Back in 2001 a Korean horror game
under the name of White Day: The
Labyrinth Named School was released by ROI Games. It features a school boy
trying to surprise his crush on White Day (a Korean holiday similar to
Valentine's Day, where people give their "Valentine" chocolates). He
sneaks into the school at night to leave chocolates on her desk, but becomes
entangled in the darker side of the school, now resembling a labyrinth of
horrors.
According to everyone that has played
the game, White Day is terrifying. Of
course, this means that it should be made even scarier with a release for
virtual reality on PlayStation. Naturally.
White Day was originally only slated to
release in the East, but was then planned for a Western release in 2004 due to
its popularity. Unfortunately, it never happened, and the hype died down. Then,
thanks to a number of rough and/or near-perfect translations to English, the
game blew up a few years later with horror gamers and YouTubers in the
West.
Fast forward to 2015, and as a result of the popularity with horror
gamers, passionate folk that we are, White
Day isn't just getting a Western release; it is also getting an improved
version that will include new ghosts, improved graphics, sound effects and
dialogue, and VR support. This VR version can actually be seen in the trailer
above, and it actually looks pretty great. By which I mean, horrifying,
obviously.
White Day: A Labyrinth Named School is
going to be released on PlayStation 4, iOS, Android, and be updated on PC. The
game will be released in Korea on November 19th, and come to
international horror gamers in the near future, including VR support. At
present, only the mobile versions will be dubbed with English, but if enough
players want it, an English-dubbed version may also make its way to the other
platforms. Personally, I feel that English subtitles with Korean language will
keep the Asian horror at its finest, so I’d probably keep the subtitles
regardless.
More information on White Day can be its IndieDB page, where
the original game can be downloaded for free, if you’d like to test your limits
before the game comes to the West. Are you excited? I am. Just need to find a way to afford a virtual reality kit now... Who needs a soul anyway?
I've never been to Japan, but it is a dream of mine
to go, and possibly even live there for a while. The places seem so
interesting, full of culture and life. In Yomawari,
which translates to “Night Watch”, by Nippon Ichi Software, however, it all
changes at night.
Yomawari tells the haunting tale of a little girl that loses her dog.
Her older sister disappears into the night to try and find it, but neither
return. Alone, and more than a little worried about her missing family, the
little girl wanders into the darkness to find them. This is where we'll get to
explore a beautiful, popular town turned surreal and eerie in the night.
Armed with only a flashlight, you'll search the streets of Japan for
clues of your sister and pet. You won't be alone on those streets, either.
Black figures and strange creatures wait in the darkness, and if you decide to
shine your light in their direction, they may just show you what they really
are. Unfortunately, gathering the courage to search the darkness is the only
way you'll be able to find the whereabouts of your family.
If you like the sound of Yomawari,
which I really do, more information may be found on the American Nippon IchiSoftware website, Facebook or Twitter. The game is currently released in Japan
on the PlayStation Vita, but is likely to be released in the West in the near
future. Are you ready to find your family? It's dark out there.
Another day, another horror from KGames. I know,
what were the chances that I'd find them both at the same time? Apparently
100%, but that's just me. Today's horror is Baby
Blues, described by some gamers a "Baby Slender."
In Baby Blues, you play as
Tommy, a toddler that wakes up one night to find that all of his teddies have
gone missing. Determined, he leaves the safety of his bed and goes in search of
them. His mission is to search his home to find all of his stuffed friends
before making his way back to bed. Of course, it won't be easy.
Using a map that Tommy has drawn, the player must make their way round
the house, collecting the teddies and trying not to get caught by some form of terrifying
creature as it stalks you around the house. This is the Slenderman of Baby Blues, and you'd be wise to avoid it
at all costs.
While you're at it, the studio has a dare for you...
• Step 1: Wait for night to arrive.
• Step 2: Go in your room and turn off all your lights.
• Step 3: Close your door.
