Mothmen 1966 is the first entry in a visual novel series inspired by mid-20th century pulp fiction and ‘80s home computer graphics, published by Chorus Worldwide and developed by LCB Game Studio. In the game, you guide a pair of lovers, a gas station owner, and an investigator through the dark unknown of West Virginia’s woods. It’s set to release on Thursday, July 14, 2022, for the PlayStation 4 (playable on PS5), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam.
Rendered in an 8-bit graphical style reminiscent of ‘80s home computers like the ZX Spectrum and scored with a fittingly lo-fi soundtrack, Mothmen 1966 replicates the retro aesthetic of yesteryear and fuses compelling writing with stunning illustrations. The developer plans to follow up the game with future entries Varney Lake and Bahnsen Knights later this year.
In a press release sent out today, Chorus Worldwide elaborated on the details of the game’s story, saying:
Every November, the Leonid Meteor Shower lights up the sky in a spectacular astrological display, but the shower of ‘66 brought something…else. Follow young lovers Lee and Victoria, local gas station owner Holt, and paranormal investigator Lou as they all encounter a conspiracy with horrifying implications.
On this fateful night, the line between scientific fact and science fiction blurs. Men in black lurk in the shadows, watching, waiting. Red eyes glare through the deep, dark woods…red eyes Lou believes might belong to the “Mothmen” he’s researching.
Help them survive across eleven chapters of accessible ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’-inspired gameplay punctuated by puzzles. Choices leading to death only provide a temporary setback. Characters speak up to assist players stuck on particularly devious brain-teasers. Clever mini-games create a sense of urgency: repel attacking coyotes, spot cryptids with binoculars, or even try a hand at Impossible Solitaire.
Mothmen 1966 will be available on PS4 (playable on PS5), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam for $8.99 with support for English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese.
Anyone with a flair for retro-inspired adventure games like Thimbleweed Park should definitely check this one out. For more info, you can join LCB Game Studio’s Discord, follow LCB Game Studio and Chorus Worldwide on Twitter, and visit the official Mothmen 1966 page on Chorus Worldwide’s website.
You can also watch the teaser trailer below and check out the game’s Steam page here to try out the free demo.
