ZackFurniss
If phrases like “Lovecraftian,” “procedurally-generated,” and “roguelike” tickle your giblets, you might be interested in Phantasmal: The Shunned Ones and its new Kickstarter page. Coming from a team of five in New Zealand is a new game inspired by the likes of Silent Hill, Dead Space, and The Binding of Isaac. Players will inhabit John Hope, a Vietnam veteran who suffers from extreme PTSD after watching a horrible attack on innocent villagers. After a series of unfortunate events including his wife leaving him and taking the kids (oh no she dit’nt) and losing several jobs, an old army buddy hooks him up with a night shift janitor job at a nearby university. One night, the power goes out and voices cascade down the hall despite the campus being empty. Mr. Hope is not of the rational sort, and decides to investigate.
Joe Chang and his team promise that every run through the university will be completely different, from map layout to resource placement. Stealth will be a definite focus but weapons will be available. Grabbing a board or a pipe from off of the wall is all well and good until it breaks, so resource management will be at the crux of the tension. If you find the game initially frustrating, fear not; there is an experience system so even if you die, you will come back stronger than before. I imagine you’ll never be too empowered, to keep the unease uneasy, but what do I know? Of course, it wouldn’t be Lovecraftian without mentions of creeping doom and a sanity system, so look forward to those as well. If any of these concepts intrigue you, watch the video below and see if you wanna throw cash in New Zealand’s direction.
