Clive Barker Goes Interactive

Published November 16, 2007

From the wonderfully warped mind of Clive Barker comes Clive Barker's Jericho™ for Xbox 360®, a stunningly dark and twisted tale of ancient, isolated evil, and the supernaturally-powered Jericho squad sworn to stand in evil's way.

Just another day at the office.

The Firstborn
"According to certain gnostic and apocryphal texts, before Adam, before Eve, there was the Firstborn—God's first abortive attempt at creating a being in his own image. This entity was neither male or female, dark nor light; a singular being that was both beautiful and terrible to behold."

So begins Jericho, laying the terrifying foundation for all the shocking, psychological horrors that follow. The Firstborn, banished by God according to Jericho's legend, has been seething in a cauldron of corruption, evil, and jealousy at humanity's favored status.

Throughout history, the Firstborn has attempted to break free from his temporal shackles and invade Earth so that it may claim dominion over humanity at last. However, a band of "warrior priests" has always blocked the Firstborn's power, holding it successfully at bay, and yet with every defeat the Firstborn has managed to claim a larger piece of Earth for its own domain.

Now the Department of Occult Warfare and its seven member-squad code-named Jericho, unknowingly represent the fabled team destined to thwart the Firstborn.

That's … just … wrong.

Squad-Based Horror
Clive Barker's unnervingly gripping story operates as the foundation of Jericho, along with the dark, disturbing and drop-dead gorgeous visuals worthy of mention alongside games like Gears of War®. It's the squad-based gameplay though that drives this title forward and will keep gamers coming back for more.

You play as Captain Devin Ross, a hard-bitten, badass military veteran, and the spiritual healer that leads the Jericho squad. That is, until a fateful misstep shatters his body and releases his spirit, at which point you are able to possess any of the other six squad members, allowing you to take full control of their actions.

Jericho 's world is teeming with demonic monsters and putrid creatures beyond description.

With each Jericho squad member having dramatically unique abilities, this intriguing game mechanic allows each encounter to be played through with great variety and wildly unique tactics. Here's how your squad breaks down:

• Sgt. Frank Delgado: This minigun-toting pyromaniac casts aside subtlety for pure firepower. Along with the minigun, Frank can cast forth his fire-spirit Ababinili, to consume enemies and to shield himself from attack.
• Cpt. Simone Cole: If it's explosive power you require, Simone is your girl. She sports up to four unique grenade types along with a very respectable assault rifle. These tools are all the more potent as she can both slow time, and focus her power to increase weapon damage.
• Cpt. Xavier Jones: The Jericho squad's resident mystic, Jones is able to release his spirit into the astral plane in order to possess enemies and manipulate otherwise out-of-reach objects.
• Lt. Abigail Black: Every good squad needs a sniper, and Lt. Black is the Jericho team's crack shot, even to the point of firing psychically guided "ghost bullets" able to fell multiple targets in a single shot. She can also use her telekinetic powers to stun enemies and blow through heavy barriers.
• Sgt. Wilhelmina Church: Sgt. Church prefers to use her nodachi sword over her military-issue submachine gun. To facilitate melee attacks, Sgt. Church calls on her blood magic to paralyze nearby enemies. She may also call upon a fire ward to incinerate enemies that blunder into her wall of flame.
• Father Paul Rawlings: Jericho squad's only other healer, Father Rawlings focuses more on mystical abilities than firepower. His healing power can stretch much further than team leader Ross, allowing him to revive teammates at greater distance. Father Rawlings can also curse enemies, effectively healing teammates whenever they shoot or damage the afflicted enemy.

This might hurt.

These distinctive personalities and powers allow Jericho to present unique, power-based puzzles, requiring you to think through your squad's strengths to tackle more analytical challenges. Jericho offers streamlined squad-based commands, so you can position your squad members, and order them to hold their ground, or follow you at your discretion.

Jericho's world is teeming with demonic monsters and putrid creatures beyond description. These enemies aren't simple carbon copies of each other with a different coat of paint. Early on, you'll encounter creatures covered in yellow, toxic pustules, which can be targeted for a quick takedown. Once eliminated, these monsters explode with devastating effect, killing any in the immediate blast radius. That's just one example, there are plenty more.

Clive Barker's Jericho for Xbox 360 is equal parts horror and tactical shooter, a combination that is not only unique on the console, but also distinctive for its top-tier polish and first-rate execution. Can you handle the horror?

Article by Ryan Treit