Video Games
Keep Your Partner Alive in Asymmetrical Multiplayer Title ‘Follow Us’ [Trailer]
Game Atelier is offering up something slightly different with its recently-released 2-player co-op asymmetrical multiplayer horror title Follow Us. Currently out now in Early Access on Steam, the game is described as a hilarious and horrifying relationship stress test, where one player explores the environment, while the other guides them remotely, trying to keep their partner alive.
In what sounds like a dystopian (yet honestly, not entirely unrealistic) future, people live entirely through their screens, as going outside has become too risky. You stream for a shady channel called “Follow Us,” ready to do anything to keep your audience’s attention. Your goal is simple: entertain the masses, and stay alive.
Each round lets players choose whether they want to play as EXY the Explorer, who bravely navigates a haunted map, or OPY the Operator, who hangs back to guide EXY and hack the playspace to protect them from the various creatures and hazards in the level. Built on communication rather than complex mechanics, Follow Us creates tension by combining two opposite forces: isolation and connection with your partner.
Every level explores a different kind of fear. EXY faces danger and isolation in the field, while OPY endures helplessness and relentless pressure from the van.
And in keeping with the “friend” theme, Follow Us offers a rarity amongst titles like these: two people can play with just one copy of the game. Of course, the person who doesn’t own the copy of the game will need to download the Friend’s Pass in order to play, but you get the idea.
Follow Us will remain in Early Access for about 6 to 12 months, with the plan to expand the game with new haunted locations, additional enemy types, and improved co-op systems based on community feedback.
Video Games
Escape a Literal Hellhole in First-Person Survival Horror Title ‘Nature of Dread’ [Trailer]
Described as a nightmare “torn from the pages of Lovecraft, Nikolai Gogol, and Mikhail Bulgakov,” Nature of Dread is a newly-announced survival horror title coming to Steam. This sci-fi horror title has players fighting their way out of a nightmare deep within the northern wilderness, uncovering what has been buried under top-secret clearance for centuries.
The story for Nature of Dread that’s been revealed so far sees players awaken in the classified settlement of Hellhole in the northern forests. Built as humanity’s final defense in a war that has raged for over a millennium, the settlement was designed to contain an ancient evil. As these things go, in a desperate attempt to stop said evil, people tried to contain it, isolate it, and study it.
Ultimately, the military stepped in to do their usual cover-up routine, sealing the borders of the settlement off from the outside world and denying access. Unfortunately, things that were buried tend to have a habit of rising to the surface. Now you’ve been thrust into this centuries-old conflict, where you must decide how far you’re willing to go to protect what truly matters to you.
You’ll be facing off against the spawn of primordial evil, where these creatures learn, adapt, form packs, and change tactics the moment they sense your next move. Luckily, you’ll have plenty of weapons with which to fight these monstrosities, with the devs touting the game having a realistic weaponry system. Of course, since this is a survival horror title, you’ll need to be smart about your gear choices and manage your resources carefully in order to survive.