The last point was supposedly especially brutal for the developer (which consisted of two “core individuals” and contracted personnel). “Throughout the entire duration, we, our publisher staff, other publisher dev teams and our close ones were constantly attacked by a cyber persecutor, and some of you, as our community, were also tormented with unwanted messages and emails.

“The matter is now in the hands of our lawyers, so we cannot speak about it any further, but know that we will not abandon it despite the studio’s closure.”

Despite the studio shutting down, no one has been laid off, since it “never functioned as a large corporation.” Instead, the team members decided “that each of us will go their separate ways.” The IP is still owned by the developer, but the chances of further support are looking unlikely.

Stray Souls launched in October 2023 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, Xbox One and PC. Check out our review, where we awarded it a 4 out of 10 for its story, characters, voice acting, bugs and other issues, though it did receive some praise for its visuals courtesy of Unreal Engine 5.

https://twitter.com/JukaiStudio/status/1738327876032774630

NOTE: There are spoilers ahead for every game discussed in this feature.

Stray Souls

In Stray Souls you’ll take control of unremarkable teenager Daniel who moves into the dreary town of Aspen Falls after inheriting his recently deceased grandmother’s house. The prospect of a Silent Hill-alike was certainly enticing, but Stray Souls fluffs its lines by being a little too cookie-cutter. It certainly doesn’t nail the psychological trauma element it’s aiming for as Daniel’s actions and those of accompanying Martha can’t easily be explained. All this creepy stuff is happening, but they don’t seem phased at all. The spectre of Daniel’s grandma torments him, but why? Martha gives Daniel a gun, somehow? By the end, the lore is explained by a random note found in a police station. See, Daniel has ‘The Darkness’, with his grandmother’s haunting causing all the strange monsters to appear in Aspen Falls and the surrounding forest. Oh, and there’s a cult. It’s as inconsequential a backstory imaginable with zero context to explain the scary stuff happening despite its best efforts.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Soulslike Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a lot to like: it’s an inviting spin on FromSoftware’s blueprint with the challenge of certain encounters indicated to the player before engaging, saving them needless frustration, and a streamlined combat system forgoing the mental gymnastics required with Team Ninja’s other Soulslike Nioh. The story overall has merit too, telling a complex tale of multiple parties vying for control of an all-powerful magical elixir. It’s just that, the ending just… happens, with minimal challenge. The final three bosses are much easier than the side-quest boss Zhang Liao for instance, for once you’ve mastered deflecting his lightning-fast attacks, the remaining bosses are a walk in the park.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Numerous complaints surround the brevity of Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare 3 and its controversial open combat missions. That said, the Modern Warfare 3’s villainous Vladimir Makarov hatches a plan to blow up the Channel Tunnel between England and France, with Task Force 141 fighting for their lives to defuse the bomb and eliminate the terrorists. Thing is, there’s no jeopardy; we know Task Force 141 will succeed – albeit, as it happens, at a cost – but perhaps others who’ve suggested Makarov should be victorious have a point. This resolution would set up a true cliff-hanger. As it happens, Task Force 141 learn of Makarov’s latest scheme and thwart it within minutes. Makarov could be portrayed as a major evildoer, but Modern Warfare 3 instead prefers to depict him as an easily beatable, cartoonish villain.

Daymare 1994: Sandcastle

The story-driven survival horror prequel to Daymare: 1998 features a host of deadly enemies, tense encounters, and niggling environmental puzzles. The plot itself however is a befuddling mess, poorly paced acted out by largely unlikeable characters. There’s no motivation established for the character’s actions; it’s a feeling of procession as player-character Dahlia Reyes delves deeper into the not-so-surprising underground secret base. And the ending, whereby Dahlia is telepathically persuaded by her sister Helen to inject herself with the final sample of Ogre blood to presumably survive teleportation is too ambiguous. Why would she do this? Is Helen speaking under the influence of the ogre? How is Reyes even hearing her in the first place?

Quantum Error

Developer TeamKill Media should be applauded for their ambition; attempting to meld first and third-person action, cosmic shooting, and horror, all through the lens of a firefighter can’t have been easy, but alas the results of Quantum Error make all their efforts somewhat misdirected. Front and centre is the game’s convoluted story, masterfully failing to make sense of its dimension hopping, planet spanning madness. The story is told through poorly directed cinematics to boot, with surprise cutscenes interjecting the gameplay. It tries to do too much, and by game’s end its impossible to make sense of the events that have transpired.

