loved to have one at hand though, considering the ass-whooping I got).

The latest Silverfall review can be found at Killer Betties, with a score of 3/5:

Overall this is a very detailed effort with a nice storyline. Not as visually stunning as a game like Oblivion, for example, but still it has a look and charm of its own. The game does become progressively more difficult as it moves along and it really isn't a game that is forgiving to beginners or people who get easily frustrated. A solid effort.

Silverfall reviews are still trickling in with Boomtown the latest to look at Monte Cristo's action/RPG.  It seems they would prefer standard good/evil paths along with other criticisms and the score is 5/10:

Another problem is caused by another potentially interesting idea. Rather than the traditional RPG alignments of good and evil, Silverfall provides you with the choice of science versus nature. Supporting one allows you access to new abilities and enhancements as you level up, along with the use of equipment specific to that alignment. Bizarrely however, the actions required in fulfilling an alignment quest are often morally dubious, for example killing a druid so that a protected grove can be mined for resources. Thus the of choice of good or evil is frequently replaced by that of inactivity or evil, and so the mechanism falls apart for anyone trying to follow a path of righteousness, or even what would pass for it in a dim light.

One of the most positive reviews we've seen for Silverfall is up at Worthplaying with a score of 8.5/10:

 Arguably the single most inventive and unique feature of Silverfall is the faction system that allows you to choose between the "old ways" of nature and the "industrial revolution" of technology. The entire game is peppered with quests that push your allegiance in one direction or another, instantly creating a massive amount of room for replay value (and that's not counting the full LAN and Internet multiplayer out of the box, either). Moreover, there are entire categories of weapons, armor, and other equipment that are locked to either nature or technology. For example, I decided to work my troll toward tech, and after installing a massive grunting gas-extractor in a swamp, I got enough technology allegiance that I could start using steam-hammers, chainsaw-swords, and "Mad Max"-chic headgear. From there, I've developed the ability to spray blasts of steam at my enemies, build up little clockwork fighters to battle at my side, and I can overdrive my neural system for a huge boost in attack power and speed.

Strategy Informer let us know they have a review of Monte Cristo's Silverfall.  The score is 7.5/10 and the short article is built around a painful metaphor:

Jessica Simpson might seem to be an irrelevant reference, we're talking about a game in which you slaughter monsters over and over again after all, and Jessica Simpson slaughters nothing but lyrics to well known songs, however there IS a connection friends, as I have a strong feeling that Jessica Simpson may well have been an important part of the Silverfall design team. Read on to find out why.

News via Worthplaying that Monte Cristo's Silverfall is heading to PSP:

Focus Home Interactive revealed that KievGames' fantasy-style hack'n slash RPG Silverfall is in development for the PSP, scheduled for later this year. While details are limited, and the game will obviously require a makeover in terms of graphics and gameplay, it will support 2 player co-op via WiFi or square off against 3 other players in the Arena mode.

Although supplied with the NA and UK retail versions, Monte Cristo now has the Silverfall map editor available for everyone via download:

The map editor, which is already included in the UK and North American retail versions of Silverfall, is now also available for download for all other Silverfall players worldwide. The editor offers a very large number of possibilities to the player - from simply adding new items or monsters, to the creation of full maps with story scenarios, quests, etc. In short, with this tool the players will really be able to create their own adventures and to share them with their friends!

Jolt has kicked up a review of Silverfall with familiar criticisms.  The score is 6.8/10 and here's an explanatory grab:

Silverfall is a game that wants you to like it, and we certainly wanted to like it. It has charm, depth, variety and a general quality about it. Unfortunately, on top of its existing handicap of being not quite as good or as different as it could have been, and indeed, needed to be, problems such as a jerky camera, occasional frame-rate issues, a pretty useless mini-map and schizophrenic path-finding compound and consign the game to be soon forgotten.

There's a second review at GPM today, this time dealing with Silverall.  It's short and not particularly well written, with a score of C+ .  Here's a bit on balance:

Another thing is the balance of the game. The balance between spell users and the fighter types is very bad. Spell users have a HUGE advantage at the beginning of the game, and really during the whole entire thing I've found. Because all you really need to do is freeze, attack, freeze, attack, etc until they are dead. As for the fighters, you have the chance to miss (which is great), armor makes a big difference, and there are more skills to aid the fighter specifically, so the ability points are spread out more thin like.

Strategy Informer has reviewed Silverfall, awarding a score of 7.5/10.  Here's a snip:

In an inspired moment of madness, the underlying theme of the game is choosing between nature and technology. Which will you align yourself with? Depending on which you choose, you gain acess to different “skill trees”. Here's where you might start to get a little frustrated if you like just being about to pick up random skills as you see fit.

To explain, if you're the type who likes to play Necromancer/Barbarian/Hairdresser type characters, you're not going to be happy. This is because Silverfall requires skills to be built upon, and every skill you learn opens up some options and effectively blocks others off. It's all a bit like life really, unfair.

Suggesting you should go play Titan Quest instead, IGN has slammed Silverfall with a score of 5.5/10 for bugs, design issues framerates having "epilectic fits" but there are some begrudging admitted good points:

Though there are many parts of Silverfall sure to frustrate, such as the physics system that permits items dropped from monsters to tumble irrecoverably into nearby pits and ponds, the game at least got the core action-RPG elements right. As silly as the concept is, the game manages to generate that addictive urge to find better equipment, topple more powerful enemies, and then hope those enemies drop better equipment to defeat even more powerful enemies. To add some variety, the game gives you to the options to reorient your character's statistics and abilities whenever you like (assuming you've got the cash), which allows you to experience all the game has to offer without starting all over again. Silverfall can be pretty, even if the environments are generic, and the areas are populated with some interesting looking creatures. Unfortunately it doesn't perform all that well, especially if you try to use the over-the-shoulder camera view. We experienced a fairly regular and sometimes major hit to the framerate, in addition to extremely lengthy loading times.

