7272 Issue 1404Issue 1229
Gaming
Plug&Play
If videogames are based on true
events at all, they usually take
inspiration from major conflicts
likeWorld War II. Every so often,
though, game designers will mine
rather more unusual moments
from history for ideas; the
recent indie gameFirewatch, for
example, is partly about the blaze
which swept throughYellowstone
National Park in 1988.
Then there’s forthcoming
action game,The Church In The
Darkness, which has a particularly
unique premise. Set in 1970s
South America, it’s about an
ex-cop who aims to infiltratea
secretive cult to find his nephew;
while developer Paranoid
Productions doesn’t mention
Jonestown by name – it simply
says that the game is “based on
true events"The Church In The
Darknesshas clear parallels with
that organisation.
What’s striking about
Paranoid’s game, however, is
that its backstory isn’t window-
dressing for a heroes-versus-
villains shooter. Instead, it uses
procedural generation in a highly
original way: each time the game
begins, the layout of the church
and its grounds changes, and
so too do the motivations of its
leaders and disciples. This means
that the cult could be dangerousin one game and benign in
another, which in turn raises
questions about the protagonist;
is herescuing his nephew from
a dreadful fate, or is he actually
persecuting an innocent group
of people who want to live in
seclusion? The game leaves this
up to the player to decide.
“Every play through of
The Church In The Darkness
offers a unique version of
FreedomTo wn with different
character personalities and a
shifting narrative told through
investigation, observation, and
action,” Paranoid write in the
game’s announcement. “How
dangerous are the [church’s
leaders]? Who are your allies
and enemies? How far will you
go to uncover the truth and
save these people?”
Viewed from above,The
Church In The Darknessis an
evolution of theMetal Gear
concept, in that the game gives
players the freedom to behave
as stealthily or violently as they
like; but as Paranoid warns us,
“You’ll have to live with the
consequences of those choices.”
The cult’s leaders will be played
by Ellen McLain and John Patrick
Lowrie, whose voices you’ll have
heard inPortalandTe am Fortress
2 respectively. Here, their tones
will boom out from the complex’spublic address system, giving the
player vital clues about the cult’s
beliefs and intentions – sinister
or otherwise. It’s stillearly days
forThe Church InThe Darkness
as it’s not scheduled forrelease
until 2017, but its concept
alone hints at an intelligent and
potentially disquieting game.
You can find out more by visiting
tinyurl.com/gwbj5z8.Online
The last time we checked in on
the fantasy MMOWorlds Adrift,
we discovered an online shooter
where players take to the skies
in wooden flying ships. It looked
like a lot of fun, but we’ve
morerecently learned there’s far
more to the game than firing
cannons or swinging from ship
to ship with a grappling hook.
Worlds Adrifttakes in plenty of
exploration too, as a new trailer
(youtu.be/yjvvaChwHy4) points
out; with said grappling hook,
you can traverse the leafy islands
in search of treasure. It’s positively
zen compared to the game’s
aerial battles, and gives a fresh
perspective on developer Bossa
Studios’ ambitious plans.
World Adriftoffers a lush
persistent world that will
constantly change as players
interact with it. Those aerial
battles will leave the husks ofRyan Lambie hasloved
videogames since he
first st ared up in awe at
aGalaxianarcade
cabinet in hislocal chip
shop. 28years on, Ryan
writes about gamingfor
Micro Mart. He’sstill
addictedto chips and
still useless atGalaxianSpecialists
Thisweek,Ryantakes a lookata top-down actionstealthgamewith aunique premise, and checks inon theprogressoftheopen-worldtitle,WorldsAdrift...A peaceful religious commune, or something more sinister? The answer will vary from
game to game in the top-down action-stealth-em-up, Tbe Church And The DarknessCultCult FoFollowingllowing