Amnesia: The Bunker

The Bunker is a smaller scale Amnesia experience, with an underdeveloped story to go with it. It’s possible Frictional opted to tell a story lighter on lore to fit the overall more refined experience, but the plot is guessable, full of red herrings and unnecessary distraction. The biggest diversion though is that player-character Henri’s amnesia doesn’t have any relevance at all. He didn’t forget, he was simply in unconscious when all the scary stuff started materialising. The ‘bad thing’ that he did was to cheat at poker to avoid partaking in a night-time patrol. An innocuous undertaking for the usually decent Henri; had he not cheated and gone on patrol himself, the events of the game – kickstarted by Lambert consuming the mysterious spring water – would likely have happened anyway.

Greyhill Incident

Owing to Greyhill Incident’s cliché story, underbaked characters, murky visuals, tepid gameplay, and extreme brevity, it’s premature ending might be its saving grace. The game’s only serviceable character Ryan is on a mission to save his son Henry from the clutches of the sinister greys, who for the game’s handful of hour runtime skulk nonchalantly through the rural farmland Ryan calls home. To save his son, he must be abducted. And… that’s it. We don’t see Ryan’s fate. Does he save Henry? Does he survive? Has his consciousness been transferred to his dog? Greyhill Incident’s climactic abruptness leaves too many pesky questions.

The Walking Dead: Destinies

It’s bad enough that The Walking Dead: Destinies has some of the most horrendous gameplay, stealth, writing, visuals, and cutscenes ever put into video game format. Yet somehow, for a game about your choices having an impact, it manages to have the same ending scenarios for Shane and Rick. The same attack on the prison with a tank (with Merle as the villain for Rick and the Governer for Shane). The same choice leads to either Glen or Michonne dying. Even the same fight in the circle of fire. The same bland evacuation from the prison, with either Shane or Rick leaving separately with Carl. It just comes down to which characters you’d like to see appearing in the same terrible ending rather than your choices having any meaning. At least Rick’s path has Carol 1v1ing a tank with an assault rifle, which is hilarious.

Flashback 2

This long-awaited sequel to the 16-bit classic has its fair share of problems. If you managed to get through to the end, well done you, as not only was there clunky combat, cliched atmosphere, lacklustre missions, and boring, blurry level design to lumber through, there was an unfathomable number of technical deficiencies which broke the game, meaning finishing it was an impossible endeavour anyway. Much like the original, protagonist Conrad is working to thwart an alien invasion, but the settings and story beats rarely deviate. It’s an execution so tepid that you’ll probably not even care what happens come the game’s end. Flashback 2 is a sequel we did not need.

Sonic Superstars

As with all 2D Sonic the Hedgehog games, story is told in between-level cutscenes. Except, in Sonic Superstars – the return to side-scrolling Sonic many long-term fans hoped would be a spiritual successor to Sonic Mania – even between-level cutscenes can’t explain all the crazy goings on in the Blue Blur’s latest adventure. Of the game’s multiple narratives, the Last Story is the most perplexing, with the release of a dragon, the origin of which is remarkably unclear. Eggman’s use of time manipulation is never explained either. A dumbfounding conclusion to an underwhelming Sonic game.

F1 Manager 2023

There’re grumbles surrounding the graphical performance of F1 Manager 2023 on console, with opinions centring on its visuals being a downgrade compared to 2022’s iteration. However, play on PC with graphic settings set to ultra and the splendour of Unreal Engine 5 comes to the fore – sun-glinting reflections bounce realistically off body work and helmets, and warbly heat haze rises from the tarmac. The pièce de resistance though is F1 Manager 2023’s new visor cam – visual flairs, dynamic head movement, and true-to-life depth of field make this driver’s eye-view the go-to camera angle to immerse yourself in the relentlessness of elite wheel-to-wheel racing.

The story starts with a father who gets up from his stupor and proceeds to shotgun his entire family, almost like that one radio news story from P.T. They were all eating dismembered body parts, but when they’re all shot dead, aha! It was all a hallucination! Do you take control of this broken man and seek the truth, wondering what unnatural horror twisted you to murder those you love? Do you explore the darkness and intrusive thoughts inherent in every person, perhaps venturing on a path towards redemption, or fall into damnation?

No, but that would have made for a much more interesting premise.

"It’s by this point you notice something vital about Stray Souls – the presentation is awful."

Instead, cut to 18 years later where you control Daniel, a Metahuman (no, not that kind) who just inherited his grandmother’s house after she passed away. Daniel alternates between leaving his clothes all over the place like a slob and chatting up girls online, like Martha, who also coincidentally lives next door to him.

It’s not long before scary incidents occur, whether it’s a strange figure skulking about, odd noises coming from around the house or the classic power outage. What could be causing all of these – oh, it’s the ghost of his grandmother. Just out of the blue, revealed immediately and looks more comical than scary. Then she leaves. And returns to peek menacingly around corners. Then leaves again. And reappears. She’s trying her best here.