2404 has a review of Silverfall that continues a familiar theme.  The score is 7/10 and here's the conclusion:

When I first started playing, I was impressed with the game, as it seemed the first real advancement since the Diablo genre was created years ago.  After one play-through, though, I’m done with it.  There are, of course, options to play on two higher skill levels once you’ve completed the basic game, but with no new skills or interesting treasures, and combat that’s all the same, there’s no point.  The game never crashed on me, which is a plus, and there are at least some hints of new ideas here, but for the most part this is a forgettable action RPG, one to play through once and put on the shelf.

The same score and the same Diablo II references are in the Armchair Empire's review:

One of the difficulties I’ve encountered in writing game reviews is considering  new games objectively without dwelling too much on my sentimental favorites and the looming shadows that they cast.  Diablo II was one of the first PC fantasy games that really got under my skin, partly because of its ingeniously simple yet surprisingly variable gameplay, partly because it was truly exciting but mindless enough to actually feel like relaxation (ie. compare this to recent RPG’s like Oblivion, which is wonderful but sometimes feels uncomfortably closer to work than play at times).  So while I wasn’t expecting Monte Cristo’s new RPG Silverfall to be the heir to the Diablo throne when I first saw those tantalizing preview screenies, I was perhaps hoping for a fun Diablo niece or nephew at least.  And, unfortunately, what I get from Silverfall, despite moments of genuine enjoyment and ingenious creativity, is balanced by enough disappointments that it’s hard to give a wholehearted endorsement.

GameSpot's review of Silverfall follows a now-familiar pattern, with praise for the art and character system and criticism on the level of polish.  The score is 6.5/10 and here's a snip:

Silverfall is the latest in a long line of action role-playing games, and it's brimming with possibilities. It's got neat cel-shaded character models, a whole lot of cool monsters, and the tried-and-true clickfest Diablo formula going for it. It could have used a whole lot of buff and polish, though, and sloppy design elements wiggle their way into almost every aspect of the game. If you like action RPG's, you'll get a good amount of gaming out of Silverfall, but you won't find any of the slickness of Dungeon Siege II or Titan Quest.

Another mixed review for Silverfall with Play.tm awarding 60%.  One of the main criticisms is control, although interestingly the basic complaint could be levelled at almost every hack'n'slash RPG:

The other big problem that becomes apparent early on is the control issues I mentioned at the start of the review. You control your character via the mouse, using a point and click method to move around while the camera can be controlled by either pushing the mouse to the sides of the screen or using the arrow keys. It's a system that works fine, although as ever point and click movement in a 3D world leads to the inevitable, albeit occasional, path finding issues. The real problems arise when you factor in that to attack an enemy you, yep you guessed it, point and click on them, meaning that in the heat of battle a misplaced click will send your plucky character happily wandering into the midst of the enemy horde rather than keeping his distance and lobbing fireballs at them as you intended. It's not even like enemies have the good grace to simply stand still while you attack them, meaning a left click that resulted in a deadly sweep of your blade a split second ago next time results in you walking casually into the path of the swirling axe of doom. You do of course use the right mouse button for combat as well and can also map some attacks to the keyboard which cuts down on the problem a bit but manually changing the controls to one's far less intuitive feels a lot like working round the game's design flaws which is really something that should have been done before you paid for it. Frustratingly it's a problem that Monte Cristo clearly recognised at some point in development, one section in the tutorial actually includes the warning 'click carefully to avoid accidental movement' or words to that effect. Perhaps next time guys, when you find yourself having to include warnings like that in the game, you should take that as a hint and rethink the controls a little, its not like PC gamers have a problem with controlling characters using the arrow keys therefore leaving the mouse free for combat - 8.5 million WoW subscribers manage...

Eurogamer has a good review of Silverfall, calling it a competent action/RPG that lacks some balance and polish.  The score is 6/10 an here's a bit of their running food metaphor:

In a lot of ways, Silverfall is a very nice bowl of cornflakes - honey nut, in fact. There are some delicious morsels to get your teeth around in here, like a character development system which provides a superb degree of flexibility and customisation and AI-controlled companions who actually act intelligently. The graphics are lovely, even if in many places it's pretty obvious that the development team has been spending a lot of time in World of Warcraft, which can give you a certain sense of deja vu as you explore the world around you. Even the storyline, often a very weak point for fantasy-themed RPGs, is really very good.

GameSpy takes a harsher stance with a score of 2.5/5, although interestingly, they disagree with Eurogamer on exactly where the imbalance lies - and - despite the low score, the final paragraph shows some grudging appreciation...but here's one of the (many) negative bits:

Slogging through the beginning of the game -- before you can allocate points to the good skills or fulfill the quest requirements for companions -- can take its toll on you, too. A typical occurrence is getting lost from misreading your map and then getting jumped and killed. Then, in a throwback to EverQuest and UO, you get to do a corpse run. The only way to prevent your currently-equipped gear from being stripped off and stored at your tombstone where you died is to pony up insurance money (which increases after every death). Using a melee character and watching my insurance go from 200 gold go up to about 1000 gold was pretty annoying.

Half the time, the game stops working altogether. Critical buttons disappear from the interface bar and take a reload to fix, items inexplicably vanish from your inventory, clicking on inaccessible areas makes you bolt in the opposite direction, and -- not a bug, but annoying -- vegetation occasionally "blocks" your hits so you'll waste several precious clicks hitting nothing (and, joy of joys, dying). Diablo clone? Don't flatter it.

Silverfall has been reviewed at GameZone.  Citing solid action but high difficulty, pathing problems and corpse runs, the score is 7.3/10:

Then there is the death penalty. This is a very old design element that is as flawed now as it was then. The game won’t take away your experience points for dying, but you drop everything that is on you. When you die, a grave marker pops up at the spot, and your character will respawn back in the encampment dressed down to his or her skivvies without weapons, unless you have an extra set in your inventory. In order to reclaim your dropped elements, you have to go back to the spot where you died and click on the grave marker. But this puts the dropped items into your inventory; it does not auto-equip them.

