Pax Corpus

Did You Know?

• The game includes an option to temporarily switch to first person vision.
• The player levels up by finding flashcards that grant proficiency in new weapons.
• The player must eliminate enemies using several weapons.

Plot

The game is set in a cyberpunk universe where the population consists entirely of women; all men have been killed, and the few survivors are mindless slaves. Reproduction is ensured by cloning technology from the corporation Alcyon, led by Kiyiana Soro. The player controls a mercenary named Kahlee, who works for herself. Kahlee uncovers a dangerous project called Pax Corpus, a weapon created by Dr. Ellys for Kiyiana Soro that emits radiation capable of stripping free will and integrating people into a collective entity under Alcyon. Kahlee must stop this plot while navigating a love-hate relationship with Kiyiana Soro.

Development

The game was originally intended as an adaptation of the MTV animated series Æon Flux, commissioned from Cryo Interactive by Viacom New Media. A beta version was shown at E3 in 1996, with a scenario inspired by the episode "The Demiurge." The project was canceled after Viacom acquired Spelling Entertainment and merged Viacom New Media into Virgin Interactive. With the game already in late development, Cryo changed character names and universe details to remove copyrighted elements of Æon Flux, then published it as Pax Corpus.

Release and Reception

Pax Corpus was released in the United Kingdom in October 1997, sold in retailers and mail-order shops for £33.99. After release, many in Europe still expected an Æon Flux game, unaware that Pax Corpus was based on it. The Official UK PlayStation Magazine gave it a 2/10 in its final issue, calling it "Tomb Raider in Space, but Crap." Issue 35 of UK magazine PlayStation Plus gave it 30%, critiquing the graphics and lack of gameplay, stating "No rational human can want games like this to exist." Extreme PlayStation Magazine gave it 19% in September 1998, calling it "the worst to ever be released on the PlayStation in its entire history," with scores of 3 for Graphics, 6 for Sound, 2 for Gameplay, and 3 for Lifespan. Polish magazine Gry Komputerowe gave 35% in October 1998, German magazine Maniac gave 39% in May 1998, and French magazine Console Plus gave 21% in Issue 70. Australian magazine Hyper chose it as the third worst game across all platforms of 1997–1998 in Issue 63.