It’s by this point you notice something vital about Stray Souls – the presentation is awful. When Daniel sees the ghost of his grandmother, he goes from being scared at her twitching appearance to suddenly having a blank expression, like he’s en route to check the refrigerator. The grandmother is also just gone like she was never there in the first place. There’s no building of dread or creating an atmosphere of terror at the unknown past the first few minutes. It’s all a joke with no punchline.

It also gets worse.

"The game draws from other superior horror titles but seemingly can’t decide what it wants to be."

After these occurrences, Daniel contacts Martha – with their messages typed ahead of each other if you skip forward too quickly – and subsequently embarks on a journey to cure his haunting. Sorry, what I meant was going to the cemetery to see his family’s grave and running through the woods while attacked by terrifying creatures as Martha sets off fireworks in the distance to celebrate Daniel’s birthday. Hurray.

Upon controlling Daniel in the woods, I had the biggest personal jumpscare when pressing R1, which brings out The Gun. Why does Daniel now have a gun, and why is it a gold Desert Eagle? How is he suddenly so good at using a gun? Don’t worry, it belonged to Martha and, I kid you not, that’s the short version of the story. The duo then take off to a nearby police station to find clues about their father and how to stop their grandmother. Or something.

The game draws from other superior horror titles but seemingly can’t decide what it wants to be. Does Stray Souls want to be a psychological horror, like Silent Hill, where you must evade terrifying otherworldly creatures? It fails at this because the monsters in question just inexplicably pop up – the reason why is somewhat explained in perhaps the dumbest, most underwhelming lore revelation – and easily fall to a hail of bullets.

"Since there’s no real reason to be scared, there’s no point even shooting anything at some sections where you can just run past and forget about any threats."

There are multiple ammo boxes (all conveniently of the same ammo as your gun) and medkits in the woods, all similar and arranged carefully enough to remind you that this is a video game. Even if you run out of bullets, Daniel can execute a dodge-roll to evade almost every attack. No stamina is required either.

Since there’s no real reason to be scared, there’s no point even shooting anything at some sections where you can just run past and forget about any threats. This isn’t always the case, but the AI being dumb enough to never really outmaneuver or outwit you, forget posing any real danger, ruins that. Don’t tell me to “Try and survive” when my opponents can’t even get past each other without stumbling around.

There’s also a police station with its dark hallways, narrow corners and locked doors that push you to backtrack continuously to find the way forward. Does it want to be Resident Evil? Possibly, but again, there’s no strategic management of resources or running away to conserve ammo. There’s no feeling of surviving against all odds.

Even when it comes to puzzles, Stray Souls’ best work is probably in the house, after which it devolves into gathering items and keys and opening doors (and not even in a fun or clever way). On two occasions, I had to follow Martha, who approached two different doors on two separate occasions, concluded they were locked and tasked me with doing the heavy lifting. Thanks, sis.

"The so-called “jokes” and witty responses are terrible and make games like Forspoken and Atomic Heart look like masterpieces."

Let’s talk about the siblings. The dialogue where Daniel talks to himself is bad enough – when he shoots monsters, he says things like “I got a bullet with your name on it” or “I got your birthday cake right here” with some of the worst voice cracks yet. However, the banter with Martha is simply horrendous. The so-called “jokes” and witty responses are terrible and make games like Forspoken and Atomic Heart look like masterpieces. Their exchanges feel utterly fake and more like how someone thinks siblings interact instead of how they actually would, that too in a life-or-death situation with supernatural forces seeking to kill them.

What’s not said is even worse. There’s no discussion about the horrors they’ve encountered or reacting to events that just took place. At one point, another ghost arrives to do nothing but add annoyingly loud jump scares. Neither Daniel nor Martha react – it may as well not happen, for as little as it adds to the experience. Given how pivotal that character is to both of them, you would think there’d be some emotional breakdowns or disbelief, but nothing of the sort.

Adding to this are the facial animations. At first, they seem fine, if a little uncanny, but you eventually notice each character cycling through the same expressions. Daniel will have that same scared mumbling with every single horrific sight. He’ll also randomly yawn and purse his lips to the side. It’s just so odd and jarring, especially during combat.

There’s no intense expression of fighting for his life, though he does react to pain. So we know he’s human in that department, though taking damage does not affect his movement or posture. Characters don’t look at each other while talking, and there are even situations where Daniel doesn’t even look at his enemies while shooting them.

"Perhaps the only real positive to Stray Souls is the visuals. Unreal Engine 5 puts in work, with some solid-looking fog effects and foliage, the latter reacting naturally to the wind most of the time."

