Game trailer can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH5x2Uq24Vg *** Game will be released on Friday the 13th of November 2015*** Announcing our new iOS game in development for horror game fans seeking out that ultimate fix. Dark Fear delivers an immersive, frightening experience wrapped in a dark, twisted storyline written by an ex-film industry professional. Its simplistic approach to the adventure/RPG genre allows even the most casual gamers to gently unfold and enjoy its many complex layers of game mechanics. Description Dark Fear is a story-driven horror game which combines elements from both RPG and classic adventure game mechanics. The player begins with absolutely nothing and is given no tutorials. As they slowly figure things out and gradually progress, the game gently unravels more and more of its many complex layers, revealing further game mechanics and features. This was done to allow even the most novice gamer to effortlessly ease into the full game and enjoy its dark, twisted storyline. The 8-bit graphics lovers among you will instantly recognise Dark Fear's 'rectangular' pixel art which is reminiscent of the visuals seen on many PC games during the early to mid 80's (those of you are fans of the classic Sierra Online adventures will recognise their influence on this) The plan is for the game to be accompanied by a dark, cinematic soundtrack composed by seasoned film industry professionals. I'll try and post any important development updates/milestones here from time to time. Due to some of the game's intense frightening scenes and it's core theme dealing with the black arts and the occult, Dark Fear will most likely be mature rated Please note: Screenshots are still WIP and may be subject to change Ongoing Media Coverage Pocket Gamer Article On Dark Fear Hands-On Review By Retroid Video Review Of Dark Fear Demo by AppSpy Play4Test Article On Dark Fear Release Date The plan is to have the game out around September/October 2015. The game will be released on both iOS and Android. Any feedback/suggestions would be most appreciated http://www.arifgames.com/launch/darkfear - Dark Fear website http://www.indiedb.com/games/dark-fear - IndieDB listing http://www.facebook.com/DarkFearGame - Facebook page http://www.twitter.com/arifgames - Twitter account
Any info about the game play? What exactly do you do? From the Coyote picture, it seems like this is a 2nd person book in video game form, which is great, I'm just curious if all the "action" is textual and turn-based.
Thanks for posting your questions. Yes the game's narrative is second person narrative as this is something I absolutely love in the the classic Sierra games. The gameplay is a combination of RPG and adventure game. So you have the classic adventure game mechanics such as an inventory, picking up and using items, talking to NPCs, doing tasks for them, etc. Then there's the RPG side which is combat, weapons, armor, etc, etc (I don't wanna give away too much right now about the the other combat options or the more dangerous creatures/entities). The combat gameplay style is turn-based (the closest thing I can think of is Pokemon on Gameboy. It's a little similar to that in some ways) As for a launch there's no solid release date yet but I'm hoping for a release around Q1 2015. I'll be posting regular updates and screenshots on this thread, so feel free to check back here from time to time.
SCREENSHOT UPDATE Meet the tailor/armorer Also, here's an updated version of the weapons master with a workshop style background. Wasn't too happy with the last one and so have added something a little more visually appealing
Looking forward to Dark Fear. I get the story is dark and there is some gore in the screenshots but what makes this "horror"? Is it mainly the atmosphere?
Thanks for your question. The current screenshots don't show off any of the horror so I'll explain it as best as I can. The game's theme is the paranormal and dark magic. The creatures you battle are supernatural, some of which cannot be destroyed by conventional means (and of course there are normal enemies too such as the coyote). The game also contains some very frightening cutscenes (revolving around the storyline) which some players may find disturbing. The game is designed in such a way that it will feel like a slightly creepy but relatively normal RPG/adventure during the early stages, and then... I won't spoil anything here Hope that answers your question I'll be adding some horror related (relatively spoiler free) screenshots over time, so keep an eye out
Screenshot update Welcome to Nightshade Forest hope youre armed to the teeth and youve got a few health potions handy because youre going to need them here!
This is looking good, I can't wait for the release! A couple questions, is this inspired by/does it have anything to do with Lovecraft's work? Also, is this going to be a point and click type game? I'm just curious, I'll download it regardless
No. Lovecraft wasn't really an influence on this but fans of Lovecraft should enjoy the horror regardless given some of the supernatural entities in the game. The game is not point n click the same way as let's say Kings Quest or Leisure Suit Larry where you see your character on screen. In this game you don't get to see the character you're playing so it's basically first-person perspective. The Sierra Online influence is mainly on the graphics, the inventory system and the game's second-person narrative style.
Looking really cool; I like my horror games by the dozen. But, I also like them to be quite scary/unnerving, just how does the game implement its scares? Jump scares, or (hopefully, looking at the screenshots) slow atmospheric buildup? Heh, that's me being picky with my horror. I'm definitely going to get this anyway for the lovely pixel graphics and RPG elements.
There's several ways the game will do that including the two you've mentioned (the screenshots I've posted are quite tame so far). I'm keeping it all a surprise though. As a horror fan myself there's nothing more I love than being hit by something I wasn't expecting (no matter what it is)
Screenshot Update Here's an updated version of the combat screenshot. In this version, a few more options have been unlocked along with a slightly more menacing (but totally non-paranormal) creature. Have replaced the coyote screenshot in the main post with this one. Will start revealing some spoiler-free graphics of some of the more supernatural creatures soon.
Just a quick update. A demo of Dark Fear is being prepared for next week's game expos so am adding a lot of sfx and music to the game. There's currently around 30 minutes of playable content (depending on how good you are) and that's only a small fraction of the game. Another important feature being added is a classic dialogue system which allows you to choose what you want to say to the NPC's. Before you'd just go along with whatever was being said but now the player will be allowed to choose their conversation topics which is definitely an improvement. Will keep you all posted.
Glad you're liking it! I honestly cannot specify a release date. There's still a lot to do on the game so my best guess is Q1 2015. As for testing, I'm considering the possibility of doing a closed beta test on iOS, once the time draws near.
