We’re thrilled to lastly announce Hunter’s Moon – a first-person historical narrative folk-horror recreation coming solely to PlayStation 5 on October 26* – the evening of the total Hunter’s Moon.
Hunter’s Moon is about over the course of 1 fateful evening. Meet mummers wearing folks costumes, evade seize by the witch hunters, and eavesdrop on a characterful forged of standard folks worn down by conflict and misfortune. Uncover the secrets and techniques of this dysfunctional village on the brink as you embody an accused “witch” on the run for her life.
You play as Lilith Thorne, an accused girl who should flee by means of a Seventeenth–century rural village and its surrounding forests and moors in quest of security. As she is stalked and hunted by the Witchfinder Normal, the village Justice of the Peace, and a neighborhood huntsman, you need to use stealth and crafty to evade seize. And by eavesdropping at home windows, you could acquire information and support that may assist her survive the evening – warning phrases, sage counsel, sacred gadgets, or perchance a folks music.
The sport encompasses a novel immersive-theatre-inspired eavesdropping mechanic that invitations the participant to discover and uncover this early trendy village and its tales – grounded in historical realism, elevated by handcrafted stylised artwork, and informed by means of the voices of over 100 absolutely voice-acted characters.
In 1644, Matthew Hopkins started his campaign of witch searching in England, styling himself “the Witchfinder Normal.” In 1647, he printed a e book, The Discovery of Witches, which comprised a collection of questions and solutions through which he justified his controversial strategies for figuring out witches. Arguably probably the most infamous witch hunter in historical past, Matthew Hopkins and his colleague John Stearne despatched extra to the gallows for witchcraft than all different English witch hunters earlier than them.
In 2019, I started writing a screenplay impressed by this historical past whereas working as a producer at Crows Crows Crows. Remodeling this imaginative and prescient to the display screen led me to discovered the brand new impartial studio Twin Swans, bringing collectively gifted artists and builders whose credit additionally embrace The Stanley Parable: Extremely Deluxe, The Darkish Footage Anthology: Little Hope, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Signalis. Our shared love of historical past and craft guided us within the creation of Hunter’s Moon – a reimagining of a witch hunt in Seventeenth-century Early Fashionable England providing an expertise of the tales and horrors that may unfold below such depraved circumstances.
Whereas Hunter’s Moon is about on the peak of witch-hunting fever in Seventeenth-century England, the idea of the “witch” is common. Practically all cultures have independently recognized this determine of the witch: a magical particular person, often a lady, current on the fringes of society. Societies all through historical past have accused, persecuted, and even executed harmless folks based mostly on these magical beliefs. Though many take into account it a factor of the previous, the follow nonetheless continues in some elements of the world.
Regardless of our trendy understanding of the historical and social elements behind witch-hunting, up to date screen-based media continues to rely on this identical magical considering when telling the tales of girls accused of witchcraft. Whether or not they’re depicted as “actual” witches or as harmless girls, an ingredient of the supernatural usually pervades their tales: tales of witches flying round on brooms and consuming the blood of infants, or of terrifying ghosts haunting the communities that tormented and killed them. Likewise, many horror video games evoke the supernatural – and our willingness to imagine in it – to terrify gamers.
Impressed by this true historical past of English witch hunts and the custom of people–horror, Hunter’s Moon asks you to think about: what if probably the most terrifying factor in our world is just not monsters or magic, however different folks? What if our personal fears and beliefs are the true sources of horror?
Hunter’s Moon invitations you to resolve this for your self on the evening of the total Hunter’s Moon on October 26.
You’re invited to wishlist the sport immediately on PlayStation Retailer.
*Hunter’s Moon (*26*) October 25 in North America. In different areas, together with UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, the sport (*26*) October 26.