• Step 4: Wear headphones and turn up the volume.
• Step 5: Play in complete darkness.
• Step 6: Record yourself getting all the teddies.
Can you handle it? If you think so, you can play Baby Blues for free on IndieDB, and any further information you
could need to know about this toddler terror can be found on the game’s website
and IndieDB. Don’t forget that KGames is also looking for generous donations on
its Patreon page. Considering its horror games are
completely free, it makes sense to keep them coming with a couple donations!
I don't know what it
is about cameras, but they tend to make things even scarier than they already
are. Think Outlast, terrifying,
right? Maybe it's the immediacy and intimacy of the device, forcing you to not
only look at, but also record, your worst fears. I imagine that's why [REC] Shutter, by KGames, is a horror
played entirely through the screen of a camera.
The aim of the game is to solve
puzzles as Connor, the journalist tasked with reporting on Penny Hill, a
haunted asylum, and avoid as many paranormal entities as possible. By doing so
you will learn more about Connor and his backstory, and find out what is
happening at Penny Hill. This involves taking photographs of paranormal
activity and evidence, but staying at a safe distance.
Getting too close will result in high
levels of panic (both for Connor and yourself, I imagine), making it harder to
control his actions. Panic can be reduced with pills or by making it to a safe
area. Failing that, Connor can take only 4 hits before running out of health,
portrayed by cracks in the camera, and is sure to keep things tense in those
moments of running and panic. The camera also has a night vision option,
suggesting that some of this panic may take place in the dark. Bring spare
batteries.
I'm still working my way through the Outlast: Whistleblower DLC, but when I
finally work up the courage to finish it, maybe [REC] Shutter is the game to fulfil my found footage horror needs.
Anything else you might need to know can be found on the studio’s website, the
game’s website, and IndieDB. KGames also has a Patreon, so if you’re feeling
generous, check it out.
With the cancellation of Silent
Hills, and the hype built by its teaser demo P.T, some developers are trying to fill the void for horror gamers.
Two such developers are Aleksandar Dzhordzhiyevski and Maxime Thomas, working
on first-person horror Stay Close,
which aims to blur the line between madness and reality, and was recently
Greenlit.
In Stay Close, the
gamer will travel through different phases, based on reality and illusion, and
only by progressing through each of these will they be able to find the truth
of what they are seeing. Aleksandar, the creator of the game’s concept, said that
“Stay Close is strongly inspired by
the movie Jacob's Ladder,” a 90s
horror film that featured a man who appeared to be slowly losing his mind,
unable to tell what was real and what was spewed forth by his damaged
imagination. Aleksandar’s goal “would be to achieve a similar atmosphere…. Mixing
reality with madness.”
There was also a functional reason behind this decision.
By having two phases, reality and illusion, the developers can “use the same
level and assets twice, resulting in 50% less content and almost 30% less
development.”
Similar to the teaser demo of P.T, or upcoming horrors of a similar focus – such as Allison Road – gamers won’t be spoon-fed
the answers or the narrative behind the game, and will have to piece together
what they believe is happening based on the information that they find. Just what
gamers will find is not yet clear, as the game is still early in development,
but the developers want this to be an important part of the experience.
Getting déjà vu right now? That may be because you read this on IGM, where my article was first featured! Check IGM out for all the latest on indie games.
Skyhill is a survival horror rogue-like game developed by Daedalic and
Mandragora, and has been covered in a news article detailing its release in October. Now, it has been announced that the game will be getting its own
Livestream Mode on Twitch.tv from November 28th, allowing streamers and viewers
to experience the post-apocalyptic horror together.
In fact, the feature is already
available, as gamers will be able to test it out from now until November 27th
before the full launch the day after. “The new Livestream Mode lets players directly connect to Twitch via the
in-game menu, enabling game control via Twitch chat. This way, viewers can
influence the game and play together with the streamer.”