Speaking of combat, it’s…existent. Whether in the service of providing an entertaining shooting experience, adding to the horror or just for funsies, I’ll leave it to you. Except for the times when you suddenly can’t aim or shoot. I don’t know what triggers this bug or how to get rid of it.

When shooting, you don’t reload automatically when a magazine is empty, requiring you to stop aiming and press the reload button. There are times when Daniel won’t pick up ammo because he doesn’t need it, which is understandable given the limited amount of ammo to carry. Hit the prompt again, and he’ll inexplicably pick it up, the ammo seemingly vanishing into the ether.

There are weapon upgrades automatically unlocked as you progress through the story, like shooting faster, but otherwise, that’s all you get. You run into “bosses” occasionally, like the one giant creature who seemingly skated around and couldn’t damage Daniel’s body despite clearly flinging him away. At this point, I don’t know how to describe the experience other than “present.” There are some interesting enemy designs, but their tactics range from “spew stuff” to “run/shuffle towards the target and hope for the best.”

Perhaps the only real positive to Stray Souls is the visuals. Unreal Engine 5 puts in work, with some solid-looking fog effects and foliage, the latter reacting naturally to the wind most of the time. The lighting and shadows are solid, as are the atmospherics and effects, though there is the odd glitch and clipping at points.

"The less said about the sound, from the forgettable soundtrack and awful voice acting, the better."

Unfortunately, the character models aren’t always properly lit, with faces feeling overexposed despite the darkness of some environments. The camera can also get janky during up-close moments, perhaps the least surprising thing given everything else. At least the experience runs at a consistent frame rate.

One could go on with other annoyances, like how I couldn’t shoot a padlock to enter the police station without doing the whole song and dance with Martha, after which it could be shot. The flashlight also doesn’t point in the direction that Daniel is facing, but rather the camera’s. It led to an awkward moment where the flashlight was towards the camera, but the light source illuminated things behind the character. Maybe I’m nitpicking, but it’s just one of those things that outright breaks immersion. The less said about the sound, from the forgettable soundtrack and awful voice acting, the better.

Perhaps the final nail in the coffin of Stray Souls was when I discovered some “lore” in the police station. While most lore tries to educate you on the surrounding environment and its history (which Stray Souls also does, and not in an interesting way), this lore piece reads like a Wikipedia page, providing some much-needed context. Daniel has “The Darkness”, seemingly from being haunted by his grandmother, and that’s caused some deterioration in Aspen Falls, where the woods and police station are located.

There’s a cult with an Inner Circle, and Martha stole a sacred gun, though they removed some of the essential parts, so it’s not as powerful (I think). It’s the same gun she gave Daniel, by the way. I still have no idea what to make of it. How does this lore document exist within the context of the game world? Is there an Alan Wake-like figure chronicling it all?

"It feels more like a showcase for Unreal Engine 5 with an abysmal game attached."

It doesn’t matter because reading this document elicits no reaction from Daniel or Martha. It doesn’t alter their fate or present some new path forward. Worst of all, some of the incidents described don’t even feel all that more interesting than the actual story, which is a heck of an achievement.

I know Stray Souls isn’t a triple-A blockbuster horror title, priced at $29.99 instead of the standard $70. However, it feels more like a showcase for Unreal Engine 5 with an abysmal game attached.

In summary, buy Black Tabby Games’ Slay the Princess instead. It’s a better horror game, a much better story with interesting characters, has a distinctly gorgeous 2D art style and is cheaper. Even if you receive Stray Souls for free, the few laughs you’ll get from the absurdity of it all and the solid graphics can’t overcome how terrible the gameplay experience is. It may not beat the likes of Skull Island: Rise of Kong or Gollum for Worst Game of the Year, but that speaks more to their utter lows than anything else.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

A.I.L.A.

A.I.L.A. is an upcoming sci-fi psychological horror from Sao Paulo based Pulsatrix Studio. Set in an uncanny near-distant future where advanced AI creates digital horror experiences, A.I.L.A. promises to tap into your inner psyche, establish your biggest fears and tug them to terrifying effect. There’s a sense from gameplay revealed so far that players will have a hard time distinguishing between virtual threats and real-life danger. No word on release windows or platforms yet as it seems Pulstrix Studio still need financial backing to finish the project off. Let’s hope they get there as A.I.L.A.’s creepy first-person perspectives look truly horrifying.

Paranormal Tales

Undoubtably inspired by now-vintage found footage horror movie The Blair Witch Project, with a sprinkling of Hideo Kojima’s P.T., Paranormal Tales is a next-gen horror daring players play through tragic tales of missing persons, experienced from the viewpoint of bodycams, mobile phones, and VHS cameras. Developer Digital Cybercherries are utilising Unreal Engine 5 to, in their words, create a sense of hyper-realism. Release date is to be announced, but Paranormal Tales can be wishlisted on Steam now.  

