I SAID, LOOK BEHIND YOU
Though Konami wants to “scorch the earth” and deny that P.T. was possibly the best game reveal in the history of forever (do I still sound bitter?), there are some determined to keep the dream — or nightmare — alive.
Christian Kesler began developing Allison Road, a psychological horror game set in a British house, two weeks after Konami’s stealthy reveal of Silent Hills last summer. The similarities are there — it too is a photo-realistic first-person horror game — but though Kesler is happy enough with the comparisons, he wants us to know that it’s not merely a P.T. homage, aiming to fall somewhere between the terrifying teaser and indie heartbreaker, Gone Home.
“I still find it almost unbelievable that people could actually see Allison Road as a spiritual successor to something like Silent Hills,” Kesler told GamesRadar. “I mean, I grew up with Silent Hill! I feel truly blessed that some folks out there are giving us a chance to grab a spot alongside something like that, and we’ll do our best to live up to it.”
Unlike Kojima’s maddening, yet innovative, puzzles, Allison Road seeks to build upon the atmosphere and immersion of games like Gone Home, sprinkling humdrum, everyday environments with crumbs of mystery as you try to unpick what happened to your family.
“Allison Road is definitely a game in its own right, with its own story/universe and vibe,” Kelser adds. “Primarily, those differences seem to lie in what you’re trying to do. Far from P.T.’s obtuse goals and looping environment, Allison Road presents you with an entire house, and a mystery to solve.”
“The player will encounter Lily, who is pivotal to the story and who, at the same time, is not what she might seem to many people out there right now. While Lily does present a mortal threat to you, there are other forces way beyond your comprehension at work; and while the clock is ticking against you, you will have to find a way to escape this deadly peril while your fate and Lily’s fate are inevitably linked.”
Allison Road is set for release on PC in 2016. Console ports, though still unconfirmed, are “almost certain”.
What to know more? Yeah, me too, pal. For now, however, we’ll have to sate ourselves with the offerings over at the game’s Facebook page.
P.T.’s not dead yet: How Allison Road is keeping the nightmare alive [GamesRadar]