Not heard of Skyhill before? Gamers step into the penthouse suite of Skyhill
Hotel, where Perry was holed up, surviving World War III. Now he is venturing
outside of the suite and attempting to make his way out into the world, but
he’ll have to fight and scavenge his way through 100 floors of mutants to do so. This is the premise behind Skyhill, and each floor is procedurally-generated, meaning that
every streamer will be able to share a different experience with their viewers.
Any furthers update on
this feature, or anything else on Skyhill,
can be found on the official website, Steam, Facebook or Twitter. Happy streaming.
Getting déjà vu right now? That may be because you read this on IGM, where my article was first featured! Check IGM out for all the latest on indie games.
Speaking to
developers on Twitter is great. I learn about new games from people that are
genuinely passionate about what they do, and really talented at doing it. Then,
occasionally, a generous studio will send over a free copy of their game for
little ol' me. In this case, the generous studio was Arif Games, and the game
was Dark Fear, a pixel horror RPG adventure
that's pretty damn addictive.
Worried that I might not have time to
play much of Dark Fear before writing
about it, I let the studio know that I wouldn't be able to guarantee a full
review. Little did I know that only two days later I'd get 29% through the game
in one sitting... Granted, I only played for about an hour, but I'd still say
that's an impressive feat for playing on my mobile. Unless I'm travelling, a
mobile game has to be good to keep my attention. Dark Fear is.
Yes, some mobile games are incredibly
simple, aiming to latch onto the success of games like Angry Birds or Candy Crush,
but Dark Fear is an adventure of variety
and tension. It just so happens to be squeezed into a portable device.
It is the variety of Dark Fear that I believe captivated me
so during my hour of gaming. One moment the game was a point-and-click puzzle
solver, and the next it was a turn-based RPG where I was fighting off wolves,
tree demons and a possessed child (with the added bonus of NPCs, shops,
weapons, armour, potions and even a little bit of grinding for money). If you
hadn't guessed from "possessed child", the game is also sometimes tense
and downright scary. I'm not just talking about when a little girl scuttles
across a wall, or runs towards the player shrieking like a banshee, because
even the title screen made me jump. It uses a painful screech to announce
itself, similar to the opening of the Insidious
films, and it really sets the tone of the game.
The game is also quite open,
especially after making a little progress, and the player is able to choose
between a few different locations at their own leisure. Sometimes they'll want
to progress by using something they've found to solve a puzzle, or by talking
to an NPC about something they’ve done, but other times they might just go
hunting in the woods, catching rabbits, deer and badgers for their fur, and
then sell that fur to afford new gear. Carrying out these tasks to upgrade your
character is fun, addictive and also makes the moments of tension and horror
that much more effective.
If you ask me, that should be enough
for you to want to look into Dark Fear.
What I have played so far was fun enough for me to ignore everything else in my
life and home for an hour, playing on my phone in the darkness, and I’m looking
forward to playing more. Since you don’t even need to be online to play it (hallelujah!),
this could become your new piece of travelling horror. From what I’ve played so
far, Dark Fear definitely deserves a
place on your phone.
Find out more on iTunes or GooglePlay, and get in touch with Arif Games on Facebook or Twitter, even if it is
just to tell them that they are awesome.
Gamers may not have been alone in the dark for a while, but Frederick
Raynal, the creator of Alone in the Dark,
has been busy. Having set up his new studio, Gloomywood, Raynal and his team
have been developing a stealth horror title called 2Dark, aiming for an early 2016 release on PC.
In 2Dark gamers will sneak
through a “twisted and quirky 1970’s universe”, attempting to save kidnapped
children from the serial killers that stole them away. Based on the trailer
above, 2Dark shares a few
similarities with Hotline Miami games.
The game features a top-down view of a pixel-art environment, and there are a
few disturbing masks in the mix, too. It also appears that sound will be an
important focus for 2Dark, as each
movement sends out a ring around the player. Presumably, the faster they move,
the louder they are, and the more likely it is that the murderers will come a-running.
