Video game publisher Atari has announced that its post-apocalyptic action adventure game Bullet Witch for the Xbox 360 has finished development and will be shipped to North American retailers on February 27.
Bullet Witch takes place in 2013, and centers on the character of Alicia, a trigger-happy, magic-wielding witch determined to save humanity from extinction at the hands (and claws, and fangs) of gruesome demons; Alicia’s “Gun Rod” is built from the souls of fallen enemies, and acts as both a high-powered automatic weapon and a magic wand enabling Alicia to cast spells.
Developed by Japan’s Cavia in conjunction with Japanese publisher AQ Interactive, the game combines action-game shooting with magic, as well as elements inspired by both Japanese fantasy writers and American horror masters. The game leverages the Xbox 360’s physics engine to offer destructible environments, but also leverages the console’s capability to tune game play features, like mid-battle camera rotation, powerful enemy AI, and more.
“Bullet Witch shows a unique world-view with the combination of reality and fantasy through its guns and magical powers,” said Cavia producer Tohru Takahashi. “Also, by using the physics engine, we were able to have glitzy effects in the game as well. We hope players will enjoy Alicia’s magical power to blow up cars and enemies and experience all the elements that are impossible in the real world, and we hope the overseas game fans are looking forward to this unique title.”
Once the game is launched, Atari will offer five additional content packs for Bullet Witch every two weeks via Xbox Live, including new costumes for Alicia as well as revised play levels.
“How well the critically acclaimed Japanese title will be accepted in the leading countries of third person shooting games is going to be a litmus test, and we consider it a challenge as well,” said Naohiko Hoshino, Executive VP of AQ Interactive. “We’ve been working on our upcoming titles and are looking forward to continuing to introduce those high-quality games to the global market in the future.”
Bullet Witch will be prices at $49.99, and is rated M for “Mature” by the ESRB.
