Double Fine Productions, who made its name with Psychonauts, is in charge of the Brütal Legend videogame for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 systems. This ambitious project has Tim Schafer on board, who is responsible for Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle among others. Details have been scarce since the announcement of this production in 2007 except for the fact it has a heavy-metal atmosphere and how the hero is called Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black). Thanks to the Official Xbox Magazine (OXM), we now know a bit more about this mysterious project.

Main character Eddie is the victim of a serious accident on stage at the beginning of the game. As the blood flows to the buckle of his belt it appears to be a magical object to travel through time. He finds himself lost in a world where unknown demons and other dark creatures reign. Armed with his trusty guitar Clementine, the musician will fight nightmares by playing loud tunes that he will have repeated a hundred times before. Besides the guitar, Eddie uses an ax beautifully called Separator.

The game promises to be ultra-violent which is not to change the dark image often linked to this music style. However, with Tim Schafer on board, this will be representated by a healthy dose of humor. Moreover, Eddie does not only fight monsters, as he travels through detailed environments using vehicles made available by the gods. It is also possible to rescue some "slaves" and send them to battle as cannon fodder. A last note of interest, the currency of the game is lighters, which is similar to the approach taken by Bethesda with Fallout 3 in his post-apocalyptic economy based on bottle caps. Brütal Legend is scheduled for Autumn 2009.

  Michael Bertiaux