''Collapse'' ( uk, Kолапс, also known as ''Collapse: Devastated World'') is an action game released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Creoteam, a company based in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

. The game is notable for combining Quick Time Events and sword battles similar to '' God of War series'', third-person shooting, and a setting similar to '' S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl''. The

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

was composed by the Russian

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

band .

Gameplay

The gameplay is divided into sections where a player is encouraged to use either swords or guns. The shooting section is similar to many

third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot ...

s, while the close-range combat is similar to the ''God of War'' series. Boss battles are usually finished using quick time events. Many of the locations in the game are based on real-life Kyiv places, such as Maidan Nezalezhnosti and

Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra or Kyivo-Pechers’ka Lavra ( uk, Києво-Печерська лавра, translit=Kyievo-Pecherska lavra, russian: Киево-Печерская лавра), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Ea ...

Plot

The story is set in 2096 in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, a city that turned into the center of the Zone. The Zone was created after a strange interdimensional rift opened, leading the city and all surrounding areas to be infested with outwardly beasts and dangerous anomalies. The rift become known as the Hole. To stop the spread of the Zone, a

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

was declared, and all the inhabitants of the place became hostages. At first, the Zone was controlled by scientists and

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non- professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, but due to monster attacks and strong aggression from the locals, the Zone soon became divided between various

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

clans led by so-called Lords. The city itself and surrounding area of the Zone became known as the Junkyard. Rodan, the main hero of the story, is a Lord of one such clan, who is going to participate in a meeting of Lords. The meeting turns out to be a trap by Lord Mark, the leader of a clan of fanatics who worship him as a

messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

. Rodan is forced to fight back with his swords, various weaponry and telekinetic powers granted by the Zone's anomalous power. He soon finds out that there is much more to worry about than just a new clan war, as he is forced to confront an enigmatic and very powerful man whose ambition threatens not only to safety of the Zone, but to the whole world outside. During his journey, Rodan also has to uncover the mystery of his past and the secret of the inter-dimensional rift, the Hole itself.

Development

A patch was released, updating game to version 1.1. The patch fixed most of the problems with gameplay balance and bring some new effects to the game. It was highly recommended to download the patch, as it improves the game drastically.

''Collapse: The Rage''

A stand-alone expansion entitled ''Collapse: The Rage'' ( uk, Колапс: Лють) was released in 2010. It continues the story of Rodan after the destruction of the Hole. The features include improved ranged and close combat mechanics, new special effects and the "Rage" mode.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews. Many critics praised the unusual setting, hack'n'slash mixed with shooting, and soundtrack. However, the game was highly criticised for simplicity of its combat system, repetitive gameplay and poor design of some characters.

References

External links

Official website
{{in lang, en, ru
Steam game page
2008 video games Action-adventure games Hack and slash games Post-apocalyptic video games Third-person shooters Video games developed in Ukraine Video games set in Ukraine Windows games Windows-only games Buka Entertainment games Single-player video games