Genre: Action Adventure
Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive
Developer: Fuzzyeyes Studio
Release Date: Q1 2009

When you think of where great video games are created, very rarely do you consider Australia. We hear all the time about Japanese and American developers, and occasionally even get word about an interesting IP coming from Canada or Europe, but rarely the Land Down Under. Well that's about to change, as Fuzzyeyes Studio, a division of Queensland Games, is in the midst of creating what might just be the next great action adventure title in Edge of Twilight.

What we know of the game's story goes something like this. The humanoid Athern came seeking power and resources and settled in the world some 200 years ago. They discovered Ether and began to exploit this powerful energy for their own gains. On the other side of the fence is the Lithern, an ancient race that is the land's rightful rulers. The Athern drove away the Lithern, and it was thought the race had disappeared forever. However, Lukasin, a corrupted Lithern, has raised a tainted army to strike back at the Athern, and his actions have also caused "the Rift," a permanent division of Day and Night realms. As the Lithern press their attack, it is up to Lex, a half-breed who can freely travel between the realms, to stop Lukasin and restore balance.

Lex has two distinct personas: his Athern (or "Day") persona and his Lithern (or "Night") persona. In his Day form, Lex will be able to deliver powerful attacks and devastating combos. His Night form, while still capable of battle, is much more suited to stealth and hiding in the shadows. While a playable demo was not available, the game's control sheets present a deep, rich combat scheme, with several different combo possibilities. Furthermore, as the game progresses, Lex learns new abilities that allow him to manipulate both worlds and solve some of the title's more complex puzzles. It seems like the team is going for a sort of God of War-inspired gameplay, and it will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

The world Lex inhabits has a distinctly steampunk feel, and the developers are promising a fully cinematic experience. One of the angles they're going for is what they are calling "cinematic combat," in which all of the attacks, blocks and counters have a highly polished feel. If they have their way, the game will look more like a Hollywood action film than a game. Fuzzyeyes also plans to implement an "on-rails" camera, with limited tilt and rotate functions. Hopefully, such a camera system will be intuitive enough to follow the action and won't manage to get itself stuck in corners or obscure enemies or puzzles. I won't judge it until I see it in action, but oftentimes, these camera modes have a bad habit of doing more harm than good.

So far, early buzz about Edge of Twilight is positive, and it looks like the developers are hard at work creating a truly original and fun IP. The game is currently being developed for the Xbox 360, but there will also be a PC version, and perhaps a PS3 iteration as well. While Edge of Twilight is likely still a year away from becoming a reality, we'll be keeping an eye out for it, as it may just put Australian gaming on the map.