This just in from Atari:

Get Silverfall Today!

Silverfall, a hack - and - slash role playing adventure, takes
place in a once glorious city, where the forces of Technology
and Nature are strongly opposed.

Download Now

Please note that this service is not available in all countries. 

RPG Vault's third Silverfall Peek looks at the technical - mostly graphical - aspects of the production, as written by project lead Jehanne Rouseau:

In the first prototype, we implemented all the techniques we knew and mastered, such as normal maps. This technique was initially only used on the characters to make them more realistic and to give them more depth. It allows us to give the impression of a character made up of several million polygons, whereas technically it "only" has a few thousand. In Silverfall, we also used this on buildings, so that when you get close to them, you can see the details on the stones, the wood boards, etc.

The second Silverfall review we've spotted is at Hexus.  It's certainly quite positive, although the camera and occasionally clunky combat are listed as negatives.  There's no score but there is some sort of award.  Here's a snip:

What sets Silverfall apart from being just another run of the mill RPG is the area on your skill tree known as ‘other’. The central theme of the game is Nature vs. Technology, which I’ve interpreted as a new take on the premise of good vs. evil. Your choice of path influences the storyline, the environment, the skills that you can use, characters that you can recruit and items you can use within the game. For example, choose to go down the technology route and you’ll have access to powerful firearms or be able to create mechanical beasts to aid you in your quests. On the other hand choose nature and you’ll be able to take a more non-direct approach and morph into the likes of a werewolf. In Lamen’s terms the difference between the two is the choice between using natural powers or technology to win the day. Silverfall heavily revolves around this theme and there are some cool ideas that the developers have come up with: for example, in an early quest you can use technology to unleash swamp gas pumps on the marsh or choose to destroy a waterfall if you’re the nature destroying type. Choose the tree-hugging path and the world that you set off to re-build will be rich in vegetation and nature.

It’s this concept, which is extremely well implemented and weaves in and out of the main storyline seamlessly, that gives Silverfall its own sense of character and charm.

RPG  Vault has their second Silverfall Peek, looking at the characters that can join players in their adventure:

To help players along the way, there are many companions all over the world of Silverfall. Once the player has found them, they need to complete some sort of quest to gain their trust and make them appreciate you, and then they'll join up. Specific quests have been designed to get the companions into your team, but if you don't complete them, those companions won't join you at all. We also imposed a limit of two companions at the same time.

Australian site PALGN has posted a review of Silverfall.  The text is probably a touch more positive than the 6.5/10 might indicate - here's the intro:

Silverfall provides much more innovation beyond the typical action-RPG mold, in not only its visual appearance but also in the development of your character. While the changes are refreshing for a rather depleted genre, full of Diablo-clones and uninspiring dungeon romps, Silverfall isn’t without its flaws. So, while not quite the shining light the genre was seeking, Silverfall is nevertheless a game that most action-RPG fans will no doubt enjoy.

 News of a Developer Chat for Silverfall has been sent to us. If you're interested in participating, here's all the details.

Just wanted to announce that Atari and EnterTheGame have scheduled a
developer chat for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 20, at 7pm Central European Time
/ 2pm EDT / 11am PDT. Fans will get a chance to ask any last-minute
questions about Silverfall, the soon-to-be-released hack-and-slash from
Monte Cristo that will start shipping to North American stores tomorrow.

 It's a great opportunity to get up-close and personal with the Monte Cristo
development team, and we're even offering lucky fans the chance to win a
copy of the game!

 All you need to do is connect to irc.enterthegame.com and join channel
#Silverfall at the aforementioned time. Fans can connect via their favorite
IRC client or through the web interface at
http://www.enterthegame.com/chat.asp.

 

Monte Cristo's Jehanne Rouseau once again chats about Silverfall, this time at GamersInfo:

Counting down to the English release of Silverfall we find another dev diary at GameSpot.  This time project lead Jehanne Rousseau talks about character creation/development:

What makes the character progression in Silverfall interesting is that for each level gained, your character will earn attributes and skill points that you can distribute wherever you want, without any limitation due to character class. Your character building is really "a la carte" in that you can think about and build your character progressively throughout the game, evolving them as you wish. You even have the ability to choose your companions' skills so that they balance or strengthen each other. By giving you the ability to choose from nearly any skill (there are some skills specific to races or certain alignments), we're allowing for a high level of customization and giving you the ability to really build the character you want. To give some examples, you can be a spellcasting archer, a necromantic priest, and more. Everything is possible, even a troll spellcaster who roams the land in full plate armor.

RPG Vault has their first Silverfall Peek, which features Jehanne Rousseau talking about the gameworld's history:

Beyond the graphical aspect of Silverfall, we really wanted to develop the world's history and the game scenario. This meant putting a lot of work into defining the Nature and Science aspects of the world, which are reflected throughout the game and have a significant impact on the play. It was quite a challenge, as those elements impact the whole storyline. The final narrative you'll experience as you play through Silverfall involved the hard work of several team members.

Atari is hosting a Silverfall "Spot the Difference" competition.  Head over to this thread on the Atari forums and pick the three differences between the two Silverfall screens for a chance to win a copy of the game.

Thanks to GameGuru Mania for dropping us a line about a Silverfall patch, which brings the game to v1.16.  It's not clear what versions this covers but they describe it as adding "mod support, several balance tweaks, fixes bugs and crashes, optimizes the user interface and various sound effects".  The 94.88Mb can be nabbed at GGMania, Gamers Hell and the usual mirrors.

Games Extreme has jumped the Silverfall release with their review now out.  The score is a solid 8/10, although the several comparisons to MMOs and Dungeon Siege may not encourage everyone:

It plays a lot like an MMO with the (mobs) groups of monsters re-spawning in an area, levelling up and grinding with various loot drops. When you die you leave a tombstone that you have to collect to get your equipment back, this reminds me of Dungeon Siege 2 and when you take out your Death Insurance (or is that life? ed) then you can re-spawn with all your goodies intact.

