Video Games

See 12 Minutes of Fresh Lunar Lunacy From Sci-Fi Horror Game ‘Moons of Madness’

Published

5 years ago

July 11, 2019

Big ol’ oozy tentacles are coming soon to a red planet near you.

On Wednesday, publisher Funcom revealed 12 new minutes of gameplay footage from Rock Pocket Games’ upcoming sci-fi horror game, Moons of Madness. The horror walking sim is targeting a “Halloween season” release date.

The extended trailer begins with protagonist, Shane Newhart, waking up to pitch black. He gets out of bed and starts exploring a martian base, which seems to be suffering a power outage. He picks up a crowbar and a headlamp and encounters sickly black ooze (think the Typhons from Prey) as he cautiously paces through the station’s darkened hallways, prying open doors.

There’s a lot of prying doors open in this trailer, the point of which, I assume, is to show off the game’s gorgeous skin textures. Seriously, look at these beauties:

Then there’s a creepy moment when a mysterious, ethereal woman beckons Shane to blow out the candles on a birthday cake sitting on an ichor-drenched desk, surrounded by ichor-caked balloons. Then the woman jump-scare attacks Shane, greasy Grudge hair framing her pasty face, and our hero wakes up in his bed, on a normal day on the surface of Mars.

The rest of the demo follows Shane as he talks to Orson, a quippy coworker, who, via future phone, wakes him up and walks him through his day. Life in the station is crisp, clean and impressively rendered, but Shane soon discovers that his nightmare is coming true. The trailer culminates with the reveal that Lovecraftian horror has indeed come to their base.

Moons of Madness — whose name seems to be a sci-fi riff on Lovecraft’s short story, “At the Mountains of Madness” — wasn’t on my radar before this demo. But, after 12 minutes of gameplay, I’m excited to see more of those very pretty hands around Halloween.

Video Games

Wired Productions to Publish Psychological Horror Title ‘KARMA: The Dark World’ [Trailer]

Published

2 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Mike Wilson

Publisher Gamera Games and developer Pollard Studio have teamed with Wired Productions (the folks who brought us Martha is Dead) to release the psychological horror game KARMA: The Dark World. The game, which has been in development since 2021, is currently slated for a release on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series. No release date has been announced.

In a press release, Wired Productions managing director Leo Zullo stated that they saw something special with KARMA: The Dark World. “It evokes, emotions and provokes players to think, feel and question everything. Pollard Studio wanted to create an intense cinematic experience, and I’m delighted we’re able to work so closely with them. It’s truly an exciting game that I can’t wait to reveal more about.”

Described as a first-person cinematic psychological thriller set in a dystopian world, KARMA: The Dark World takes place in East Germany, 1984. Players take on the role of Daniel McGovern, a Roam Agent for the omnipresent Leviathan Corporation’s Thought Bureau. You have been brought in to investigate actions that have happened in a very specific moment in time. To do so, Daniel infiltrates the memories of suspects to retrace their steps and piece together his investigations. In doing so, Daniel uncovers fragmented memories of his own lurking within the shadows.

As a Roam investigation officer, you work at night, completing the tasks given by the corporation in complete stealth. Your identity as a Roam Agent is intimidating, giving you leverage to gain entry. Using a combination of investigative tools and their own intellect, players must solve puzzles in order to unravel the truth. Diving into peoples’ minds will have you encountering hallucinations and randomly-changing environments. You have to pay attention to the time and space of your location, as well as observe and spot key personnel and events in order to find your way.