Video Games
VR Survival Horror Title ‘Into the Dead: Crimson Heights’ Announced for Meta, Steam [Trailer]
PikPok are expanding their Into The Dead series into the survival horror realm with their new VR title Into the Dead: Crimson Heights. Described as a Hyper Reality survival horror game, the title uses state-of-the-art technology to push beyond the existing boundaries of roomscale Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality games to create a “world-first” player experience.
This new entry expands upon the Walton City zombie outbreak that was first depicted in Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days (which is currently in Early Access on Steam). Set during the first hours of the outbreak, Crimson Heights is a fresh entry in the franchise, using Hyper Reality technology to scan a player’s environment, turning their real-world furniture into in-game architecture and cover to create a new kind of immersive, reactive game world.
“At PikPok, we are constantly looking at fun and engaging ways to provide new and unique gaming experiences,” explains PikPok CEO Mario Wynands. “So with that very much in mind, we are excited to finally reveal Into the Dead: Crimson Heights, which combines tense stealth, tactical exploration and thrilling combat in a unique, body-driven experience.”
Into the Dead: Crimson Heights is currently in development for Hyper Reality on Meta and Virtual Reality on Steam, and is planned for release during 2027.
Video Games
Open Seas Survival Horror Title ‘SENARA: The Sacrament’ Launches July 30 on Steam [Trailer]
Back in January, Influsion Inc. announced SENARA: The Sacrament, their open seas survival horror title that’s set aboard a mysterious derelict cruise liner. And after dropping the demo for the game during February’s Steam Next Fest (which is still available), the developer has announced that SENARA: The Sacrament will launch on Steam on July 30th.
SENARA: The Sacrament puts players in the role of a new recruit of a religious organization that just so happens to have a massive 6,000-ton ship: the eponymous Senara. Upon setting sail you wake up to find the ship’s crew missing. In their place, horrific creatures now stalk the corridors of the ship. You’ve now got to escape hidden cult rituals, forbidden truths, and survivors with their own agendas await you in the darkness.
Calling back to classic survival horror design, SENARA: The Sacrament offers players a massive escape room where you must solve puzzles and manage your limited resources to your advantage if you’re to get out alive. In order to do so, you’ll have to know when to use your resources, employ stealth mechanics, and decide whether to fight or flee.
Using LiDAR, photogrammetry, and Unity HDRP pipelines, SENARA: The Sacrament offers a scan of a real-life documentary-level accuracy 6,000-ton ship. You’ll explore the corridors of the eponymous vessel, uncovering hidden passages, and gather clues to find the key to your escape. Along the way, you’ll also uncover just what happened about the ship. Take care, however, as the info scattered across documents, objects, and conversations between characters is open to interpretation. Depending on what you believe and how you interpret the clues, the story can unfold in entirely different directions, leading to multiple endings based on your choices.
“SENARA: The Sacrament hearkens back to the golden age of survival horror, but with a modern twist,” said No-Jin Kwak, Director at Influsion Inc. “It retains the item scarcity, puzzles, and freeform exploration of the genre’s best entries, now enhanced with a state-of-the-art recreation of real ocean liner. We believe this adds a deliberately uncanny layer to its oppressive atmosphere, offering untold immersion to its nightmarish tale of high seas horror.”