The award-winning software suite known as Havok was first made available to developers in the year 2000 by Havok (a software company based in Ireland). It has since been used to make many games that are now considered classics. The Havok software suite includes several modules. The most commonly used module is the Havok physics engine; this module controls the in-game physics and collision detection in real-time.
The A.I. module controls pathfinding. The cloth module is used to simulate the movement of a character’s clothes, and the destruction module deals with the deformation of in-game assets. There is also an animation, script, and vision engine module, but they have been discontinued.
10 The Bioshock Series
The Bioshock franchise was one of the standout series from the previous console generation. The games provided a gripping story, unique settings, and first-person action that required some forethought and caution– unlike games like Doom that urge players to throw caution to the wind and move quickly. The three main games in the Bioshock series used the physics and animation modules from Havok.
The ragdoll physics of downed enemies (that elicited quite a few giggles from players) is a component of the Havok physics engine. This franchise used the Unreal engine in tandem with the Havok modules. Many gamers are still holding out hope there will be another game in this fantastic series.
9 Civilization VI
The Civilization series is one of the oldest and most beloved in the gaming world. The games in this turn-based, empire-building 4X franchise are truly some of the most addictive ever made; every player of these games has, at least once, played them into the early morning hours persistently thinking, “Just one more turn.”
This series made Sid Meier a household name and helped him earn the title of “Godfather of Video Games”. The fact that Meier and Firaxis Games used the Havok software suite in the creation of the sixth entry in the series really speaks to how capable it is.
8 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Skyrim was an incredible game, but it also demonstrated how the Havok software suite could fail development studios who didn’t integrate it properly within their game engine. Every player has at some point seen some crazy physics in this game; whether it’s a mammoth spontaneously shooting up into the sky or a downed enemy flailing about like a cat-toy on the end of a string.
Bethesda used the behavior and animation modules in the creation of Skyrim. Again, some of the odd animations of NPCs in Skyrim show that the behavior and animation modules are only as good as the development team using them – not that this game’s developers aren’t talented (but Skyrim did have a lot of bugs).
7 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
If there is one game someone should by a Nintendo Switch to play it’s Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is game is almost perfect. However, does anyone expect anything less from Nintendo for a Mario or Zelda game?
Many critics have labelled Breath of the Wild the best game ever made. The attention to detail and grandeur of this instant classic will likely not be surpassed any time soon. Nintendo is very guarded with its IPs, so it is an enormous compliment that they used Havok’s physics module to handle the movement of objects within the game-world.
6 Horizon: Zero Dawn
Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of the stand-out games for the PS4, and was Sony’s answer to The Breath of the Wild. This game puts the player in a lush, post-apocalyptic world (the Denver area anyway) filled with large mechanical beasts. The game has features, like controlling enemies to be used as allies and mounts, which may not be new to video games but were incorporated into the game expertly by the developers.
Horizon: Zero Dawn uses the Havok physics module for its in-game collision detection and object physics. The developers, Guerrilla Games, did an excellent job adapting the physics module to the Decima game engine.
5 Marvel’s Spider-man
Up until 2018, the consensus as to the best game adapted from a comic book was the Batman: Arkham series. Then Marvel’s Spiderman was released and muddied the waters. This game does an excellent job of simulating Spider-man’s web-swinging around New York City; which is so realistic some gamers have experienced motion sickness while playing.
To handle the gravity, object physics, and collision for Marvel’s Spiderman the developers, Insomniac Games, used the Havok physics module. If any game on this list exemplifies how well the Havok physics module performs it is Marvel’s Spiderman for the PS4. The cloth module was also used by Insomniac during development.
4 Monster Hunter: World
The Monster Hunter series is Capcom’s second best-selling series behind Resident Evil; Monster Hunter: World became the best-selling game in the franchise only three days after its launch. The Monster Hunter series is comprised of primarily action role-playing games where the player fights large monsters.
Critics and fans praised the new game-play features introduced in World, while also praising Capcom for not changing the game too much from its predecessors. Since this is one of Capcom’s marquee franchises they wanted to make this game flawless; so naturally they decided to use the Havok physics module during development.
3 The Dark Souls/Demon’s Souls Series
The action/role-playing Souls series of games are legendary for their unforgiving difficulty. They are also known for being largely free of bugs and glitches while delivering a solid game-play experience. These games are indeed difficult, but they’re also so well-made it’s hard to blame a character’s death on poor controls or game design.
They force players to “git gud” or play something else. The games in the Souls series have incorporated various Havok modules; all use the physics module, but some use the animation or cloth modules as well. Dark Souls III uses the entire Havok software suite.
2 The Dead Space Series
The Dead Space games were some of the best survival horror experiences of the last console generation. The graphics and visual effects in these games were so good they could easily be mistaken for games for the current consoles.
Besides looking great they also were nearly unsurpassed at delivering a good jump-scare and giving players a quick adrenaline rush. The entire trilogy uses the Havok physics module for the movement of in-game objects. It is uncertain if gamers will ever get to play Dead Space 4 as EA moth-balled the series and the developer (Visceral Games) is no longer around.
1 No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky was a game surround by controversy when it was released. Many of the features shown in the game’s trailer and promised by the developers were not present in the game at its release in 2016. This, understandably, did not sit well with gamers. Since then the game has been updated numerous times and is now a very fun gaming experience for those who enjoy exploration; in fact, No Man’s Sky has earned “cult” status.
Taking-off from a planet’s surface, blasting through its atmosphere, and traveling to a distant planet without any loading or interruption never gets old. To handle the complex dance of celestial bodies in space, as well as the physics of the starships in the game, the developers (Hello Games) chose to use the Havok physics module.
NEXT: No Man’s Sky: 10 Crucial Tips For Beginners