Layers of Fear

Bloober Team’s narrative-driven psychological horror is returning soon to tell its final bone-chilling tale. Comprising Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2 rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, plus DLC with brand new stories ‘The Final Note’ and ‘The Writer’ offering fresh perspectives on an already iconic series. Layers of Fear’s recent tech demo showcases ray tracing, HDR, 4K resolution and Unreal Engine 5 exclusive features such as Lumen dynamic lighting and Niagara real-time VFX, crafting an immersive, blood curdling environment. Layers of Fear will be out in June on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

Stray Souls  

Blending Alan Wake style psychological horror with Soulslike combat is the atmospheric, third-person action horror Stray Souls. There’s an air of eeriness in the game’s haunted town too, immediately conjuring memories of Silent Hill; ghoulish forests and crumbling, dilapidated suburbs are said by developer Jukai Studio to harbour a well of secrets waiting to be unearthed. Stray Souls makes ample use of Unreal Engine 5’s advanced facial animation innovation MetaHuman too, exaggerating fear with unprecedented photorealism and human emotion. Stray Souls is targeting a 2023 release, with PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows platforms announced.

Quantum Error

Cosmic horror FPS Quantum Error tells the story of daring Californian firefighters sent on a rescue mission to save survivors marooned on a mysterious offshore research facility, a sordid place where things unravelled after attack from an unknown entity. Heavily influenced by Dead Space, with maybe a dose of Metal Gear Solid for good measure, Quantum Error’s intergalactic happenstance look deeply unsettling and atmospheric. Originally targeting a 2022 release, Quantum Error still hasn’t arrived although official gameplay has recently surfaced indicating it’s at least on the horizon. It’ll be playable on Xbox and PlayStation when it finally does come out.

Wronged Us

Indebted to classic survival horror series Silent Hill, Wronged Us tasks players with tiptoeing through the darkness of a rotten town through the eyes of Isaac as he investigates chilling rumours of his dead son’s presence. This open-world survival horror from Delusional Studio is also said to take inspiration from Dark Souls’ quest design, so expect intense combat, challenging puzzles, and a ton of creepy crawlies lying in wait to kill you in a hostile environment. Although there’s no release window yet, Wronged Us has been announced for PlayStation and Xbox platforms plus PC via Steam.

EXP: War Trauma

EXP – shorthand for experience – War Trauma is an upcoming psychological horror from Brazilian dev team Cortez Productions. Assuming command of traumatised World War II veteran Krieger, players must navigate through a strange and mysterious apartment, establishing clues and solving riddles to eventually unravel Krieger’s psyche. With no weapons, Krieger is effectively defenceless against the harmful apparitions lurking down dimly lit corridors. Listed as coming soon on Steam, there’s a playable demo available right now.

Level Zero

Intriguingly described as an asymmetrical survival horror PvP, Level Zero’s premise is simple: a team of four scientists must work together to repair broken objectives to escape a dank facility all whilst evading the clutches of an opposing team of monsters; monsters capable of skulking in the darkness, stealthily eradicating light sources which the scientists depend on to survive. Unreal Engine 5’s dynamic global lighting systems are put to good use here, the contrast between neon and shadow a captivating battle between opposing teams. Scheduled for release in 2023 to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Steam.

File Destined  

Psychological detective thriller File Destined features an impressive story with visceral locations, and boy does Unreal Engine 5 do a good job of portraying the unnerving realism of a corridor cloaked in darkness. Clue gathering in the dangerous carbon blackness eventually unravels a deep mystery, with the truth according to developer Metavision Studio being disturbing and unexpected. File Destined is already out and playable on PC via Steam, with positive user reviews highlighting nerve-shredding tension littered with jump scares.

Fort Solis

Fort Solis glooms in sickly red; saturated neon unnervingly illuminates the confines of a docile Martian base, red dust hanging in the air, every viewpoint conjuring a deep sense of isolation and desperation. Whilst developer Fallen Leaf recently shared a first official look at gameplay with barely a second’s worth of actual third-person gameplay Fort Solis still looks stunning, the act of tentatively treading through dark corridors set to be a haunting experience. Coming in Q3 2023 to PlayStation 5 and Windows.

ROUTINE

This first-person sci-fi horror plunges players deep inside an abandoned lunar base, entrenched in the aesthetics of an 80’s vision of the future. Tentative exploration descends into a desperate need for survival, with immersion heightened by full body awareness and deadzone aiming alongside minimal on-screen UI. ROUTINE is coming to Xbox consoles, plus Windows and Mac via Steam, with no release window announced just yet.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Recapturing the evocative, isolating atmosphere of the original Silent Hill 2 is no easy task, but Layers of Fear developer Bloober Team’s prowess at rendering realistic environments in Unreal Engine 5 seems like they’ll be the perfect fit. Chilling visuals and visceral sound effects are present and correct, as is a liberal dose of fog. Silent Hill 2 Remake is coming to PlayStation 5 and Windows some time in 2023.

