The world of horror gaming has visited a ton of environments over the years. From the twisted asylum of Outlast to the claustrophobic house of Resident Evil 7, players have been spooked in a lot of different places. StrixLab are taking players to a unique place to crank up the scares with their new upcoming title Ad Infinitum. Can players escape the madness and the demons of the trenches and hell of WWI?
So far, Ad Infinitum has only been shown as an early concept, which was just recently revealed by a trailer release. Described as an atmospheric horror game, players will be forced to use their wits to hide from the monsters and avoid danger at all costs. The description also notes that this is in no way a shooter, meaning we probably won’t be seeing a lot of usage of weaponry. The game is being developed in Unreal Engine 4, achieving a really crisp visual style that fits the themes. StrixLab is also working with the history department of Uni Hamburg to ensure a “proper image of the political agenda and mindset of the time.”
Personally, I really like the idea of Ad Infinitum, but I worry about having yet another horror game where the player is defenseless. Outlast 2 recently hit the market and didn’t get the reception of the original and with more and more similarly styled games coming out, it seems like the interest of these sort of games are starting to wane. One of the most brilliant games to come out of this trend though is Resident Evil 7, a game that appeared to follow the tropes of games like P.T. and Amnesia, but blended in the resource management and action of Resident Evil‘s beginnings.
Now, all of my fears for Ad Infinitum could be dashed against the wall if the game’s final narrative is done well.
I must also outline the fact that what we have seen so far of Ad Infinitum has been pre-alpha footage. The project started as a final project by game design students back in 2014, so we’ve probably yet to see what this team is truly capable of. This particular title could go one of two ways, it could be a stand out example of the genre or show that the genre is finally becoming stale.
Either way, gamers and those in the industry should keep an eye on StrixLab. There’s some great talent in their ranks. I wish them the best of luck moving forward.
For more information on Ad Infinitum, check out the official website and the steam concept listing.
