Lair

Balancing the scales

Lair on PlayStation 3 brings together diverse gameplay elements in the form of the Warbeast.

Factor 5, developers of the renowned Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series, has created a genre-bending game by combining land and air combat, and enabling you to switch effortlessly between the two. The spawn of this endeavour is the Warbeast, the dragon reinvented, a faithful companion and fearful steed.

Lair is centred on the physical attributes of the dragons, expressed in furious, aerial dogfights, close quarter battles mid-air, and relentless combat against vast armies of enemies on the ground.

It is these core gameplay elements, which utilise the motion sensing features of the SIXAXIS Wireless Controller, that enable you to control both the sky and land. Whether you're soaring on leathery wings or stalking your prey on terra firma, you can employ talon, tooth and flame to decimate your foes.

Wireless Controller movements translate easily into the basics of flight such as gliding, while a few simple button presses cause your mount to beat its wings, tuck them in for speed or spread them wide to hover.

For aerial combat, Lair uses a system that enables you to target and lock onto foes. This in invaluable in breathing fire or launching fireballs at your enemies, plucking targets from the ground, or grappling with another dragon and its rider in the skies.

This grappling mechanics draws its inspiration from the rhythm action genre. These specialised attacks, once triggered, can be executed by following the on screen prompts - moving the left and right sticks or the SIXAXIS Wireless Controller in different ways.

Ground combat pits your Warbeast's brute strength against the steel and bravery of the foot troops. Even a hundred of the most elite troops are still going to be no match for a lone rider on a dragon, so to tip the scales the enemy will often employ their own land based beasts and war engines.

To mirror the epic nature of this gameplay, Factor 5 has worked with Hollywood scriptwriters and leading artists to create a rich background and story.

Lair takes place against the backdrop of a massive war between two rival civilisations, which are competing for dwindling resources. As a member of the Sky Guard you're caught up in a whirlwind of events that will test your resolve and preconceptions.

Artistically a lot of effort has gone into creating a setting that is captivating, inspiring and yet familiar. The dragons for instance are stunning, being made up of thousands upon thousands of polygon meshes, while the architecture of the civilisations has a realistic look, the cities and buildings appearing to have evolved overtime.

Lair is a balancing act of several diverse gameplay elements - aerial, ground combat and rhythm action-esque sequences. A deeply crafted setting helps bring these different areas to life in the form of Factor 5's Warbeast and the story of its rider.