Moons of Madness, according to its developers Norwegian Independent Studio Rock Pocket Games, is a genre-redefining psychological horror science-fiction game. To celebrate and to generally give everyone a damn good look at it, they’ve released a launch trailer called ‘Reality Wreck’. Take a look at this trailer below.
As you can no doubt see from the trailer Moons of Madness is a first-person game inspired by the dark and wonderful H. P. Lovecraftian world, with an introspective narrative and mind-distorting horror that you would expect from this world.
Critically acclaimed independent game developer Rock Pocket Games announced today that Moons of Madness will be released on the PS4, xBoxOne and PC in 2018. Moons of Madness is a first person, psychological horror game that explores the internal struggles of astronaut Shane Newehart and the supernatural events that occur on research station Trailblazer Alpha, the first scientific outpost on the planet Mars.
In Moons of Madness, Rock Pocket Games integrates the cosmicism style found in H.P. Lovecraft’s hallmark to the game’s narrative, environment and gameplay; the sense that ordinary life is a thin shell over a reality that is so alien and abstract in comparison that merely contemplating it would damage the sanity of the ordinary person.
To render this lyrical experience on-screen, Moons of Madness relies on 3 core mechanics:
* Combining hard science, based on meticulous analysis of NASA and Space X research, with Lovecraftian horror.
*An innovative feature called “Zone Outs” that simulates Lovecraftian madness. Players are exposed to hallucinations and visions they play through as part of the game. They have to understand what the visions are expressing as they foreshadow certain events mapping out the character’s history.
*Exploring mental illness through various game modes without antagonizing the medical condition itself.
“Moons of Madness is more than just a sci-fi psychological horror game, it’s a project that the team has been brewing for a long time and aspires to redefine the genre by immersing the player into the character’s psychology and its mental illness,” said Ivan Moen, CEO, Rock Pocket Games. “As fans of H.P. Lovecraft, it was easy for us to anchor the game with solid references from his visceral story telling material. At the same time we have invested a lot of time and energy mastering Unreal Engine 4 to create a realistic Martian world, which is perfectly illustrated in the high production value and stunning visuals found in the launch trailer.”
A playable version of Moons of Madness will be available to the Gamescom audience later on this month. It will be showcased as part of the Indie Arena Booth, Hall 10.1 A-020. Game is to be released first half of 2018 on PS4, Xbox one and PC.
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Jim Franklin
Jim Franklin is a freelance writer, living in Derby UK with his wife and his player 3. When time allows he likes nothing more than losing himself in a multi-hour gaming session. He likes most games and will play anything but prefers MMO's, and sandbox RPG's.
