Layers of Fear studio Bloober Team has released a new video walking us through its next horror game, Observer, while explaining the psychology behind “hidden horror” – a concept it uses to define the upcoming title. You can check out the gameplay with developer documentary above.
Here’s an official overview of Observer, which is launching later this year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Story
>observer_ introduces players to a frightening concept: How would it feel if your fears could be weaponized against you? Det. Daniel Lazarski is an “Observer”; part of a corporate-funded, specialized police unit with full legal clearance to tap directly into a target’s mind via neural implant. A cryptic message from your estranged son sets you on a journey to the drug-ridden Class C slums of Krakow, Poland. As you hack into the minds of criminals and victims alike to uncover the truth of the mysterious communique, you are forced into a surreal landscape of the resident’s darkest fears.
>observer_ holds the same fantastic pacing of Layers Of Fear, using modern themes to illustrate a society where hacking people’s nightmares is a reality. The game questions the moral implications of using people’s most guarded memories as weapons. Delve into people’s most disturbing internal struggles to find the answers you seek.
Seek and solve clues to help rid the city of its seedy underbelly in a futuristic, Blade Runner-esque narrative.
Key Features
- Hack into the twisted minds of criminals and their victims as you traverse a surreal landscape, uncovering meaning behind imagery
- Unique cyberpunk setting, as players find themselves in 2084 AD, Krakow, Poland
- Genre-defining “hidden horror” gameplay in an unsettling, dark atmosphere, placing an emphasis on deeper primal terror over jump scares
We’ll update our readers when a release date is announced.