Valve has announced Silverfall is available for preload and preorder via Steam, for release on March 20th:

In other news, Silverfall, the new Action RPG from French developer Monte Cristo, is being made available for pre-purchase on Steam today. Try out the free demo and decide whether your character will fight on the side of nature or technology.

Shacknews is the latest site to interview Jehanne Rousseau from Monte Cristo about Silverfall:

Shack: How did your team decide on the game's cel-shaded visual style?

Jehanne Rousseau: When we began to develop the game’s visual style, we decided that we wanted to aim for a look that was not only appealing, but also helped set Silverfall apart from its competition. The cel-shaded appearance is provided by a thin black outline around the characters, which helps lend a bit of a comic book feel to the game, while allowing the characters to stand out from the environment. The end result is a visual style that is instantly recognizable.

Back in December Monte Cristo's Silverfall was starting to generate some buzz, so we organised an interview to introduce their steampunk-ish action/RPG.  It's taken that long to get back to us and in the meantime, both a demo and press previews have been released that probably date the questions. We do delve into some topics that haven't really been covered such as influencing NPCs and Jehanne Rousseau reveals the editor will ship with the game, so hopefully it's worth the read.  Here's a snip:

RPGWatch: How is the gameworld organised and can you give us a feel for the size? Is it one continuous world or individual maps/areas and how much freedom will players have in exploration? What sort of locations will players encounter?

Jehanne: The world of Silverfall is really vast and varied, and consists of several maps which together form a continuous world. The player can move around freely around the scenery, and will occasionally have loading times, but the game will continue freely afterwards.
 
The player can go wherever he wants whenever he wants, but he can be limited by the level of monsters in certain areas. Silverfall allows you to visit a zeppelin city, which is attached by huge chains to another city lying on the top of the canyons. The player can also see Blazis, the city built on volcano lava; he will run through underground worlds; he will enter a giant insect hive, and more.

Read it here.

FiringSquad has a Silverfall interview, talking to Jehanne Rousseau to introduce their readers to the game:

FiringSquad: Is there character generation in Silverfall and if so how is that handled?

Jehanne Rousseau: The character creation is very quick: the player starts by choosing his race (which gives him access to 5 particular skills, but which is in no way an obstruction in other domains such as combat and magic) and his sex (which will influence certain dialogues with NPCs), he can then modify his visual appearance and the game will start. Little by little, as the character levels up, the player will assign more specific skills to his character, eventually leading to a very unique character that suits the player’s gaming style.

A new Silverfall movie is on offer with around 1 minute of in-game footage.  Grab it at 3D Gamers.

The Escapist serves up a nice preview of Silverfall:

At its core, Silverfall is a 3D hack-and-slasher in the Diablo vein, with several improvements since the last time Blizzard graced us with their presence. For one thing, there's a 3D engine, and it's nice enough, but the cool little flourishes here and there actually make it three-dimensional. For example, I was shooting at some demons across a bridge in the tutorial sequence and couldn't manage to hit them. Through a series of logical deductions, I discovered that the way the bridge arched up was preventing me from hitting my targets, rather than the fireball clipping through, or just ignoring, the obstacle. My character was in a bizarre world where the third dimension actually mattered.

The official Silverfall blog at IGN has coverage of the playable races and some of the skills on offer.

As the release of Silverfall looms, another preview can be found at Play.tm:

As well as the environment you also have to consider the relationships you have with the key NPCs you meet around the map. Monte Cristo aim to allow you to create a band of followers to do your bidding should the proverbial hit the fan. While the Final Fantasy games see you with a band of (traditionally) loyal followers, Silverfall looks set to force you into maintaining your allegiances. Neglect a certain character in his/her hour of need and it may be that they may be less willing to fight alongside you when you require assistance - and obviously your position in the whole metal versus wood debate will have a bearing.

After a gap a second Silverfall Designer Diary is up at GameSpot with Monte Cristo's Jehanne Rousseau writing about this distinctive graphical look:

We worked in several steps: Define the graphical style with a technical prototype; work with illustrators; then work with 3D artists to create the moving game objects and characters.

In fact, the in-game graphical style was decided on long before the first illustrator worked on any particular beast or setting. The goal was to create something that would be new and appealing enough to ensure Silverfall would set itself apart from other games visually. The idea came about to create a black outline on the characters and monsters to better separate them from the background and setting. It gives the game a kind of comic book style, which is generally appreciated. We then made the first prototype with a small outdoor level and a dungeon to see how it would look.

GamersInfo has kicked up a short-ish preview of Monte Cristo's Silverfall.  Here's a snip:

GameShark has a preview of Monte Cristo's Silverfall:

As you tackle the main quests and a number of side quests, which are sorted out for you so that you know in advance, you'll gain skills points and physical attributes that will make things easy. In the earliest parts of the game your patience will be tested as you get laid out by the occasional ridiculously difficult monster, so it is important to tackle those optional side quests and to find like-minded companions that will help you stay alive. The penalty for dying is pretty much the same as any other action role-playing game in recent memory: you awake at your base camp, sans your gear. Much like the Diablo series, your gear will land where you died and you'll have to go retrive it - though it will still probably be being camped by the creature that killed you. The side quest are oftentimes more than just about gaining skills points and expereince though. For example, one might give you access to a place to store some extra loot, while another might give you the ability to purchase insurance for your gear so that you don't drop it when you die. Sure, you can get by without these extra things in the game, but why take chances if you don't have to?

With Silverfall on the horizon, Mike Anderson was able to spend some time with a press preview copy.  What does Monte Cristo's offering in the inceasingly crowded action/RPG genre have to offer?  Here's a snip:

Silverfall tells the story of the aftermath of the destruction of a city. Silverfall was overrun by hordes of undead, and you are one of the survivors in a newly founded camp. You start as a blank slate, choosing gender, race, name and some appearance characteristics and then starting on your way. Of course, you will not be allowed to huddle around a campfire hoping not to get chewed up by a zombie - you are expected to jump straight into action!

