It's no surprise then that I was pretty excited to check out Microsoft and Intrepid's new action-RPG B.C., in which you strive to survive as the leader of a clan of early humans. The plot involves the search for the "promised land", an idyllic valley surrounded by mountains. Aside from navigating natural hazards and avoiding or killing the creatures that inhabit the world, you must battle for supremacy against a tribe of simians who want to destroy your homo sapien way of life.
Food, water, and safety are the key building block in the game, and there are many different ways to get them. The members of your tribe fall into one of four categories: builders can manipulate objects and construct shelters and weapons, hunters kill and gather food for the tribe, mystics can use natural elements and chemicals to heal and create fire, and athletes have the ability to run faster and jump higher than anyone.
In the demo I saw, the tribe's food was getting low, as indicated by a bar on the top of the screen. Your character can order a roll call, in which you can assign discrete tasks to the members of the tribe. Two of the hunters were called upon to find and pick fruit to share with everyone, and they went to a tree on the outskirts of the village to pick up fruit from the ground, or climb to the top of the tree to pick it. I was told that if you collect food, or leave meat or fruit on the ground near your village, a built-in wind system would blow the scent towards scavenging animals, who would then venture into your village to have a bite. To keep these animals out, you could assign your builders to construct guard posts, and your other characters to man them, protecting the village from attack.
