ReLive Preview – Modern-day Ghosts

Horror game fans, rejoice, because something good is coming your way.

Horror game fans, rejoice, because something good is coming your way. The team of three Australian devs that make up Inactive Pixel Studiosare fulfilling their dreams of producing a game while simultaneously bringing nightmares to you. They’re making ReLive , which aims to achieve beta test status this April.

ReLive is an FPS horror title, starring an unnamed male protagonist. The guy is in his apartment, late at night, when the fuse box blows out, engulfing everything place in darkness. After receiving a few texts from friends, he grabs his phone and takes the elevator downstairs. What happens next is the stuff of nightmares: He finds himself trapped in a surreal world, between floors, with strange voices calling. There’s no going back now.

The gameplay revolves around floors that compose the main levels of the game. Each floor will feature a different spirit – haunting, troubled beings – that usually aren’t too friendly. The ghosts have unique stories, however, and they aren’t mere enemies on the path to some goal. Scattered diaries and books will shed light on their past existence, revealing tragedies that haunt them in turn; the loss of a loved one, a murder, a betrayal, and even their own death perhaps humanizes the spirits. What’s more, practical puzzle hints may lie hidden between the lines.

As for the puzzles, which often make or break horror games, IPS will attempt to find the happy balance with difficulty. Not an easy task, but they aim for relatively simple puzzles that aren’t hard to miss, but will make reading notes rewarding. For instance, a code to access a door could be somebody’s birthday, or reading about a favorite toy could be relevant upon finding the actual object. But the puzzles aren’t the only focus of ReLive .

What’s the first thing you grab when the lights go out? The flashlight on your nightstand? Like most of us in such a situation, the protagonist grabs his smartphone to use as a light source. The mobile device plays a big part in the game, because interaction with the darkness is very important. The spirits are attracted to light, which is hazardous to the hero. Other than a phone, a video camera helps see in the dark and reveals things not seen to the naked eye, illuminating writing on walls or even past events, for instance. The impressive graphics and haunting sounds point toward a more atmospheric experience rather than an action-driven one, although there will be moments where the player has to flee or hide.

IPS aims for a mixture of jump scares with a creepy atmosphere. Enemies will have varied behavior; some might not even see the player, but simply float mindlessly, requiring a quick escape into a side room. The protagonist won’t be very durable, so fighting will decrease chances of finishing a level. Avoiding and surviving will be better strategies, something that will come with good management of the light sources.

ReLive had an ongoing Kickstartercampaign, which just ended a few days ago, failing, unfortunately. Had the developers received more support, they intended to contract great voice talent and to port the game to more platforms, like the PlayStation Vita. Co-op and better graphics were also on the list. However, you can still support the game by connecting with the developers via their Facebook page. Additionally, there’s a pre-alpha demoavailable as a free download to get a taste of the game.

IPS is looking to deliver a beta sometime in April. They are still trying to get the game Greenlit, so you can upvote them here. Horror fans may yet have something to be excited about, as ReLive is shaping up to bring back some of the old-school ghost stories. Of course, in modern times, these kinds of games are also great “Let’s Play” material.