Head here to read it all.

A pair of new Silverfall previews have hit the 'net based on the pre-release code sent around a few weeks back.  Here's snibblet from 1Up:

Technology feels sort of evil, whereas nature definitely seems good. Would you rather cause ecological harm by installing gas pumps on the marsh, or stop greedy hunters from driving the buffalo extinct, earning you the goddess Gaia's well wishes in the process? You can also be greedy, although we're not sure what that counts for. If a piece of bone armor isn't enough of a quest reward for you, ask for some gold. You just may get it -- that or you'll feel bad when the quest givers answer that they are just poor refugees.

...and a grab from Games Radar:

And if you care about more than looks (you shallow bastard), this Silverfall software thingy might stimulate you even more. The game forces you to endlessly debate yourself - would you like to massage a microchip or make-out with a leaf? You see, it's all a sort of Wrestlemania between technology and nature. You've got an open-ended pile of quests and more quests, and every adventure you choose determines which of the 130 skills, spells or techniques you'll wield. Are you an organic mage who helps the shady little animal folk reclaim their greenery? Or are you a techno-fetishist who humps out shiny guns and gadgets?

GameZone is the latest site with a Silverfall preview on offer, although not much new territory is covered:

Because there is both nature and technology, players can choose the path they wish to pursue. This will have a bearing on the way the game plays out. Choose technology and you will have access to items like guns. Stay the path of nature and you will feel a tiny bit cleaner about the whole process.

A general preview of Silverfall is online at UGO:

Although you'll start by creating your own character (race and class), the tutorial section that follows actually puts you in control of a powerful wizard as he valiantly yet fruitlessly works to save the city of Silverfall from an undead (the face of evil in this game) invasion. You won't take control of your created hero - who turns out to be the lost wizard's apprentice - until immediately after this section, as the town's refugees try to reorganize in the nearby swamps. The character creation process is a simplified version of what we've come to expect from other RPG titles, and it works well enough for a game like this. For those unfamiliar with Diablo or its successors, you interact with the world by simply clicking your mouse pointer on different parts of the environment. It works as well in Silverfall as it has in similar titles, so enjoying the experience really comes down to whether or not you like this style of play.

ActionTrip's article has more substance to it - here's a bit on skills and side-quests:

Some of the skills will go directly into combat while others can be assigned to give you a variety of different abilities. One gave me a bonus to magic drop rates while another increased my movement speed. I ended up creating a fighter primarily with a few skill points thrown into quick recovery skills to reduce my downtime between fights. All the skill trees look to be very nicely done and as a added bonus, you can always go back and un-assign skill points at certain vendors (for a fee), if you feel like you made a mistake.

Running around the game itself, I was impressed by the how open-ended it was. Right from the get-go, I had the choice of doing the primary quest to move the story along or I could choose from about 10 secondary quests. The secondary quest had a nice variety, some of which where the means to unlock different aspects of the game. One for example, required me to track down a goblin's missing safe. Once I returned it to him, I was then able to store extra equipment there. It also unlocked the ability to buy insurance, so when I died, my gear stayed with me rather then being left at the "grave site"

Silverfall's PR folks let us know the official blog at IGN has been updated with two music tracks on offer.

Silverfall has gone Gold and will hit NA stores on March 20th - here's the full press release:

ATARI’S SILVERFALL™ goes gold

- New Action Role-Playing Game Set to Ship March 20 in North America -

NEW YORK, February 13, 2007 – Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world’s most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced that development is complete on the 3D action role-playing game (RPG) Silverfall™.  Developed by Monte Cristo Games, Silverfall is rated ‘T’ for Teen and will be available in North America for the Windows platform on March 20, 2007 for a suggested retail price of $39.95.

In a world of fantasy where technology and nature fight for power, Silverfall gamers must choose between these opposing forces in order to conquer quests and save the principal city from total destruction.  Two companions will accompany them on their journey through the fascinating world of Nelwë and the decisions these characters make throughout the adventure and during each quest will be key as choices impact storyline, environment and accumulation of skills.

 “Silverfall is a fascinating hack and slash style action RPG that offers an immersive and original universe,” said Stephen Baer, senior product manager, Atari, Inc.  “In each element of this mass environment, from graphical style to storyline, the unique dichotomy of technology and nature pervade to completely engross the player.”

Silverfall offers a unique character building system of advancement and equipment that allows for complete customization of characters.  Gamers can develop distinctive characters such as scientist troll magicians, elemental elf warriors, or mercantile goblins. Fighting and magic are employed throughout the game, and vary from melee, ranged and technical to light, elemental and dark.  Gamers will play through a 25-hour main quest, numerous side quests and two multiplayer modes, player-versus-player and co-operative. With four races to choose from, nine skill sets encompassing more than 130 individual skills, over 100 monsters, and advanced 3D graphics, Silverfall replenishes the RPG genre with a memorable hack-and-slash action adventure.

For more information on Silverfall, Atari and its entire product line-up please visit www.atari.com.

A positive preview of Monte Cristo's Silverfall is online at Jolt.  Here's a snip:

Silverfall is the latest game to adopt the well-established template of past successes, but with stiff competition from the upcoming Sacred 2 and Titan Quest expansion, developers Monte Cristo may have a tough time selling yet another new IP to a relatively niche market.

Fortunately the signs are good, as not only did our playtime with Silverfall reveal a game that was graphically pleasing, but which also had a refined interface and gameplay which is both solid and challenging.

The second part of Jonric's interview with Silverfall project leader Jehane Steiner is online at RPG Vault.  Here's an excerpt:

Jonric: What would you like our readers to know about the combat element in Silverfall? Will the player control any NPC party members? Are there combos or other special attacks?