Post Trauma

Both a homage to and modern take on classic survival horror games, Post Trauma’s semi-fixed camera angles evoke a sense of early Resident Evil titles. Assuming command of middle-aged train conductor Roman, players must tread through surreal subterranean locales, exploring blood-bathed surroundings unravelling haunted mysteries whilst coming face to face with a host of nightmarish creatures. Post Trauma’s release date hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s said to be landing on PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows when it does come out.

The Shivers / Demonologist

This upcoming ghost hunting co-op game is currently in early access on Steam, with early adopters citing the game’s unnerving terror as an advantage it has over similarly premised titles. In The Shivers / Demonologist players must identify an evil spirit lurking in cursed locales and exorcise it. Playing in squads of up to four, each run through The Shivers / Demonologist will be unique owing to the random concoction of ghosts skulking through the shadows.

The Hauntings

A rival to The Shivers / Demonologist also on this rundown is The Hauntings, an online co-op investigation and exorcism experience for one to four players. Working together as a team of paranormal investigators, unruly ghosts will need to be identified and removed, however these threatening spectres are able to possess players, distracting and hindering the investigation in unexpected ways. Coming soon to Windows, The Hauntings can be wishlisted on Steam now.

It’s still early days for the technology too; as this console generation develops, expect more studios to release games that realise the UE5’s full potential.

Unrecord

Causing quite the stir when it’s first gameplay reveal trailer dropped recently, Unrecord is an upcoming tactical FPS that distinguishes itself from other shooters by way of its unique bodycam perspective. Blurring the line between video game and real-life police footage has proven too close to the bone for some, but it must be said that as a technical showpiece Unrecord looks fantastic, with tense gunplay intimately viewable through fish-eye lens distortion providing unprecedented grisly detail. Unrecord is still in pre-production, so no release window for this one yet.

Silent Hill 2  

Exhumed after a decade dead and buried is Silent Hill. Three new games are in the works: new mainline entry Silent Hill F, mysterious spin-off Silent Hill: Townfall, and a remake of arguably the most iconic of the franchise Silent Hill 2. Layers of Fear developer Bloober Team are in charge, with the isolating, dread-soaked atmosphere of the original top of the list of priorities to recapture. Fog will play a big part, of course, but original composer Akira Yamaoka – whose soundtrack arguably characterises the pervading dread as much as the fog – is also on board. Coming to PS5 and Windows some time in 2023, with rumours surfacing that a release window is announcing soon.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

The continuation of Senua’s Saga in Hellblade II has been a long time coming. It feels an age since the jaw-dropping gameplay trailer, you know… the one where Senua comes face to face with a harrowing crawling giant inside a beachhead cave. At the recent State of Unreal 2023 showcase Senua actor Melina Juergens appeared demonstrating the power of Unreal Engine 5’s MetaHuman. This innovation is a complex system capable of capturing human faces, with believable features, emotions, and skin complexions selling the realism of actor performance. Expect to see plenty of this when Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II eventually comes out, with rumours pointing to a 2023 release.

I.G.I. Origins

Think your way in and shoot your way out is the name of the game in upcoming tactical espionage FPS I.G.I. Origins, and for a game which challenges players to exist mostly in the shadows there’s an awful lot of complex graphical detail in weaponry and clothing on display. I.G.I. Origins’ graphics harness every shard of light to demonstrate Unreal Engine 5’s prowess for film-quality surface textures. No release window yet, but here’s hoping gameplay is as good as the graphics when I.G.I. Origins does come out.

Fort Solis

First revealed summer 2022, last month Fort Solis developer Fallen Leaf shared a first official look at gameplay, and whilst actual gameplay is unquestionably scant in the trailer it does solidify Fort Solis’ potential as a deeply unsettling, desolate experience. Taking place over one long night within the confines of a Martian base, this upcoming third-person thriller was allegedly pitched to voice actor Troy Baker as ‘Moon meets Dead Space’, and it’s easy to see why – tentatively treading through dark, creepy, neon-lit corridors make the up the bulk of Fort Solis’ action. Set to release Q3 2023.

Unawake

In Unawake, players will decide the fate of humanity amidst the turmoil of brutal war, battling nightmarish creatures from both Heaven and Hell in an epic story spanning eons. These surreal, clouded environments where melee-heavy skirmishes take place are breath-taking… nay, biblical in appearance. Unawake’s dev team RealityArts Studio truly are pushing the boundaries of imagination. Announced for Windows and listed as coming soon on Steam.

