The Lost Wild

[665b25df32e51Gawain]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA1AkZn2PrE

Looks very interesting. I would like it to be more like Trespasser or Alien Isolation than just a walking simulator like many horror games recently (Moons of Madness for example).

https://thelostwild.com/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1952620/The_Lost_Wild/

[665b25df33276sarge945]

I remember when the horror genre was a good place to explore new mechanics and find ever more oppressive gameplay systems to keep the player on edge. Things like light management in Amnesia come to mind. Those were great. Both System Shock and Tresspasser should be praised for using more oppressive game systems and forcing the player to engage with the world more to be successful, even if one of those was far more successful in the end than the other.

It's a real shame that horror games in the last decade or so have degenerated down into glorified walking simulators, usually with next to no gameplay to speak of. The absolute worst of them usually have no actual gameplay at all, you just walk through a haunted theme park house and then come out the other side. Games like Outlast started this trend. Sure, in many modern horror games you can die, but the gameplay basically boils down to trial-and-error "do the predetermined thing at the predetermined time", with no nuance or player agency to speak of, with the horror being more of a spectacle that you observe.

Horror is in desperate need of a revival. This game doesn't look like it's going to be it, though. Maybe the trailer was just set up to look a particular way, but it seems to have the same "stealth around an arena and press switches" gameplay we're used to from so many modern horror games.

I will wait for proper, unedited, non-cinematic gameplay before passing judgement, though.

[665b25df333ebGawain]

Yes, we will see.

There have been multiple Jurassic Park themed fan projects lately. Might explain the early announcement for a game that probably will release 2025. They may be afraid someone else will announce/release similar game (even with Jurassic Park brand).
Judging by the video it looks very straightforward Trespasser style "You crash on a mysterious bio corporation research site and try to escape" idea.

Giving player tools and options to get out of situations makes it a game even if it actually is just a linear (no open world or level hubs etc.) experience.

[665b25df3362asarge945]

There hasn't been a single worthwhile Jurassic Park property in almost 30 years, I wouldn't expect quality now. My god, I feel old just writing that.

Also there's nothing "straightforward" about tresspasser style. For better or worse, that game is extremely unique.

There's nothing wrong with Linear games. System Shock 2 is largely linear. But the gameplay has so much depth and room to explore, so the linear structure of the levels and narrative still allow it to be a very deep and nuanced game. Some of the most beloved games of all time (the Half-Life series, Doom, etc) are all linear to one degree or another.

The reason people hate linear games is not because they "aren't a game" or because they are linear, it's because a lot of them are by-the-numbers shooting gallery type experiences where every level has to have some gimmick to it but there's no actual choice or consequence outside of either following the path set out for you, or dying. It's better to be the System Shock 2 style of linearity than it is the Call of Duty style. Let's see where this game fits in.

[665b25df33cc5Join2]

I remember when the horror genre was a good place to explore new mechanics and find ever more oppressive gameplay systems to keep the player on edge. Things like light management in Amnesia come to mind. Those were great. Both System Shock and Tresspasser should be praised for using more oppressive game systems and forcing the player to engage with the world more to be successful, even if one of those was far more successful in the end than the other.

It's a real shame that horror games in the last decade or so have degenerated down into glorified walking simulators, usually with next to no gameplay to speak of. The absolute worst of them usually have no actual gameplay at all, you just walk through a haunted theme park house and then come out the other side. Games like Outlast started this trend. Sure, in many modern horror games you can die, but the gameplay basically boils down to trial-and-error "do the predetermined thing at the predetermined time", with no nuance or player agency to speak of, with the horror being more of a spectacle that you observe.

Horror is in desperate need of a revival. This game doesn't look like it's going to be it, though. Maybe the trailer was just set up to look a particular way, but it seems to have the same "stealth around an arena and press switches" gameplay we're used to from so many modern horror games.

I will wait for proper, unedited, non-cinematic gameplay before passing judgement, though.

Hey Sarge, great post but you've overlooked one single very important modern game that bucked the shitty trends and is not only a decent survival horror on par with the greats, but against all odds is highly innovative for the genre too. It's a modern masterpiece. That game is called Darkwood.

Other than this one game, proper horror has been dead to me for approximately 2 decades. Yeah I like Dead Space and Dying  Light, but of course we're talking real horror here.