Obelisk Studio, well known for being creators of assets for video games, cinema and cinematics, will soon announce the release of their new first-person survival horror game Displacement. Here we will take on the role of a psychologist exploring a polar station where the staff has fallen victim to a mysterious madness. In that context, we will have to help him hold on to his sanity, or lose our minds right along with him. Yes, with him. Just like the title says, ‘Displacement’ Won’t Be for The Faint of Heart…
Even though some aspects of its incredibly polished visual design might easily remind us of some retro steam-punk themed sci-fi titles, and yes, I’m saying all this just so I don’t have to mention Bioshock directly, since there are parts of the trailer that totally remind me of it but I don’t want to say it out loud so just forget everything you read, alright!? Well, even despite all of the above, Displacement manages to remain original on its own merits, just as one would expect from a studio of such caliber, and you will be able to judge that for yourself once you have watched the Official Teaser Trailer we have linked below, courtesy of GameTrailers:
Something About Obelisk Studio
As you may have noticed, I opted to leave you the link to Obelisk Studio’s official website above, because if you go straight to their Steam page, you could easily mistake them for an indie studio, but nothing could be further from the truth. These professionals have worked on globally recognized titles across many areas, like Son of the Forest, Far Cry 6, Dota 2, and Love, Death & Robots, to name just a few of their contributions. The studio has received wide recognition for its expertise on high-profile projects and for its collaborations with both indie teams and AAA developers.
In fact, they have secured a $2 million investment from The Games Fund to develop the very title we are talking about today, Displacement. As for Steam, they have clearly moved on from the platformers and side-scrolling mechanics seen in their previous Ghostland Yard, to a work that could easily be described as a mix between Alien Isolation (2014) and Dead Space (2008), seasoned with a touch of Prey (2017). In other words, they have set the bar extremely high for themselves, and they’re absolutely nailing it, at least judging by the look of that jaw-dropping trailer you have seen above, right? If you haven’t, check out their official page and their portfolio, and you’ll get what I mean 😉
An Almost Cinematic Horror Experience
Now let’s finally talk about Displacement. Its developers describe it as a gripping action horror game with elements of immersive storytelling. In it, we will play as a psychologist located at a polar station where the crew has been driven mad by an unknown force. This is survival horror in every sense, told from a first-person perspective and set in a cold, isolated world. We will have to explore, survive, and dive deep into the paranoia of a place where the cold will be our worst enemy and reality will fracture way too easily.
While we will notice that at first the tension will be subtle and will gradually build up, as it usually happens in strongly narrative-driven titles, things will change without us even realizing it, to the point where we will start questioning our own sanity, and that’s when we get to one of the game’s strongest elements: madness.
Madness won’t just be a threat, something to scare us or something we will simply have to deal with like in Amnesia, but here, that very insanity will have its own mechanic, and many gameplay and narrative elements will revolve around it. Our sanity state or madness will completely change the way we perceive the game world, and it will shift from a survival horror into a brutally visceral action horror experience.
That same mental instability will let us unlock new and terrifying abilities, many of which we will depend on. The core of the combat will be melee-focused, which is why, to avoid distractions and enhance immersion, we simply won’t have a HUD. No interface, just our hands and the perception of our own body, breathing, blood, the damage we will suffer, or the damage we will be able to cause.
In Displacement, threats will be part of the daily routine. On top of dealing with the relentless cold, we will have to face off against three different deranged cults, each with their own sick followers, lethal tactics, and unique bosses. To fight them, we will have more than 20 different melee weapons at our disposal, plus the environment itself, which in many cases we will be able to use to our advantage, either offensively or defensively.
Among other things, and without getting into spoilers, we will also have access to another very handy tool, but we’re not going to tell you what it is. If you want to find out, go check out their Steam page. So… now that you have read the info, and have watched the video we have linked above, do you think you’re ready for Displacement?
So…
The official release of Displacement will be announced soon, although there’s still no news or rumors about when exactly, we’re just hoping it really will be soon. In the meantime, you can visit their Steam page, which you’ll obviously find below, add it to your Wishlist, and while you’re at it, check out the technical requirements. And while we wait, how about scrolling down to the comments and telling us what you thought about this jaw-dropping project? You know gamer, we’ll be reading you! 🙂
Images Source: GameTrailers Official YouTube Channel, Displacement on Steam
