Video Games
‘Butcher’s Creek’ From ‘DUSK’ Creator Looks to Rockstar’s ‘Manhunt’ for Brutal Inspiration
First, there was DUSK. And it was good. Then developer David Szymanski gave us Iron Lung. It too was good. Now Szymanski is back with another first-person horror game. Inspired by Manhunt and Condemned: Criminal Origins, Butcher’s Creek is currently slated for a 2024 release on Steam.
Butcher’s Creek takes place in November of 1993, where you, a troubled loner looking to get your fix for cinematic gore, finds themselves travelling to an abandoned cabin near Butcher’s Creek, Pennsylvania, based on the rumour of authentic snuff films. Unfortunately for you, that rumour is turned on its head, as you end up captured by a gang of sadistic killers. Now your only option is to fight your way out using whatever tools are available.
Those “tools” echo what you’d find in Butcher’s Creek‘s inspirations. Hammers, wrenches, axes, pipes, 2x4s, box cutters, and more are at your disposal to dish out some violence. And going one step further than the more brutal executions in Manhunt determining your score, you must photograph your deeds in Butcher’s Creek in order to regain health. It’s all set to a gritty shot-on-video look of found footage to complete the nastiness.
And you won’t be relegated to that abandoned cabin, either. You’ll also be visiting farmhouses, factories, and even strip clubs in order to exact your revenge. While we’ll probably never get a third entry in the Manhunt series, Butcher’s Creek is definitely looking to fill that void.
Video Games
Bloody Body Horror Revealed in ‘Stellar Blade: Blood Rain’, Currently in Development [Trailer]
Shift Up has shifted things dramatically from 2024’s action-adventure game Stellar Blade, offering up a body horror bonanza in the newly announced sequel, Stellar Blade: Blood Rain. The sequel is currently early in development, but if the trailer is any indication, players will be in for plenty of body horror.
Continuing the story from the original Stellar Blade, Blood Rain will star a new protagonist named Eve. Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of humanity has fled to a Colony in outer space.
Shift Up had mentioned during a Q&A following its latest earnings presentation last month that development on Blood Rain (which was still unannounced at the time) was progressing smoothly, and was on track to meet their targeted quality standards.
Shift Up stated that with this new title it would be transitioning to a first-party service model, effectively moving away from the restrictions the game experienced with original publisher Sony, which had the game under an exclusivity agreement for the PlayStation 5. “This will allow us to lead marketing strategies that fully reflect the distinctive identity of the Stellar Blade IP, and we expect to communicate the unique appeal of its universe to players more directly and effectively.”
Whether this means that Xbox Players will finally be able to play the original game (or its sequel) is still not clear. Meanwhile, Stellar Blade is reportedly being ported to the Nintendo Switch 2, but no official confirmation has been made.