MMO developer Gravity Interactive's Ragnarok Online features doe-eyed, youthful-looking anime-inspired sprites, but it seems that the developer is interested in targeting an older audience, too -- they've just announced their next online world, Requiem: Bloodymare, which as the grim title suggests, is styled as a bloody horror set in "a world where the misuse of science and magic has warped the natural world into a twisted vision of death."

Interestingly, it employs the Havok game engine, best known for lending realism in object behavior to console gaming heavy-hitters like BioShock and Half-Life 2Requiem: Bloodymare will take place in the world of Ethegia, where battles between players and mutant monsters will be rendered with graphics described as "intense" and "gory."

Set in the world of Ethegia, players take on the role of the Temperions, beings created through genetic engineering and arcane rites to engage in bloody combat with the walking nightmares stalking the land.

Using the Havok engine, Requiem: Bloodymare brings to life a visually stunning realm where fallout from generations of scientific and mystical warfare has polluted the natural world and given birth to horribly mutated monsters. The battles between players and these grotesque creatures are rendered with intense sequences of bloody and gory graphics.

Gravity CEO Peter Kang confirms that the divergent description is indeed part of a diversification strategy for the company. “We’ve dedicated more than four years of intense development to be sure Requiem: Bloodymare. We very consciously decided when we started the project that we wanted to diversify our offering to include much more than the cute, anime-inspired gameplay of our previous hits. Requiem isn’t a game for kids; this is for mature players that are looking for hardcore content that conjures up their deepest nightmares and fears.”