Jehane Steiner: Silverfall is, above all, a hack and slash game, meaning that the action and combat represent the core of the gameplay. The combat system is really simple. As in games like Diablo, you just have to left-click or right-click on an enemy to attack him. The difficulty comes with the choice of the type of attack - because you can, of course, assign numerous skills to this simple left or right click - and in the types of skills you'll need to use, depending on the enemy and the situation.

In Silverfall, you control only your character; we've stayed very close to the traditional hack and slash in that way. We didn't want to slow down the rhythm of combat, and having the player pause the game to give orders to his companions would have done this. The companions are completely managed by the AI, but the player can assign them different behaviors through dialogue. There are no combos, but numerous different attacks and spells are available that the player can activate with a simple right-click on the opponent once he has, of course, learned the appropriate skill.

GameZone has an interview with Project Manager Jehanne Rousseau on Silverfall:

Question:  What do you consider to be the prime ingredients of a good RPG and how does Silverfall fit those parameters?

Jehanne: Silverfall is above all a hack-and-slash game, which includes a heavy dose of action, a complex progression system, and as usual, numerous items to collect during the game. With these elements, we did all that we could to stick to the genre, while also going a little beyond the usual since we further developed a progression system which is based on skills and not classes. But with this balanced and fun combination, we also added elements from more story-driven RPGs, such as the companions, numerous side quests, and the choice between nature and technology, so that the universe would be the most coherent, the storyline as complex as possible, and the game experience the most immersive.

GameSpot has kicked up a hands-on look at Monte Cristo's Silverfall.  Here's a snip:

Silverfall differs from last year's Titan Quest, the last major action role-playing game, in a couple of key ways. First, Titan Quest is an entirely linear game, in that you follow a predetermined and narrow path throughout the entire game and kill everything in your way. Silverfall features a much more open world that lets you wander around anywhere while still killing everything in your way. Secondly, while Titan Quest was set in the mythological past, Silverfall takes place in a fantasy realm full of familiar races, such as elves, trolls, and goblins. Indeed, it's an interesting place, because in addition to being able to create a human and elf character, you can play as a troll or a goblin. Apparently, the world of Silverfall is where a lot of the magical races have learned to get along with one another. It's just the pesky undead that are the problem. You'll also eventually be able to play a character that either specializes in sorcerous powers or in high technology, and you'll find different companions along the way that have cast their lots as magicians or technologists as well.

The first part of an interview with Silverfall's project lead, Jehanne Steiner, is up at RPG Vault.  Here's a bit on the technology vs nature theme:

Jonric: How did you implement these opposing influences and the conflict between them in the backstory and also in the gameplay?

Jehane Steiner: We developed this idea to the extent that these opposing forces were at the core of the game universe. Historically, the world of Nelwë had been governed by the elemental sorcerers, who reigned from their vast cities built on power nexuses. Then, a long time ago, the Goblins invented the steam engine and discovered how to use the black powder. Using this powder and assisted by the Trolls, they freed themselves from the dominion of the sorcerers to build real industrial empires. Even so, their technology was extremely primitive and highly destructive, and deserts started appearing around the main technological cities. Thus a new force emerged as a reaction against this, the defenders of nature, who had their own cities and cult, and actively fought against all forms of technology.

The sorcerers went into rapid decline, but the last representatives of the neutrality between the two factions still exist. This neutrality remains in a mage city where the player arrives and, during the course of the game, he must decide what will influence his skills, the objects he can use, the allies he can recruit and the look of his city, Silverfall. The entire crux of the game therefore rests on this duality and the player must decide if he wants to acquire certain powers or better objects by following the paths of nature or science.

As expected, GameSpot has released the Silverfall demo, although you can also head to Worthplaying, 3D Gamers, Strategy Informer and GameGuru Mania (1.4Gb).

Gamer's Hell has posted fifteen concept art screenshots in their gallery for your viewing pleasure. Is it just me or does this one look an awful lot like Diablo?

The official Silverfall site has announced an English demo will be available from GameSpot on Monday:

GameSpot will launch on Monday, January 29th the Silverfall demo in english.

In this demo you'll be able to play the first levels of the game, discovering playable races and monsters in the swamps down the town of Silverfall.

Check out now the Silverfall demo download page to check when it's available.

Gamespot has posted the first Designer Diary for Silverfall, the upcoming action-RPG soon to be released in North America (previously released in Europe). Jehanne Rousseau discusses the challenges involved with creating a brand new fantasy world:

Creating the Silverfall universe required the effort of several people for several months. The original idea flourished with each person's experience and suggestions until, finally, the Nelwë universe developed into what you see now.

 

We wanted to create a universe in which the players felt at ease, so it was necessary to retain some elements that were familiar to fans of the genre and to draw inspiration from classic fantasy literature. However, we also wanted to freshen up the "same old, same old" and offer a new game experience in a world that would be as immersive and coherent as possible.

Gamespot has a nice treat for those awaiting Silverfall. Official Movie #1 is available for download at a svelte 22Mb.

IGN has posted Monster Mash - a little preview of a dozen of the mobs you'll encounter in Silverfall, with a render of each one.  Here's the mechanical dragon:

This rather gangly tin can is considered by its creators - technology-leaning goblins - as the jewel of current technology, but judge for yourself: Two speeds, three valves, next-generation coal motor, 37-caliber flame cannon and, of course, the standard spare wheel. Let's not forget its awesome jaws, capable of grinding stones and breathing fire. A sure bet, as far as offensive robots go.

A v1.14 patch for the French release of Silverfall is now available from the official site - head over for links and the full (French) patch notes.

An official Silverfall blog has been launched at IGN and the first content is the answers to the Community Q&A you may recall was canvassed a couple of weeks back.  Here's a snip:

2. What, if any, Innovation is there in Silverfall? What individual features have you done differently from other titles in the genre that Gamers will notice and appreciate? If you've just used existing methodologies, is there anything unique or innovative in the way you have combined these existing gameplay methods to produce something different?