Other than what can be predicted from the trailer, a lot of 2Dark is still, well, in the dark.
Anyone that is excited by the premise of what they see can pre-purchase the game for €20 EUR (approximately $21.5 USD) and will be entered into beta. Be
warned, though, as the website is mainly in French, and Google Translate can
only do so much.
When more information is available, gamers are sure to find it at the
game’s website, or by “liking” the studio on Facebook and following the studio
on Twitter.
Getting déjà vu right now? That may be because you read this on IGM, where my article was first featured! Check IGM out for all the latest on indie games.
I'm excited. I'm not just on board
the hype train for Protocol Games' Song
of Horror, I'm eating snacks from the first-class carriage. In this
third-person horror, described as a return to the classic horror of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with 16 playable characters and permadeath, it is hard
not to be. Even more so when it delivers on everything it promises in its Kickstarter campaign.
In the press demo I played, Daniel Noyer,
the game’s main character, has travelled to Husher Mansion, where renowned
writer Sebastian P. Husher lives. Daniel works as the Assistant to the Sales
Director at Wake Publishing, responsible for publishing Husher’s writing. The
only problem is that Husher hasn't answered the phone in weeks. Daniel was sent
to find out why. Finding the front door ajar, he heads inside, and promptly
regrets the whole thing.
Standing in the hallway, I couldn't
help but notice that the game was visually impressive, and the unnerving
ambient music emphasised what was to come. The shadows played their part, too.
Protocol Games has perfected the game's lighting, and shadows lie in wait
everywhere you look, potentially hiding things you won't want to
find. Torch shining into the darkness, I already didn't want to take a
step forward.
The camera angles used are pulled
straight from classic horror games, and always have you wondering what is
waiting just out of the screen. These camera angles are also used to great
effect when listening through a door, which Daniel can do before going through,
if you so desire. Not only is the feature quite powerful in its own right (what
might you hear?), but the camera closes in on the player. As they listen, the
half of the screen behind them is empty, and they're left wondering if
something is on its way to fill it. This is how classic horror works, both in
games and movies, and it's refreshing to see it done so well in a modern game.
Adding to this sense of unease, and
to the game's narrative, are notes and drawings found around the mansion. These
include disturbing children's drawings, creepy haikus, and letters between
people, giving the player an idea of what took place before they arrived. In
addition, little references show the studio's love for horror. For example, a
piano is branded with "Himuro," which is clearly a reference to
Himuro Mansion, a real-life location just outside of Tokyo, said to be haunted,
and then made famous as the setting of Fatal
Frame.
That isn't to say that Song of Horror borrows everything from
the old classics; far from it.
The game will have 16 playable
characters upon release, and with permadeath in place, any of these 16
characters could die, taking the narrative along a different path. I didn't get
to experience this in the early build, but I still discovered something
new.
In some horror games, once you've
been scared by something once, you won't be scared by it again, should you
revisit or replay an area. Not so in Song
of Horror. Even if you revisit an area, the scares may change. One small
room had already scared me once, when a ghostly hand reached through the door
behind me. Having already seen this, I was ready for it. Nothing happened.
Thinking I'd bested the room, I went to leave, only to be startled out of my
arrogance by two booming knocks on the door. It was plain cruel. Fortunately,
that's exactly what I want from horror.
I was sent into yet another
unexpected panic when the walls began to ooze and rot, and I was told to
"run or hide." The soundtrack ramped up and added to my blind terror.
I ran through the house, found a table, and crouched beneath it until the house
turned to normal. Well, as normal as Song
of Horror gets. Not even a minute later I walked through a kitchen and
listened at a door. I heard scratching. Curious, I opened the door and was
enveloped by "The Presence," a dark entity that swallowed Daniel into
its blackness and left me with a message: “Daniel did not make it...” I hadn’t
survived. With 16 characters, this might not have been too much of an issue,
but as Daniel is the main character, and the only character in the early build,
dying meant failure.
