The eyes of the dark
It is not yet possible to understand the extent to which The Land of Pain will have, nor how large and complex it may be; however, from the brief demo that we have experienced, we already know what the strengths of the work will be and what aspects w
ill need to work with greater attention.
Although there are obvious points of contact with The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and – explains the developer – with Amnesia , the title of Guzzo wants to take its own course, while noting the importance of an inexhaustible source of inspiration like Lovecraft.
In the gaming section made available, the protagonist was to venture along a wooded area looking for a hut where to spend a day in peace, far from the civilized world. Everything is very peaceful and relaxing for the first five minutes, in contact with the lux
uriant nature and the tranquility that nature can only regale; but after reaching the hut and coming out to fill a bucket of water, on your way back, your alter ego was in front of a sort of huge silver ball of an indefinable material that emitted gaseous effluents and did not promise anything good . By touching it, for some reason we can not wait to find out, they were transported to a dimension where everything took dark, dull, and disturbing contours.
There was no way to see any creature, nor can we make predictions about which threats we will have to escape from. Certainly there is, however, the impossibility of defending with weapons: on the contrary, it is necessary to flee and use the surrounding environment for its own benefit, just as it happens in many classical horror survival, but (so promises Guzzo) with a demanding IA to cope with.Additionally, the use of the lantern will allow you to clear the way, but at the same time allow enemies to find you more easily.
The other important element to emphasize – in addition to exploration – is the resolution of puzzles by finding clues and objects to use. In the demo, for example, we were at a certain point in a cage, and if we had not seen the stone near the bars that imprisoned us, we could not break the padlock in any way and continue. Everything is very simple, but it gives you a partial idea of what you will expect in the full game.
The mystery of the landa
Although in the full game the map will be enormous, with cemeteries, marshes, caves and buildings to explore, from the demo it was appreciable the size of the available area, held together ideally by some areas of interest such as the spola. In this sense, rel
ying on CryEngine has been a great choice and we are certain that it will guarantee excellent results, although it is admitted that at the moment we notice the detachment between the more finished exteriors and the internal ones, which are a bit more spartan. Nevertheless, the present visual performance is already a map of the tornasole of what will be the final job, which will benefit from the photogrammetry to insert inside the game buildings and real objects.
The atmosphere is also very good, enriched by environmental sounds and always musing music, able to emphasize the moments when the tension becomes palpable. And there are also some references – obvious and not – that Providence’s writer lovers will appreciate.
Of course, after only twenty minutes of demo, it is soon to expose and give summary judgments, but the way in which the trial version was completed and the way in which the on-screen story was presented has certainly succeeded in making it curious and acting almost proud of the story coming. A story filled with mystery, where one must come to the fore of a vicious and elusive tune, unforeseeable at least as the end result of this brave work that he wants and knows how to dare.
