“It was my mom,” a friend shared with a strident laugh at a packed Vancouver monthly indie game developer gathering. For me: an ex-colleague. Both my friend’s mother and my former coworker were used in a clever prank by Pony Island. At one point, this creepy puzzle game scans your Steam friend list for a devious fright that spills out of the PC game’s window. Unlike usual video game horror tricks that dissipate after the encounter, Pony Island’s scare is more akin to learning mid-conversation that your current Chatroulette buddy died two days ago. When it launched last January, the title spawned conversations galore among local industry folks about its subversive horror. And when the creator’s next game, The Hex, releases next spring, I’d reckon it'll bewilder bartenders at those indie meetups.
The Hex is largely inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, for the most part. In an old tavern, six patrons sit out the turbulent weather when the phone rings with news that someone will be murdered by daylight. Also, those patrons? They’re video game characters. During the game, you’ll play as The Space Marine, The Sorceress, The Platformer, The Fighter, The Apocalypse Survivor, and The First Person Perspective — each with their own individual gameplay style during flashbacks. For instance, The Sorceress will have to wait her turn, as in RPG fights from a time long ago. When they aren’t exorcising the ghosts of the past, they will prod and poke the establishment to identify the killer. Less abstract than Pony Island’s descent into digital madness, The Hex weaves a more straightforward tale of one long night for some video game archetypes gone awry.
To learn more, we chatted with its creator, Daniel Mullins, about his upcoming murder mystery.
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via destructoid
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