Though I may have failed, I am
struggling to think of an area where Song
of Horror did. My laptop struggled with it, and there were a lot of keys to
remember, but that all comes down to the fact that I’m not a natural PC gamer,
and neither my laptop nor my key memory is up to scratch. Controller support is
available, though, and I’d be using my Steam AlphaWare to play the final game.
Problem solved.
It may be early in development, but
I'm really excited by Song of Horror.
I mean, I already was, but having played it, I can see that Protocol Games is
really onto something. If you haven't already, I recommend - nay, beg - that
you check out the game's Kickstarter campaign. If you've been wanting to return
to the days of suspenseful camera angles, an interesting narrative and clever
scares, Song of Horror is how you get
there. In my opinion, this game needs to
happen. It will be good for horror gamers, and potentially even good for the
genre as a whole. Keep up to date with everything you need to know by heading
to thewebsite, Facebook or Twitter. Just do it.
Uncanny Valley is a phrase that refers to something computer-generated or robotic that is
similar to, but not exactly like, human appearance and movement, which then creates a sense of unease or revulsion in the person seeing it. Creepy. It is
also the title for Uncanny Valley, a survival horror game developed by Cowardly Creations, combining exploration, puzzle-solving and stealth with a strong narrative focus.
The player will take control of Tom as he starts his new job
as a night-shift security guard at a high-tech facility. It is during
this night shift - set over approximately 7 real-world minutes -
that players will be able to explore the facility at their leisure. They can
choose to complete the objectives that they have been tasked with on the job,
or ignore them completely, choosing instead to explore and interact with the
environment. However, thanks to the Consequence System, every action will cause
a reaction further down the line.
Decisions made and paths taken will shape the narrative, and
one player may see an entirely different ending to another player. This also
applies to immediate gameplay, and if the player is unable to escape or hide
from hostile creatures around the facility, they may be hurt in a way that
affects Tom's movement or actions. "For example - you fail at
avoiding your attackers, meaning your character will move slower throughout the
game, making it harder to escape future pursuers. The player then needs to be more
careful and clever, which adds more tension to the game."
From what I've seen of Uncanny Valley, it looks like a
really interesting game. Not only am I digging into pixel-art style, but the
amount of interaction and choice with the facility seems impressively open for
player choice. And, even better, it's currently on IndieGameStand, where people
can pay what they want in order to get the game. SCORE. Hurry, though, as it's only available at pay what you want
prices for the rest of the day.
If I pick it up, I'll probably end up writing about it, but
find out everything you need to know on IGS, the studio’s website, Facebook or
Twitter.
NeocoreGames just announced The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Final Cut, a compilation of all three titles that will bring over 50 hours of gothic-noir steampunk action-RPG to Steam.
In The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, gamers explore Borgovia, a gothic land of “monsters, magic and weird science.” They do so using one of six playable classes with different professions, ranging from “steel and gun” to magic and science, and are able to use these skills to fight off creatures with their own tailored style. Players will also be able to build their own hideout, defend it with a tower-defense mini game, take part in daily or weekly quests and challenges, and join others in co-op and PvP multiplayer modes.
Alongside bringing all three of the games together, NeocoreGames has also added an endgame for more replayability. Gamers that reach level 100 will progressfurther and experience a “Glory system, rare items and two types of endgame currency.” Zoltan Pozsonyi, Producer at NeocoreGames stated that “Final Cut is more than simply all three games bundled together: we created new content and put a ton of thought and detail into how to tie each game into one another.”
More information on this gothic ARPG can be found on the website, Facebook or Twitter, and the game can be purchased on Steam for $44.99 USD.
Getting déjà vu right now? That may be because you read this on IGM, where my article was first featured! Check IGM out for all the latest on indie games.