Immortals of Aveum     

Assume command of Jak and join an elite unit of battlemages to save a planet on the verge of abyss in Immortals of Aveum. Standing out from a crowd of first-person shooters is immensely challenging, but Immortals of Aveum’s Bioshock-tinged weaponised hands mixed with the franticness of arena shooters like Doom looks to be tapping into something unique. This first-person magic shooter features approximately 25 spells, colour-coded for offensive or defensive purposes, with action sequences fast, fluid, and dazzlingly colourful. Announced for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with an initial release date of 20^th July 2023.

Infinitesimals

Infinitesimals is a third-person sci-fi adventure where players take control of 1mm tall Captain Awkney Relinrake as he commands his band of miniscule aliens as they explore the treacherous, awestriking scale of Earth-like jungles through the miniature eyes. The crew utilises innovative alien technology to smoothly traverse the forest floors, with hostile mechs and organic insect lifeforms posing immediate threats to survival. Listed as coming soon to PC via the Epic Games Store.

Stray Souls   

Nightmarish, third-person action horror Stray Souls blends Alan Wake style psychological trauma with combat demanding Soulslike precision. Unreal Engine 5’s graphical fidelity perfectly complements the game’s eerie atmosphere, with ghoulish, foggy forests and crumbling foundations of dilapidated housing ripe for tentative exploration in the haunted, secret-laden town of Aspen Falls. Unreal Engine 5’s advanced facial animation innovation MetaHuman is said by developer Jukai Studio to exacerbate sheer terror by delivering new levels of photorealism and human emotion. Coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows some time in 2023.

Repo Man

Set in the imaginative Art Nouveau city San Alma, players in Repo Man will assume the role of an intelligent debt collector. Tasked with tracking down debtors and reclaiming assets through the crumbling neon streets of a city akin to Bioshock’s Rapture, players will also come face to face with occultist forces, with mystery and conspiracy rife in high society and criminal lowlife. This peculiar first-person open world RPG will land on PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows in 2023.

Code: To Jin Yong

Explore the immersive, wuxia style martial arts imbued worlds of legendary writer Jin Yong in Code: To Jin Yong, an upcoming open-world RPG from developer Lightspeed Studios. Hyper-real renditions of iconic, much-loved characters is key priority for Lightspeed, with 3D creation tools in Unreal Engine 5 perfect for the task. Indeed, Code: To Jin Yong’s depiction of ancient China and character designs are masterful. Platforms and release window to be announced.

The Invincible

Set in a retro-future timeline on the grubby desert planet Regis III, The Invincible is an exploratory experience, one whereby players command sharp-witted astrobiologist Yasna as she embarks on a scientific journey, one which devolves into a search mission for lost crewmates. Unreal Engine 5’s penchant for photorealistic textures is present and correct here, with the game’s eerie landscapes are begging to be explored. Announced for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with a release window targeting 2023.

Layers of Fear

The next instalment in Bloober Team’s narrative-driven psychological horror experience has been rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. A recent tech demo showcased Layers of Fear’s ray tracing, HDR, 4K resolution and UE5-only features such as Lumen dynamic lighting and Niagara real-time VFX, crafting an immersive, stunning environment that’s sure to chill to the bone. Releasing in June 2023 to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

Witches of the New World

Plunging English witchfinder Jedediah Hopkins, armed only with sword and flintlock pistol, into colonial New England during the height of the 17^th century witch hunting craze is Witches of the New World. Promising a rich blend of survival horror, Soulslike combat, and RPG elements Hopkins will investigate the strange happenstance occurring, coming face to face with hordes of demonic monstrosities in the process. No platforms have been announced yet as Witches of the New World is still a couple of years away from its targeted release window.  

Project M 

This stunning interactive movie will likely play akin to The Quarry, but for now Project M is a truly lifelike experience coming from South Korean developer NCSoft, known mostly for MMORPGs. This story-heavy, choice-driven experience is supported by incredible interior design and lighting, realistic facial animations, and phenomenal city design that’s almost indistinguishable to real life. Announced last summer, with a presence at this year’s State of Unreal showcase at GDC 2023, production of Project M is ticking along although we’re still yet to be provided with platforms or a release window.

"During the early days of Stray Souls’ development, we took a lot of inspiration from what we consider to be the best of the best in survival horror games."

Stray Souls seems to be taking plenty of inspiration from survival horror classics. Can you talk about some games that you looked at the most to take cues from for the development of Stray Souls?

