From birth, the children of the North hear tales of the end of the world. A battle so great the gods fall and the Nine Worlds are consumed by frost and fire. But these tales are false. The gods did not perish. For seven years our worlds have been devoured by death and destruction. Now, mankind must rise and do what the gods could not. Ragnarok must end.
The Gods Shall Fall.
In 2000, Human Head Studios released Rune, an action adventure built in the Unreal Engine and featuring a hack-and-slashing Viking named Ragnar. Since then, the studio has developed a number of games including 2006's Prey and has contributed to others like Bioshock Infinite and Batman: Arkham Origins. Today it's announcing a return to its roots. A sequel to Rune is in the works, an open world RPG called Rune: Ragnarok. There's a teaser trailer above.
Ragnarok is "set in a dangerous Norse universe during the end of days" and places players "in the middle of an epic battle where gods, beasts, and the last remaining humans struggle to survive" according to Human Head Studios' press release.
"After seventeen years, we are thrilled to finally announce a new Rune game," says project director Chris Rhinehart. "In the spirit of the original, Rune: Ragnarok has intense and brutal combat in a world steeped in Norse mythology. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve created.
Wow, this is not an announcement I was expecting! I do remember there being rumors about a Rune sequel quite a while ago though. Open-world RPG doesn't really sound like Rune, but honestly, I don't know what Rune could even be in today's gaming industry. I'm freaking down for this regardless! Also, while I absolutely loved the original, I had no idea it was made by Human Head, kind of interesting, huh.
Rune was cool back then but nowadays it wouldnt hold up in any way so there wont be any"brand" defining features where ppl go like omg that was so unique to the game.
The only thing that they ll take over from the predecessor is the setting and maybe the gore.
I can't say i'm excited for the sequel that will probably have nothing to with actual Rune, but i did love me some Rune. I still play it from time to time as it's one of the better gladiatorial games. Could have some potential if looked at properly.. but i don't think i trust modern developers enough to make a game of the same caliber.
I can't say i'm excited for the sequel that will probably have nothing to with actual Rune, but i did love me some Rune. I still play it from time to time as it's one of the better gladiatorial games. Could have some potential if looked at properly.. but i don't think i trust modern developers enough to make a game of the same caliber.
I think it will be great, humanhead is a good studio that took the risk of not selling out, while in the end it ruined our chance to get the awesome looking Prey 2. At least they didn't sell out to these shill american companies.
We talked with Project Director Chris Rhinehart. While the name might not ring a bell in your minds, Rhinehart has been in the industry for well over twenty years, starting as a programmer on games like Heretic and Hexen. In 1997 he was among the founders of Human Head Studios and then worked on the original Rune; since then, he is credited as Project Lead and Writer on 2006’s Prey, as a designer on Bioshock Infinite and as Project Lead on Batman: Arkham Origins.
It’s been a long time since Rune. Why resume the franchise now?
Rune holds a very special place in our hearts here at Human Head. It was the first game we released back in 2000 and we’ve wanted to create a sequel for years. It’s amazing how many fan letters and emails we receive asking if we’ll ever create Rune 2!
Why now? The time was right where we had a team available to work on a new Rune. We found a partner willing to fund the project and give us the creative freedom to create something that is true to the original Rune but also modernizes the franchise.
Do you consider this to be a direct sequel or otherwise?
It’s not a direct sequel in that it doesn’t continue Ragnar’s story from the original Rune. This new game is set a long time after the original during the end of days, Ragnarok. If you’re not familiar with the mythology, Ragnarok begins and a great war breaks out between humans, giants, and beasts. The Gods themselves fight and many of them die. At the end, the world is consumed by fire and reborn anew.
In Rune: Ragnarok, the world has not been reborn anew. The battle has raged on for seven years. Most people have perished. You’re one of the remaining humans, trying to survive and bring about an end to Ragnarok.
Will there be any characters, maps etc. from 2001’s Rune?
Maps aren’t directly copied, but we are looking at what aspects of maps we can use as inspiration and possibly bring forward. Characters: There will definitely be interactions with the Gods. Which ones, exactly, will be revealed soon!
Which engine are you using for Rune: Ragnarok? How long has the project been in development and how many developers are working on it?
We’re using Unreal Engine 4. Seems fitting since the original Rune was developed using Unreal 1!
We publicly talked about reviving Rune 2 in 2012, but we officially started development this year. We’ve had a lot of time to come up with ideas since the original Rune, though.
Ragnarok is a fairly common theme in Norse mythology fiction. Do you intend to add any particular twist to your game?
Yes, but if I revealed them now, they would cease to be twists. One twist we’ve already talked about: Ragnarok started but for some reason has not ended. It’s frozen in place, metaphorically and literally. You’re one of the last surviving humans. You must find a way to end Ragnarok.
Where does the game take place? Is it one of the nine Norse realms and if so, which one?
It takes place across realms that have merged when Ragnarok began. Most of the game takes place in Midgard.
You stated that the game will be a sandbox open world RPG. Can you disclose the main features?
Not yet, but soon! I can say that Brutal Melee Combat is a key pillar of the game….
Can you talk about the combat system you’re crafting for Rune: Ragnarok? Will there be a lot of gore?
The combat system will be brutal and will have gore, certainly. True to the original Rune, you can lop off your enemy’s arm and beat them to death with it. More information about the combat system and controls will be revealed at a later date!
Do you already have an estimate on the length of the game? Will there be side quests/content?
We have goals, but I hesitate to speculate on how long the game will actually be at this point. We will share more about that as development continues.
Will Rune: Ragnarok be single player only?
We haven’t revealed our plans for multiplayer yet, but suffice it to say that our fans are posting a lot of comments about how much they loved multiplayer in the original Rune. We read all those comments and are listening.
Which platforms are you targeting for the initial release? On PC, what’s the likelihood of supporting Mac and/or Linux?
PC initially, but we certainly have Mac, Linux, and consoles in mind for the future
Man I remember that game....it's one of the few I have the box for...well it's a cd cardboard fold out case...I played it after HL1....looking forward to that!!
I'm more interested in the SP part but online play was in the previous Rune too, I believe the expansion was almost entirely MP focused actually.
Though I mostly used a mod that allowed for co-op, kinda broken in some sections but it was playable for the most part as I remember it, Unreal Engine 1 was very mod friendly too.
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