Eidolon Oozes Rich, Lonely Exploration

Lovers of the slow-burn discovery present in much of today’s growing survival genre will want to keep an eye on Eidolon.

The game is the debut title of Ice Water Games and is slated for a mid-2014 release. Its official genre is Adventure, but the trailer alone begs for a lengthier label:

Eidolon will take advantage of the bold visual style seen in games like Proteus , featuring minimalistic texture usage, strategic color palettes and expansive environments. A single-player journey, Eidolon puts the spotlight on the history of the game world’s long-lost inhabitants, dropping the player in Western Washington in the year 2400 with no more than a few simple tools to survive. As the area’s past is in focus rather than the main character’s (Ice Water Games notes, “You won’t see the player-character’s hand, face, or ever learn anything about them”), the extent to which the term ‘survival’ will play a role is at this point questionable. Moreover, topography will not be procedurally generated; instead, intentional landscapes should guide the player toward historical points of interest, with artifacts that include journals and newspapers belonging to the region’s deceased population to be found along the way.

Ice Water Games recently announced Eidolon ’s availability for pre-order, and the title seeks induction through Steam Greenlight.