When it comes to sci-fi horror games, there are remarkably few franchises that have managed to provide a notable entry into the genre. The Dead Space series, though unsettling for the first few hours of gameplay, eventually devolved into your standard, third-person shoot-'em-up by its third installment. Alien: Isolation seemed to successfully capture that unique feeling of hopelessness brought on by the premise of "in space, no one can hear you scream," though reviewers criticized the game for simply dragging on for too long.
An upcoming indie title, however, could prove to be a new challenger in the genre. Check out the in-game and live action trailers for Cold War conspiracy thriller "Outreach":
There's an undeniably sinister feeling captured by the second trailer as the Russian cosmonaut explores the interior and eventually exterior of the seemingly abandoned space station. The unsettling music combined with the sight of floating refuse and discarded tools provides a haunting atmosphere that, for me at least, distracts from the obviously artificial Russian accents.
The setting is certainly promising as well. The Russian space program has reached a near-mythic level of superstition in pop culture over the years, with numerous short stories erupting on the Internet to explain the fate of the fabled "lost cosmonauts." Outreach looks as though it will try to capture that mysterious undercurrent; in an interview with engadget.com writer Nick Summers, developer Christopher Bingham described the experience as "a bit of L.A. Noire," which suggests a tale of investigation and discovery, rather than plain sci-fi horror.
On the game's Steam store page, Outreach is described as "a historical fiction set in the 1980s, blurring the line between fact and conspiracy theory." There's a promise of authenticity for those familiar with the Cold War era, too; according to the description, the artists at Pixel Spill have "spent months researching the era. The environments, technology, and clothing have all been lovingly crafted and expanded from historical designs, photos, and archive footage."
For more information, visit Outreach's store page on Steam, or follow the studio on its official Twitter account.
