Video Games
Throwback Survival Horror Title ‘PHASE ZERO’ Announced for PC [Trailer]
After experiencing Crow Country last year, publisher and developer SPINA Studio and developer SUPERHOT PRESENTS are set to bring players “a modern reimagining of the survival horror golden era classics” of their own in PHASE ZERO. Sporting callbacks to classic PSX-era Survival Horror titles, PHASE ZERO is currently in development for PC via Steam, with a demo slated to be arriving soon.
Premiering during the MIX Spring Showcase, PHASE ZERO takes place in 1994 (coincidentally, the year the PlayStation launched in Japan). You’re in Flint Peak, an isolated harbour town that’s currently plagued by a mysterious illness that is twisting its victims into grotesque nightmares. In the midst of the chaos, two survivors – Mary, a reporter new to the town, and Guy, an injured engineer – must fight to make it through the night.
The story unfolds in a series-like manner, where each chapter stars one of the two protagonists. True to classics like Resident Evil, PHASE ZERO sports prerendered backgrounds, fixed camera angles, blending nostalgic design with modern quality-of-life improvements while honouring its iconic roots.
As for what you’ll be up against, you’ll be faced with body horror delights in “grotesque, cancerous monsters” that roam the streets of Flint Peak (hint: zombies). Not only that, a strange tissue-like overgrowth covers the walls of buildings and meat bursts through the pipes. Your weapons are essentially whatever you can scavenge, but that also includes the staples of various firearms.
With the 1.0 launch looming on the horizon for The Astronauts’ dark fantasy RPG FPS Witchfire, the devteam has released the last major update in “Revelations”, introducing a wealth of new content, enhanced localisation, and a dialogue system. Players can now engage in multi-threaded conversations with Fallen Preyers, making pivotal choices that impact both gameplay and story. This system establishes the narrative baseline for the upcoming 1.0 release, providing fleshed-out storylines that unveil the tragic history of the Preyers.
Revelations introduces the Marshland, a hostile wetland map crawling with new abominations. This grim region hides the secrets of the Cathedral of Saint Aurelian, shedding light on historical Vatican failures and the mystery of a forgotten Fallen Preyer.
To survive, players can now equip themselves with a powerful new gear pack featuring 4 distinct weapons. The Heart Eater is a precision pistol that rewards successive weak-spot hits with devastating lightning damage, while the Corpse Eater harnesses the power of decay to ramp up its damage output. Rounding out the arsenal is the Soul Eater, a demonic firearm that reveals the soul sigils of nearby enemies, allowing players to stun them on demand. Lastly, the Tempest is a demonic raygun that fires electric energy.
The update also adds the biggest dungeon to grace Witchfire yet in the highly anticipated Witch Vault, as well as overhauling environmental mechanics through World Corruption 2.0, introducing an entirely new set of challenges and difficulty scaling.
Outside of combat, players can now retreat to the Garden, a now-accessible area to the Hermitorium. Here, they can cultivate the rare resources needed to craft incense, or simply sit on a bench to take in the view.
Witchfire is available now in Early Access on Steam and Epic Games Store with a 20% discount until June 25.