Indie developer Talha & Jack Co has announced ABIDE, an “extreme stop-motion” first-person horror game they now have in development.
ABIDE will feature “meticulously handcrafted and traditionally animated dolls” as well as prosthetic gore effects and a “stomach-churning narrative bursting with gruesome mysteries.”
ABIDE is planned for a release on Windows PC (via Steam) and will seek crowdfunding via Kickstarter to “fully realize its unique and uncompromising vision of terror.” The 2 person team ran successful crowdfunding for its previous games Judero and Mashina, and is seeking £25,000 to finish ABIDE.
“We can’t make this without your support. Horror seems to be under pressure from censorship, some subtle and some blatant,” said co-developer Talha Kaya in a press release. “Sites are delisting mature rated games and recently a horror game was taken off some of the biggest marketplaces. Having a game like this funded by a community means that it can be made without compromise.”
Co-developer Jack King-Spooner added, “All the dolls are made. All the models are scanned in. The stories are written, the voice actors have been contacted and the first lines have even been recorded. We have a detailed and robust design document outlining the structure and its twists and turns. We need time to pull it all together and we need time to dream and explore and make the best possible game we can.”
Here’s a rundown on the game, plus its reveal trailer:
Set in the picturesque and idyllic St Boniface Retreat, ABIDE sees players pushing their luck, and venturing out past curfew to discover the disturbing horrors within the house and its residents.
Gameplay is divided by a loose day/night cycle: By day, players will investigate – gathering clues, building relationships and earn the trust of an eccentric cast of criminals, creeps and lost souls.
By night, they will sneak, spy and survive as they explore the dimly lit, forbidden and locked locations of St Boniface – coming face-to-face with terrors (real or imagined) that lurk within the shadows.
This day/night divide lets players structure their own time at the retreat, giving agency to proceedings; with player choice having a real impact on the game’s ending, the secrets uncovered and overall replayability.
Features
- A gory, mysterious and contemporary tale of terror inspired by giallo fiction, splatterpunk novels, Ken Currie paintings, East Asian and low-fi horror cinema.
- Handcrafted, stop-motion visuals lend a unique, uncanny and uncomfortable tone to St Boniface.
- Bespoke Day/Night Gameplay which sees players build relationships and investigate by day, then sneak, spy and survive the horrors of the night.
- A varied cast of criminals, creeps and lost souls lie at the heart of the game, each with their own secrets and dark, depraved mysteries to unearth.
- Original soundtrack featuring original compositions, analogue samples and talented vocalists compliment diegetic sounds to ratchet up the tension.
