The Church in the Darkness is an action #game coming to both Windows and Mac, #developed in #Unity by Paranoid Productions. Now it seems content is available via interview and podcast.
As for The Church in the Darkness coming to Linux, here is what lead developer Richard Rouse III had to say, “Linux is a possibility, but to be honest we haven’t looked into it a lot as of yet (much to do).” Meaning the studio is looking for further support from the community, “Linux is something we’re still investigating – always cool to hear people asking about it so we know there’s interest,” outlined in a more recent Steam Community Post. So get your votes in and show support in the Discussion.
The Story
No one is forced to join a cult. It welcomes you. It understands you. It envelops you until the words become more than truth – they make you whole. In the late 1970’s, the charismatic Isaac and Rebecca Walker lead the Collective Justice Mission. Labeled radicals and feeling persecuted by the US government, they relocate their followers to the one place they believe they can create a socialist utopia: the jungles of South America. There they build Freedom Town. But relatives left behind in the US become worried: what exactly is going on at this compound in the jungle?
The Church in the Darkness combines unique narrative with tight top-down action-infiltration gameplay in an open-ended environment. As Vic, an ex-law enforcement officer, you travel to South America to get into Freedom Town and check on your nephew, Alex. Play how you want – you can avoid detection completely, take on the guards using non-lethal methods, or kill anyone who gets in your way. But you’ll have to live with the consequences of those choices. Every playthrough offers unique gameplay scenarios and story elements, with different character personalities and a shifting narrative told through investigation and action. You soak up the story through the town PA system, where the preachers share their dogma and beliefs. You find documents and letters scattered around camp which clue you into the true nature of Freedom Town. How dangerous are the Walkers? Who are your allies and enemies? How far will you go to uncover the truth and save these people?
Features
- Set inside the Collective Justice Mission, a religious cult in the 1970s, whose true motives will only be revealed as you infiltrate Freedom Town, their remote community built in the South American jungle.
- Top-down action-infiltration gameplay that lets you play the game however you want, from total stealth, to non-lethal tactics for taking out the guards, to killing anyone who gets in your way.
- Highly replayable game, with shifting gameplay challenges and objectives for each playthrough, and a dynamic narrative that changes the motives of the cult leaders. The shifting narrative and player choices lead to many possible endings.
- Cult leaders Rebecca and Isaac Walker are brought to life by real-life husband and wife Ellen McLain (best known as GlaDOS in the Portal games) and John Patrick Lowrie (best known as the Sniper in Team Fortress 2).
Paranoid Productions – Spawn On Me Podcast + Indie Games Level Up
One of the more favoured gaming podcasts asked me to be on their show, so naturally I was thrilled to visit Brookago via the Spawn On Me show. The hosts particularly impressed me by not only asking questions The Church in the Darkness, but also The Suffering, and went all the way back to my second game, Damage Incorporated. It’s a fun listen:
If video’s more your thing, here’s an interview with the good folks at Indie Games Level Up. This was actually done way back in November at the Montreal International Game Summit, before the game was announced, and asked to discuss Church a bit… obliquely. But were able to edit in footage of the game (as well as The Suffering and State of Decay) and it turned into one of the more favoured on-camera interviews. Check it out!
https://youtu.be/idnbJ2wFCQg?rel=0&showinfo=0
The Church in the Darkness is coming in early-2017. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.
