Will CLANG be the First Realistic Sword-Fighting Motion Game on a Console?

Clang, the Wii-inspired sword-fighting arena game amazement, promises to revolutionize the way sword strife is portrayed and played in video games . . . if the Kickstarter campaign goes well that is.

Neal Stephenson has had enough, and the novelist/sword wielder will not allow the big companies to wrench creative control from him and his comrades in arms (literally).

The vision: to create the most realistic sword-play game possible, keeping the respect of the real sword-fighting arts and histories, and making a difficult, yet fun game that emulates the vast array of shooting possibilities that have evolved over the years in FPS (First Person Shooter) video gaming.

Stephenson makes a great point: look at Doom through Halo and marvel at the customization and all around blood curdling mischief that is the myriad different uses of guns.

Now look at a swordplay game, like in Zelda: Twilight Princess (which is an awesome game in and of itself):

Link can hack and slash with the Wii-mote controllers, but there is little or no variation to the sword fighting, aside from hacking or slashing to the left, or right, up or down.

Real sword-work consists of numerous handles, stances, and moves performed by various different styles, and there are nearly as many of those blades – from daggers to samurai swords to full out medieval two-handed blades like Clang is starting with – as there are guns.

Anyone who has ever dreamed of being a knight, or who in fact studies and sports at fencing or other sword martial arts can pick up the sword in Clang and control it via the custom the Sixense Razer Hydra motion controller.

The Subutai Corporation is asking for $500,000 on Kickstarter, and has already raised $160,000 in pledges. Backers will receive rewards for their donations/Samolians in terms of T-shirts, fighting manuals, signed posters, the ability to name characters and invitations to company parties and play out the masters’ deep combat system, grappling and parrying with the virtual blade that is infinitely more accurate than the Wii’s.

If you have to slice and dice something, it may as well be with a virtual sword in a battle for ultimate power (or something like that; they are still in development, folks).