Joel Mayer Productions, a relatively new indie studio, has just unleashed the trailer for their new game. Their first title is a horror adventure titled, rather simple, Purgatory. This new title is pretty creative, blending classic looks and retro-inspired gameplay with some very thought-provoking themes, at least that’s the impression I get. The visuals are rather striking, but still evoke a retro feel, giving the whole project a somewhat niche appeal that I also like a lot.
The setup is pretty simple for a horror adventure. You play Alex, a new student at a Swiss school, but things don’t go too well for our new student. Alex crashes off the road and finds, rather than salvation, what instead turns out to be a journey through hell. And given that the indie developer behind the project is based in Switzerland it’s pretty likely that there’s going to be some unique cultural references to reinforce immersion, which is a nice thing to see in indie titles. Purgatory will likely push some boundaries too, as it’s core gameplay seeks to challenge you mentally through a series of adventure game puzzles. A big part of the narrative here is trying to find your lost friends, but this won’t be an easy task.
As the developer describes it, the plot breaks down like this:
The farther Alex wanders into the woods the more she realizes that something is terribly wrong. After finding an old, seemingly abandoned mansion and discovering the whereabouts of her friends, it becomes clear that this night will decide each of their fates. But the former inhabitants of the house are not the only ones with an unsettling past, and Alex must face not only the demons ahead but also the ones she left behind…
The game is actually a pretty unique twist on this archetype though. The whole gameplay loop is very reminiscent of older games, given the player little more than their own wits and their inventory in order to solve the various puzzles they are presented with. How you approach and deal with these challenges is entirely on you though. And as someone who spent a lot of time as a kid playing through quirky twists on this formula like Superhero League of Hoboken, this definitely piques my interest.
Check out the official site for the studio for more news. You can also find the newly revealed trailer down below.
