Even though it didn't get much hype at Sega's E3 booth,Blood Will Tell has the potential to become a sleeper hit.

Sega's twin Astro Boy titles aren't the publisher's only upcoming games based on a manga license. Tucked in one corner of its E3 booth was Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu's Dororo, a video game adaptation of the popular Dororo comic book and animated TV series in Japan - a series that, unlike Astro Boy, most Americans have never heard of. Although this game may have had a low-key presence up until now, its intuitive control scheme and accessible hack-'n-slash action could make it a surprise hit.

Fortunately for the uninitiated, no prior knowledge of the Dororo plotline seems necessary to enjoy Blood Will Tell, since Sega's WOW studio has put a lot of care into the game's storytelling. Each level is introduced with a lengthy cut scene, and fans of the manga will appreciate the effort given to fleshing out the backstory and personalities of the characters. The protagonist is one Hyakkimaru, the victim of a very rough childhood: demons attacked him as a baby and ripped away forty-eight of his body parts.

It's anyone's guess as to how he survived after losing that many body parts at such a young age, but Hyakki's apparently grown into a strapping young man hellbent on reclaiming every last one. To that end, he's found some handy substitutions for his stolen limbs: a sword for a hand, a machine gun in his arm, a canon shot in his knee . . . Hyakki's amply made up for his loss by becoming a feudal version of the Six Million Dollar Man. The last addition to his repertoire is the little waif girl, Dororo, who he met along his trail of revenge and grudgingly took in as a sidekick.

Blood Will Tell contains many cut scenes that detail the rich story of the Dororo source material.

The E3 demo was split into one Hyakki level and one Dororo level, with the Hyakki stage looking to be the main mode of the game. It was by far the more enjoyable of the two. The combat engine is Blood Will Tell's standout aspect, and Hyakki can unleash some of the coolest-looking action combos on PS2 since Devil May Cry. The fighting animations are fluid, lightning fast, and convey a satisfying sense of kickass. This guy didn't replace his missing limbs with swords and firearms for nothing! Besides the normal sword-arm strike with the Square button, a tornado-like blade whirl can be unleashed with Triangle that will cut opponents to ribbons. And if foes are out of reach, you can always soften them up by hitting L1 or L2 for a few machine gun and leg cannon blasts. The R2 button is listed as "change weapon," which promises even more depth to combat, though there weren't many other armaments available in the demo.

With weak sword attacks and strong sword attacks, cannon shots, special magic attacks, and upgradable weapons that are recovered as Hyakki finds his body parts, players will have a variety of melee tactics to choose from. On top of that, there's another character to control at the same time! By tapping the Circle button and selecting commands with the right analog, the player can order Dororo to attack, throw rocks, retreat, seek out power-ups and secret items, and perform other gameplay functions. All in a day's work for a good little sidekick. The final version of the game will also feature a co-op mode in which Hyakki and Dororo can be controlled by two different players simultaneously. That allows a second player to play along through the main story mode, and ought to free up Hyakki to concentrate on pure fighting. Whoever gets stuck with Dororo may get tired of throwing rocks, digging up hidden treasures, and watching Hyakki's back after awhile, though.

Hyakki's demo level was relatively straightforward, and consisted of chopping a path through a host of enemies surrounding his campsite. The environments included a marsh, a river, and a long staircase along the side of a mountain. Though the premise was your basic "destroy all monsters" action level, the furious combat was engaging and kept things compelling throughout the stage. And of course, it all culminates in a battle against a huge demon boss, one of many that can be expected to be in the final game.

Movie: Hyakki's launches a special lightning attack, then goes through a band of demons like a Ginsu knife.
(AVI, 5.9MB, 640x480, 0:07)

Movie: Hyakki chops apart some enemies while climbing a staircase structure. (AVI, 5.2MB, 640x480, 0:06)

Dororo's stage is a bit of a change of pace. It opens with a cinema showing our heroes examining a well where villagers' bodies have been turning up. Hey, think it could be some sort of demon menace down there? Hyakki is persuaded to allow Dororo to jump into the bucket and check it out, naturally because she's smaller and can fit into confined spaces. There are a few slick changes of perspective as you guide her through the tunnels, but soon what at first appears to be a stealth mission turns into more conventional third-person platforming and monster-bashing.

After she climbs into an underground cavern and hits a skull switch with a rock, a short jumping sequence is triggered. Dororo must traverse a huge pit by leaping across squares that materialize in the air for a few seconds and then disappear. This simple task becomes a tad frustrating, because the camera control makes gauging the distance extremely difficult. No matter the angle, you can never seem to get a consistently clear view of Dororo's landing spot. The pattern of the jumping blocks also randomizes after each failed attempt, which adds to the difficulty in finding a good camera angle. This challenge was probably the low point of the demo.

Once past that obstacle, a group of fire-breathing lizards and goblins appear, and it's time for Dororo to show us what a tough little cookie she is. Her attacks are limited to throwing rocks and a weaker assortment of punches and kicks, but beating down the baddies isn't that tough. No matter how well you fare, Dororo still gets kidnapped at the end of the level anyway - presumably setting up the next stage, in which Hyakki must mount a valiant rescue attempt. Dororo's interlude was not quite as fun as Hyakki's gameplay, but a Sega rep cautioned that her missions are sprinkled sparingly throughout the game.

All in all, Blood Will Tell looks to be shaping up as one of the better third-person action titles for the PS2. Sega's WOW team has clearly got a handle on how to craft a competent third-person action game for the platform, after making Shinobi (as Sega Overworks, whose staff was merged with WOW's) and Nightshade. The game's release date is still up in the air, but we're expecting it sometime in late 2004. If the camera issues are ironed out a bit and the Dororo stages are wisely kept to a minimum, this game could have a lot of potential. But only blood . . . I mean, time will tell if Sega truly has a sleeper hit on its hands!

· · · Ted Boyke