Amy gets first details, is ‘survival horror evolved’

One game I’ve been really eager to see more of is Amy, the PSN-exclusive horror game driven by Flashback creator Paul Cuisset. Today, the PlayStation Blog has published the first details for the game. 

Amy sounds like an utter delight, and exactly the type of horror experience that this generation has been missing. I will keep my fingers crossed for good things. PSN exclusives rarely seem to let me down, so I will keep my hope levels high. 

Check out all the details, in handy list format, below.

• Set in the year 2034, where global warming has caused natural disasters and new diseases. After a comet strikes Silver City, protagonist Lana wakes up to find most of the townspeople have been warped into monstrous creatures by a new form of virus.
• There are two ways to stave off the infection — looting medical units from the corpses of soldiers brought into contain the situation, and via a mysterious little girl, Amy. 
• Amy will keep Lana free from the virus and can also heal her. The downside is that the monsters and soldiers all want a piece of her too. Thus, the goal is to escape Silver City with the girl. 
• Amy is “neither a super warrior nor a docile character that follows you.” She can be used to access small spaces, and is as curious as any child, so she will explore environments with you and might even find stuff before you do. 
• Pressing R1 allows you to hold Amy’s hand. This heals you, and also lets you feel her heartbeat using the DualShock 3’s rumble. This heartbeat alerts you to Amy’s current stress level as you explore dangerous areas. During the course of the game, Amy gets various special abilities, but they’re not being divulged just yet.
• Various situations allow you to choose your own approach. You can employ stealth or get into fights. There will also be puzzles to solve. Despite this, Lana isn’t a skilled fighter and the “fragility” of the protagonists is a running theme. 
• Players can hide in closets or under tables and can use this to spy on enemies. It’s implied there will be an element of danger to this, however.
• Using enemy A.I to get ahead is an option. If Lana becomes infected, she will be able to pass by monsters (but not soldiers) with relative ease. She will need to get herself cured before it’s too late, though. Enemies communicate with each other, so if one spots you, others will come. Lana will be able to exploit this. 
• Three locations — train station, hospital and city streets — have been mentioned.