DarkStone Digital, the one-man studio behind The Mortuary Assistant and The Subject, will soon be releasing his/their third full-length game following a successful Kickstarter campaign that raked in a modest $5,600.
Our Secret Below is described as an "escape room thriller-horror" that, at least gameplay-wise, looks to be akin to story-driven exploration games such as 2013's Gone Home or 2011's The Stanley Parable, with players piecing together the narrative by interacting with environmental clues.
However, the similarities to those two titles abruptly end there, as Our Secret Below tells a thematically troublesome story about an abducted woman who finds herself locked in a basement, and who must find a means to escape before the situation turns deadly.
Personally, I'm torn over Our Secret Below. While I'm impressed with what I've seen of the game so far - especially when considering that it was created by only one person - I'm a bit disenchanted by the whole violence against women aspect.
That said, there is an opportunity for Our Secret Below to subvert my expectations. I'm particularly optimistic by the game's description, which suggests that it "goes deeper than things appear" as the story unfolds. Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised by an unforeseeable plot twist when the game launches July 10th on Steam.
Anyway, here's the launch trailer for Our Secret Below if you're interested.
