Thomas Was Alone developer Mike Bithell will soon bring John Wick to the world of gaming. It’s not a typical action title as some may expect, however. Rather, John Wick Hex takes the form of what Bithell Games refers to as a “timeline strategy game.” Fans of the Keanu Reeves-starring franchise can find out what this entails in just a few short weeks. John Wick Hex hits the PlayStation 4 on May 5th.
As is often the case with release date announcements, a brand-new trailer accompanied the news.
Bithell Games worked closely with the creative teams behind Lionsgate’s renowned franchise to develop an authentic John Wick experience. For instance, while editing John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Director Chad Stahelski provided feedback about John Wick Hex’s mechanics. This level of access to the series’ braintrust ensures that John Wick Hex conveys the “rules and challenges” fans are used to seeing on the big screen. As such, Bithell noted in a PlayStation Blog post, playtesting shows fans of the franchise are likely to play better overall.
Again, this counts as a “timeline strategy” experience, something quite different from turn-based strategy. The gameplay hinders on actions that take a certain amount of time to execute. Players, then, will need to orchestrate the timing of their moves around those of their enemies.
Progressing through the action-centric strategy title will see players navigate through a story mode. The narrative itself is an original tale written specifically for John Wick Hex. Venturing further unlocks additional locations, suits, and weapons. The latter will greatly affect tactical strategies, which in turn impact how the game is played. Strategy will also take precedent with regards to resource management. In an effort to reflect some semblance of realism, John Wick only has access to a finite amount of ammo, meaning players must carefully time their reloads.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