The mix of gameplay is where Silverfall shines: we’re blending elements from the hack ’n slash genre — fast-paced combat, item collection, etc. — with an immersive story, freedom of exploration and character evolution; players’ choices have a profound impact on the environment. In addition to that, we tried to adapt some of those elements to make them applicable to the action-RPG setting; for instance it was not very useful from our point of view to be able to make those choices if they would not to allow the player to make use of new skills or new special items.

Finally, we tried to create a universe which, even if reminiscent of some other fantasy worlds, is yet quite original and unique.

Patch 1.13 for the French version of Silverfall has been released. Here's the list of fixes:

Voici les détails du patch 1.13

MOTEUR
Fix : Effets qui restent en permanence après un changement de zone ou un passage en lycanthrope (ou inversement).
Fix : Freeze du jeu avec le buff "soin du révérend" et des compagnons.

MULTIJOUEURS
Fix : Quêtes incomplètes pour le client en mode campagne. Les quêtes réussies ou ratées étaient dans un état incorrecte chez le client. Si le client refait cette quête, elle apparaît en double dans le journal.
Fix : En mode campagne, un client ne peut plus attaquer d’autres joueurs.
Fix : On ne peut plus attaquer les zombies invoqués de la coterie.
Fix : Les choix du joueur concernant les boutons de skill ne sont pas sauvegardés en tant que client.
Fix : Désactiver les raccourcis clavier de jeu quand on discute.
Fix : Les joueurs parlant à un PNJ sont maintenant bloqués pendant le dialogue, ils ne peuvent plus partir en étant invincibles.
Fix : Problème de perte de quêtes en multi.

DESIGN
Modif : Augmentation de la vitesse des armes mêlée de 25% en cas de Dual weapon.
Modif : Changements sur les enchants.
Fix : Correction pour Portiz.
Fix : Corrige le Gobelin garou qui attaquait les compagnons une fois la quête terminée.
- Correction du bug qui faisait apparaître les dégâts en haut à gauche.
- Les dégâts sur les monstres restent rouges (mais de plus petite taille).
- Les heals sont plus gros et toujours en bleu.
- Les dégâts sur joueur / compagnons / minions sont affichés en plus gros et en orange.

INTERFACE
Modif : Décalage des nombres du panneau attribut.
Fix : Le panneau de guilde est vidé (pour éviter de garder les noms dans le panneau lors du retour à une partie solo).
Fix : Panneau skill, onglet race (des boutons sont ronds au lieu d’être carrés).
Fix : Icônes de skill carrés au lieu d’être ronds (overlay : skill_map2.png).
Fix : Type de skill incorrect (sk_elfe_Amplification.cfg).

Click here to download the 88MB file!
 Thanks kencube!

Worthplaying has a v1.12 patch for the French retail version of Silverfall.  Word is it "adds auto save, various optimizations, UI changes, multiplayer fixes, and other tweaks."

The latest French documentary on the making of the action/RPG Silverfall is now available in streaming Windows Media Player and Quicktime formats at gamedownloads.com. In it, the game's lighting and graphics are demonstrated and discussed. You'll find all 5 of the previous documentaries there still as well.

We received an email on behalf of Atari and Monte Cristo to let us know they are requesting questions from fans to be submitted to the developers for an upcoming community Q&A.  Head to this thread on the Atari boards to make a contribution.

Unlike the delay for the rest of Europe and North America until February 2007, the French version of Silverfall has been released a few days ago. And there is also a first patch 1.1 available:

PATCH 1.11 Disponible pour silverfall !

Le patch 1.11 .de Silverfall est disponible. L’équipe de développement du jeu reste concentré sur son projet et continue à améliorer son jeu avec la mise en place d’un patch et notamment grâce à vos prochains retours. Celui-ci permet d’apporter de nombreuses améliorations et optimisations aux différents systèmes de jeu et notamment pour le mode multijoueurs.

Ce patch peut être installé sur Silverfall juste après l'installation du jeu ou par-dessus le patch 1.1.

Interface
- Correction du bug d'affichage des info-bulles des compétences.
- Les noms des monstres/PNJs ne sont plus tronqués.
- Correction de la sélection d'une ligne dans le panneau de quêtes.
- Correction de pré-requis d'équipement pour les compagnons.
- Indicateur de direction de la minimap : la flèche indique maintenant la direction de la camera au lieu de la direction du joueur.
- Configuration possible des raccourcis sur les skills via le fichier keymapper.ini.

Optims
- Optimisations pour les machines à 512Mo de RAM.
- Optimisation du frame rate général.
- Réduction des saccades à la mort de certains monstres.
- Amélioration des performances en réseau.

Multiplayer
- Correction du retour sous Windows lors d'un changement de zone.
- Correction du problème des attaquants qui ne touchent pas (en melee ou a distance).
- Correction sur le fonctionnement du panneau de guild.
- Corrections sur les hints des persos et monstres.
- Correction sur la gestion des équipements.
- Amélioration du positionnement des joueurs.
- Correction sur la gestion des quêtes en mode Story et Free.
- Synchronisation du cycle jour - nuit.
- Correction sur la prise de level.
- Invincibilité pendant 10s quand on rentre dans la partie.

Multiplayer - Internet
- Meilleure gestion de la liste des parties.
- Nouveaux messages de login et de création de compte.

Gameplay
- Corrections sur le spawn initial des personnages.
- Equilibrage général des monstres et des boss.

Tutorial
- Diminution des points de vie, résistances et dégâts des zombies.
- Changement des compétences de l’Archimage (moins de froid, plus de feu et air, et surtout Sérénité).
- L’Archimage a maintenant des pièces d’armure dans son inventaire (ce qui lui confère de bons bonus dans ses dégâts magiques).

Loots
- En Hard la chance d’avoir des enchantements sur un drop est doublée.
- En Hardcore elle est triplée.
- Réduction des bonus des enchantements de dégâts ou résistance magique.
- Réduction des bonus en attributs des enchantements.
- Les marchands ont des objets 2.5 fois mieux (au niveau du nombre d’enchantements).

