The Church in the Darkness
| The Church in the Darkness | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of the video game | |
| Developer(s) | Paranoid Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Paranoid Productions |
| Director(s) | Richard Rouse III |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| Release date(s) | Q1 2017 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player[1] |
The Church in the Darkness is an upcoming single-player action-adventure video game directed by Richard Rouse III and developed by his company Paranoid Productions. It is scheduled to release in early 2017.
Premise
The game's plot arises from Rouse's lifelong fascination with cults. He was already aware that big companies would shy away from a controversial cult-based game. So, he formed his own indie video game company, Paranoid Productions to make his dream project. Rouse has been a fan of "open-narrative" games since the mid-'80s and he was "stunned" to see the many popular games of 2016 with fixed narratives.[2] The game has been said to have "very obvious echoes of Jonestown".[3] Rouse was particularly intrigued by the Source family, a spiritual commune in the late 1960s which was situated in the Hollywood Hills.[4]
Development
The Church in the Darkness is an "action-infiltration" game[3] set inside a religious cult in the 1970s.[5] The game revolves about an ex-law enforcement officer named Vic who attempts to get inside an isolated religious colony called "Freedom Town" to check in on his sister's son, Alex.[3][5] The leaders, Isaac and Rebecca Walker of the "Collective Justice Mission", preach socialism and sustainable agricultural living in a Christian society. They are voiced by the couple, John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain.[4][6] The story unfolds through Isaac and Rebecca's regular updates on the camp's public announcement system.[4][7]
The Church in the Darkness is a procedurally generated game and each start changes people's allegiances, beliefs and camp layout.[6]
The game is expected to be launched in early 2017[1][8] for PC[8] (Steam[1]), Mac OS,[1] PlayStation 4[5] and Xbox One.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Store, Steam. "The Church in the Darkness on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ Tach, Dave (15 March 2016). "The Church in the Darkness is about God and guns and socialism, but mostly it's about you". Polygon. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 Chalk, Andy. "Infiltrate a 1970s religious cult in The Church in the Darkness". PC Gamer. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 Conditt, Jessica. "Uncovering the glory and gore of a 1970s South American cult". Engadget. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 Rouse III, Richard. "The Church in the Darkness Coming to PS4". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- 1 2 O'Connor, Alice. "Procedural Cult Infiltration: The Church In The Darkness". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ Productions, Paranoid. "The Church in the Darkness". Paranoid Productions. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 O'Connor, James. "The Church in the Darkness will let you infiltrate a cult next year". VG247. Retrieved 5 April 2016.