About Rune

Loki, god of deception and mischief was the bane of the gods, a black sheep who tormented all the heavens with his persistent schemes for personal power. Asgard, the high heaven where the gods dwelt while determining the fates of man and beast was often filled with the howls of pain and anguish as god after god fell victim to one of Loki's plots. Having one day taken these malicious schemes against his Asgardian brethren too far for a final time, Loki, lord of lies, was imprisoned by Odin the All Father and his, Thor, the god of thunder:

Loki was chained to a bleak promontory hundreds of miles below the surface of the earth. A venomous snake of immense proportions was wound around the stalactites above him. From the mouth of this fearsome reptile dripped a steady supply of acidic venom. The torment was horrific. The steady drops would eat away the exiled god's midriff right down to the backbone. In turn, his immortal powers of healing would slowly re-issue the flesh, only to have it burned away again. The snake was unfailing, as were Loki's immortal healing powers.

And the excruciating agony for Loki was unending.

As Thor chained him to the rock, Odin All Father proclaimed that Loki would remain under the constant drip of the venom until the day of Ragnarok; when gods, men and giants would enter into a final battle and all reality as it existed would perish. Then, and only then, would Loki be freed from his torment.

In that distant climactic battle between the gods of heaven and the monsters who dwelt deep in the earth, it was assumed that Loki would fulfill his fate and take up sides against the Asgardians. Of course, Loki was the bane of fate, and he had other plans…

RUNE - THE CD-ROM GAME

RUNE is a 3D action game developed by Human Head Studios Inc. to be published in Fall 2000 by Gathering Of Developers. Human Head is a development company based in Madison, Wisconsin and is comprised of veteran game developers from Raven Software and FASA Interactive. Gathering of Developers is the publisher of such games as, Railroad Tycoon II, Darkstone, Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2 and KISS: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child.

In RUNE, players assume the role of Ragnar the Viking, mightiest warrior of a bygone age. In an age when might makes right, it is Ragnar who doles out justice on the blade of his massive battle-axe. Players will explore beautiful settings both above and below the mountains of the far north as Ragnar fights his way through several stunning and unique kingdoms to an ultimate confrontation with the Sark Amen, the shadowy warrior-masters of the netherworld.

RUNE is a third-person perspective game of intense action and adventure steeped in a blend of Norse mythology and high fantasy. Players will have to use their brains as well as their massive brawn to survive as they explore the fully 3D game world fighting off fantastic creatures from both Norse legend and the fertile minds of the Human Head staff with their array of swords, axes and magical devices.

The game focuses on equal parts melee combat and exploration, with levels ranging from a Viking town to the caverns of the Dwarves to a city in the mountains. Players will have access to a wide array of melee weapons based both in fact and fantasy as Ragnar delves deeper into the realms of myth and further from his old reality.

RUNE includes a full single player story game as well as several specially designed multi-player levels that allow players to cooperate or compete as Ragnar or another Viking warrior. The multi-player game will also include special handicap and team modes to widen the multi-player experience.

Plot

Ragnar is a young Viking warrior just coming of age. As his father prepares him for the final rites of manhood, the atmosphere of his village is tense as stories of recent raids on neighboring villages. These raids were particularly brutal, as the women-folk and children were slaughtered and the villages burned to the ground. Conrack, a cruel chieftain and follower of Loki, is said to be the cause of the raids, and his name is now spoken now only in whispers for fear that he will appear, like some evil spirit, as if from thin air. Ragnar's village is dedicated to the worship of Odin, all-father of the gods, and ruler of Asgard, the Viking heaven.

Ragnar begins his rite of manhood, but as a young warrior, he has much to prove. He fulfils his ritual, but he will not be a true warrior until he can be blooded in battle. Before the dust of the rite has settled, however, word comes of another raid at a village close by. The warriors of Ragnar's village are called upon to put an end to Conrack and his evil. Ragnar's father joins the raiding party, as does Ragnar, as the newest warrior of his village. It is Ragnar's wish to prove his manhood in valorous battle and gain entry into Valhalla.

The fate of the Norns is never what men expect, however, and the men of Ragnar's village sail off not into valor, but into a raging storm.

Technology

Human Head has licensed Epic Games' Unreal Tournament engine and made several enhancements to it, including a skeletal animation system, a new particle effects system, and an enhanced shadowing system. Human Head created these enhancements to develop worlds with reactive elements, natural outdoor environments and realistic cavern-like settings. The scalable shadowing system accurately casts over uneven surfaces and around edges and allows players to turn shadows on or off specific characters. The skeletal animation system allows for incredibly lifelike animations whereby game characters react to wounds, enemies and their environment. The particle system effects include fire and flame, smoke and dust cloud effects.

Rune will include a full single player game as well as several multi-player levels allowing players to cooperate or compete as Viking warriors. The title also features:

• Dramatic single-player story game that carries players across several environments from the darkest depths to the highest Nordic mountains
• Multiplayer capabilities including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch
• 25 immersive levels
• 15 weapons including a battle ax, two-handed sword, magical weapons, throwing axes and warhammers
• Torches that lead the way throughout Rangar's epic journey and that can even be used as a weapon
• Enemies from a host of races including dark Vikings, underground creatures, man-eating fish, goblins and a mysterious super race
• Combat system lets players take weapons from their defeated opponents
• Visual inventory that allows the character to see available weapons at a glance