During the early days of Stray Souls’ development, we took a lot of inspiration from what we consider to be the best of the best in survival horror games. There’s heavy influence from Capcoms’ remakes of Resident Evil 2-4 in a lot of the mechanics of Stray Souls, and when we were creating the atmosphere of the game, we looked at the Silent Hill series for inspiration on how to get the perfect spooky mood. Alan Wake had an influence on the way we handle weapons and inventory, but also was crucial to influencing the narrative itself. We drew inspiration from The Last of Us in creating our environments and some gameplay elements and finally, we sprinkled a little bit of influence from Souls games into our combat systems.

Stray Souls seems to be placing a lot of emphasis on its technical aspects, from its photorealistic visuals to its facial animations. How much have you focused on that aspect of the experience during development, and what can you tell us about the technologies you have used to achieve that?

The visual elements of Stray Souls have been paramount to our development process. We’re doing some really cool things with Metahuman and Unreal 5 to create realistic characters that can truly express the full range of human emotion on their faces.

A horror game’s setting can make or break the experience, and sure enough, Aspen Falls looks like a pivotal part of the game. What should players expect from it in terms of its atmosphere, backstory, and design?

Aspen Falls is at the epicenter of the story of Stray Souls, and as such, we aimed for it to be something players would immediately resonate with. The atmosphere was definitely influenced by the aesthetic of Silent Hill, but we think that players’ experience while exploring the town will have its own flavor unique to Stray Souls. Regarding the backstory of the town, we can’t really say too much without spoiling the story, but as we mentioned before, Aspen Falls is at the epicenter of the events of the game similar to how Silent Hill is the town that ties together that franchise.

"The visual elements of Stray Souls have been paramount to our development process. We’re doing some really cool things with Metahuman and Unreal 5 to create realistic characters that can truly express the full range of human emotion on their faces."

What can you tell us about the game’s combat? How much of a focus will it be throughout the experience?

We really aimed to have as balanced of an experience throughout Stray Souls as possible. There are some areas that are definitely “combat focused” while other places may have some encounters, but balance that with exploration and puzzles. The combat itself was designed to give players the ability to strategize exactly how they want to approach each encounter. We’re looking forward to sharing more about all of that in the months to come.

How extensive will the options in the game’s branching story be? How much will they impact the story and how it plays out?

Our system is a bit different than something you would find in a visually similar game like The Quarry or Until Dawn. The approach we took was more akin to the player projecting their emotions onto Daniel’s reactions to certain revelations about his past, and those projections ultimately influencing the choices they will make along the way. This results in a much tighter narrative that fits our vision for the overall experience in the game.

What can you tell us about the game’s randomization system? How much variety will it inject into proceedings, especially where replays are concerned?

Players will essentially be on their toes regardless of whether they’re on their second playthrough or their tenth. Randomization of key items, resources such as health and ammo, and even enemy placement will go a long way in keeping the player off balance in subsequent runs. One cool thing about our random weather system is that some players may run into enemies while it’s bright and sunny, making it fairly easy to find and dispatch them, but in a subsequent run, it’ll be overcast with heavy fog which will ramp up the difficulty of these encounters quite a bit.

Roughly how long will an average playthrough of the game be?

It’s difficult to say because everyone will play the game at their own pace, but more industrious players may find their sessions extended by exploring the world and really rooting out everything the game has to offer.

"Aspen Falls is at the epicenter of the story of Stray Souls, and as such, we aimed for it to be something players would immediately resonate with."

Do you have any plans to eventually bring the game to the Switch as well?

You can never say never, but at this time, we do not have plans for Switch.

What frame rate and resolution will the game target on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S?

60 FPS with adaptive resolution, capping out at 4K on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and 1440p on the Xbox Series S. The exact range on this is still TBD.

What are your thoughts on the Steam Deck? Do you have plans for any specific optimizations for the device?

We absolutely want to get Stray Souls into the hands of as many players as possible and Steam Deck is part of those plans! We don’t necessarily have any specific plans, but the game will benefit from the same optimizations and rendering settings as other devices in its class.

The game puts players in the shoes of Daniel who has been left with his grandmother’s house with no debts or financial obligations. There are clearly some catches, however, when Daniel discovers that grotesque monsters are trying to kill him once the sun sets.

Stray Souls is set to take quite a bit of inspiration from Japanese survival horror games. The game is also set to feature a bit of randomness in its design through the use of randomised systems, enemy and item placements, and even weather patterns.

Along with its combat and scares, Stray Souls is also slated to feature what the developers describe as “classic-style” puzzles that are meant to evoke the feeling of playing an old-school Silent Hill or Resident Evil game, but with an eye on keeping the puzzle designs more modern.

While lacking a concrete release date, Stray Souls is slated to be released on all platforms some time in Fall.