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'Until Dawn' headlines this month's horrific PS Now additions
Two years later and Sony finally got the timing right for PlayStation 4's choose-your-own-horror adventure Until Dawn. The Hayden-Panettiere-starring interactive movie is perfect for Halloween frights, and if you're a PlayStation Now subscriber, you can play it, well, now. It isn't the only fright fest being added to the service, either. Frictional Games' sub-aquatic tale of terror, SOMA, is on offer as well as the macabre mystery The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Don't feel like getting scared? There's always David Cage's Beyond: Two Souls and, umm, Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders.
'SOMA' nearly wasn't a horror game and other secrets from Ian Thomas
The developers at Frictional Games have a lot to live up to. This is the independent studio responsible for Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a terrifying first-person game fraught with monsters, mysterious shadows, haunting candlelight and devious puzzles. Amnesia won a handful of awards after its launch in 2010, including two at the Independent Games Festival, and it's widely considered a modern horror classic. SOMA is Frictional's first game since that success (the studio didn't even develop Amnesia's 2013 sequel), and it's an underwater, sci-fi adventure. And, of course, it's a horror game. This means the pressure is on for programmer Ian Thomas. He joined Frictional a few years into SOMA's development and he's been "bowled over" by the response to his studio's latest project. For Thomas, it's good to know that Frictional's instincts were spot-on, especially considering SOMA was almost a very different game.
Playdate: A (probably terrifying) chat with 'SOMA' dev Ian Thomas
Well, the chat may not be terrifying, but the game certainly will be. Today on Playdate, we're diving into two horrifying, Halloween-worthy games, SOMA and PT. SOMA is the creepy underwater game from Amnesia: The Dark Descent studio Frictional Games, and PT is Konami's once-promising haunted-house exploration teaser for a game that's sadly not going to be made. While we're playing SOMA, we'll conduct a live interview with Ian Thomas, Frictional's level scripter and gameplay programmer. Let's find out what makes a master of digital horror tick. Playdate kicks off at 6PM Eastern/3PM Pacific and you can watch live right in this post, on the Engadget Gaming homepage or on Twitch.tv/Joystiq.
Highly anticipated horror game 'SOMA' hits PC and PS4 in September
Acclaimed developer Frictional Games has fully taken the wraps off SOMA, it's super-hyped new sci-fi horror title. The company, which built it reputation on terrifying first-person games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Penumbra, that focus on atmosphere, exploration and hiding (a lot of hiding). And you can expect more of the same from SOMA apparently. In the first extensive gameplay trailer released an unnamed protagonist wanders around what appears to be an abandoned factory, talking to a robot that thinks its a person, redirecting power through the crumbing facility and generally avoiding a frightening robot that's not terribly unlike the Big Daddies from the Bio Shock series. We won't spoil all the fun though. You can watch the full video after the break and pick up the game on September 22nd for PC and PS4.
Indie horror adventure Penumbra: Overture available on Linux, coming to Mac
Indie developer Frictional Games announced today the Linux release of the first episode of its 3D horror game Penumbra: Overture. The PC version hit back in March and provides a solid adventure game with more spooky atmosphere than you can shake a blood-covered piece of wood at. The game emphasizes interactive physics and physics-based puzzles, not combat, meaning you'll spend more time playing with the environment than stabbing baddies. Mac gamers can take heart, as Frictional is planning a Mac port of the game some time soon.[Via Adventure Gamers]
Penumbra: Overture makes its creepy debut
Announced almost a year ago, the first installment in the Penumbra: Overture episodic trilogy has finally been unleashed. The horror adventure title relies on a proprietary physics engine that allows you to pick up and manipulate almost any object. Combat plays a small role in Overture, but you'll spend most of your time tip-toeing around corners and squealing every time you hear a noise. It's a genuinely creepy game.While Penumbra manages to take a fresh approach to the 3D survival genre, the price and the game's length don't quite agree with each other. The first episode will take you less than three hours to complete, and with a price tag of $19.99, it feels a little steep. The game has remarkably high production value for an independent studio, making the cost a little more bearable. Just think of the warm fuzzy feeling you'll get when you support the little guy.
