ICARUS “Documentary” Fatal Sky Expands the Game’s Lore Ahead of Launch

Hype continues to build for Dean Halls upcoming survival game ICARUS, which releases this Friday, December 3rd. Today, developer RocketWerkz has released a 22 minute live-action movie based on the game’s lore. Shot like a documentary, it tells the story of ill-fated Drop 242, revealing more ICARUS’ world and backstory while doing so.

The production value in the “documentary” is high, and includes great little details like fake sponsors and partners, as well as classic near-future sci-fi clips of a smiling woman giving safety advice. Filmed like a traditional documentary, interviews with various parties slowly reveal the story of Drop 242: we hear from a UDA official, survivors of the drop, and the mother of one of the Prospectors who didn’t survive, plus a few other minor characters.

The acting is surprisingly solid, with strong performances from what appears to be a mostly Australian cast. One of the standout performances comes from the meteorologist, who seems genuinely excited as he explains how and why ICARUS has such violent, deadly storms. In spite of my expectations for a 22-minute doc about a video game, the pacing of Fatal Sky works well, and I found myself pretty well immersed by the end.

The release of Fatal Sky does give us cause to wonder how many of these live-action lore videos we’ll end up getting. This isn’t the first one they’ve done — No Rescue is also a fun watch, though it clocks it at a much briefer seven minutes and change. With any luck, the upcoming DLCs will include equally well-made “documentaries” that further expand the game’s lore.

Long enough to be immersive, but short enough to watch on your lunch break, anyone interested in the lore of ICARUS should give Fatal Sky a watch.

Thoughts on Fatal Sky? Pumped for the game’s launch in a few days? Let us know in the comments!