Skills
- Augmentation des résistances (poison, stun, push, wound) de la skill Endurance (passés de 50% à 75% au niveau 10).

Compagnons
- Correction du bug générant la perte des compagnons en passant du jeu en multi au jeu en solo.
- A partir d’un certain niveau d’amitié avec le compagnon il adapte son alignement avec le joueur (pour les 4 compagnons neutres : Morka, Danselame, Alina et Drill).

The 61MB sized patch is available via Monte Christo or 3DGamers.
Thanks Kencube!

The latest preview of Monte Cristo's steampunk-ish action/RPG Silverfall is up at Games Radar:

Either way, you'll be helping to rebuild the once proud city of Silverfall. Your alignment will determine what kinds of items will be available from vendors and whether Silverfall develops into a steam technology driven metropolis or a Garden of Eden like haven that coexists with its natural surroundings.

But the technology vs nature alignment system won't just be a superficial slap-on gimmick. It really seems to affect almost every aspect of the game. Your alignment will also determine what kinds of skills are available to you. So those aligned towards technology will have access to radiation attacks or cybernetic stat-boosting implants, while nature lovers will have transformation skills like lycanthropy and the ability to invoke killer insects.

A new batch of eight Silverfall screens is available at Worthplaying.

 Blue's News is carrying a small announcement from Atari indicating that Silverfall's NA release date is being altered slightly:

Atari announces March 6, 2007 as the new release date for Silverfall, Monte Cristo's upcoming role-playing game. There is no accompanying explanation for the delay, which only diverges a week from the February release date announced at the time of the game's previous delay.

Update:

Gamespot has its own preview of Silverfall, including screenshots.

It won't hurt that Silverfall will look great, if what we've seen is any indication. The game's vast overland environments are picturesque and feature excellent shader and lighting effects to create reflective and refractive water, convincing torch lights, and some very menacing monsters. The game's world will be varied, offering grasslands, deserts, swamps, and various towns of different alignments, and it will be huge. Rousseau suggests that it will take a long time to cross from one end of the world to the other, but fortunately the game will have a quick-travel option that will let you jump to different locations you've already explored on your world map--and various locations will even have merchants to buy up your loot and other amenities, so you won't always have to keep coming back to your hometown if you don't care to. Hopefully Silverfall will live up to its promise and deliver a great-looking, open-ended, and addictive hack-and-slash game when it ships in the US in February.

IGN has one of the first previews for Silverfall, the upcoming action-RPG due to be released in Europe next week, and in North America in February. The preview sports some screenshots and quite a bit of commentary:

It seems all characters in the game are intertwined with Silverfall's theme of nature versus technology. As you develop your own character, you'll start to lean to one side or the other. It's your choice which way to go, and different skills are unlocked depending on the direction you take. For instance, focusing on nature unlocks shapeshifting abilities while pursuing technology allows you to wield sophisticated armaments. These kinds of skills are mutually exclusive, so you need to be sure what abilities you're chasing before doling out skill points. Favoring nature or technology not only affects what kinds of skills become available to you, but also how the game's principal city of Silverfall develops. Depending on what kinds of side quests, of which there are 200, you accept and complete, the city will undergo visual changes and vendors will sell different items, among other things.

Monte Christo has released a French language playable demo of their upcoming RPG Silverfall. The download weighs in at 1GB or 1.5GB (depending if you download a texture pack, as far as I understand it) and is available here!

German fansite Silverfall-Game.de let us know about their preview of Monte Cristo's Silverfall.

For those without German skills, you can check out their new screenshots.

Also at Worthplaying are four new Silverfall screens and some trailers.

Worthplaying has a new batch of Silverfall screens and two "making of" trailers.

Eight new screens and another trailer are available for Silverfall at Worthplaying.

It looks like Monte Cristo plans to release new Silverfall media weekly, with another group of five shots now available at Worthplaying.

Worthplaying has a Silverfall trailer available for download. You can find the 45Mb movie at the link above. Thanks, Judy!

Set in a world of fantasy dominated by the great, opposing powers of technology and nature, Silverfall gamers must choose between these forces in order to conquer all forthcoming quests and save the principal city from falling. Two companions will accompany them on their journey through the fascinating world of Nelwe. Decision-making is key throughout the game, as players' choices impact both storyline and accumulation of skills.

"Atari is committed to bringing engaging products to gamers," said Robert Stevenson, Vice President of Business Development, Atari, Inc. "Silverfall offers a deep role-playing experience and an abundance of features that deliver an exciting gaming experience for PC and RPG fans."

Silverfall offers a unique character building system of advancement and equipment that allows for complete freedom to customize characters. Gamers can develop unique characters such as scientist troll magicians, elemental elf warriors, or mercantile goblins. Fighting and magic are employed throughout the game, and vary from melee, ranged and technical to light, elemental and dark. Gamers will play throughout a 25-hour main quest, numerous side quests and two multiplayer modes, player-versus-player and co-operative. With four races to choose from, nine skill sets encompassing more than 130 individual skills, over 100 monsters, and advanced 3D graphics, Silverfall replenishes the RPG genre with a memorable hack-and-slash action adventure.

Developed by Monte Cristo Games, Silverfall will be available in North America for Windows in February 2007.

Koch Media and Monte Cristo today drew back the veil on the world of NelwÃ<< with the announcement that fantasy hack-and-slash action RPG, Silverfall, will be released for PC on DVD ROM in October 2006.

Silverfall challenges the conventions of action RPGs by thrusting players and their chosen companions into a stunning fantasy world of magic, machines and mayhem.

Choose from a slew of spectacular magic spells or harness the raw power of science: the choices you make during the game take you along the path of nature or technology.

Since the dawn of time, the inhabitants of NelwÃ<< have relied on mighty elemental wizards to keep order. But the invention of steam power has overturned this ancient social order.