Day: 21 February 2018

The problem with free money is that it’s so easy to spend. You can get easily comfortable and before you know it, the rug has come from underneath and you have nothing.

System Shock Remake

A hard truth developer Nightdive Studios have found out this week by holding development on the much-anticipated remake of System Shock – due to using up the Kickstarter funds.

CEO Stephen Kick wrote in a letter to backers the following:

“Maybe we were too successful. Maybe we lost our focus. The vision began to change. We moved from a Remaster to a completely new game. As our concept grew and as our team changed, so did the scope of what we were doing and with that the budget for the game. We began a long series of conversations with potential publishing partners. The more that we worked on the game, the more that we wanted to do, and the further we got from the original concepts that made System Shock so great.

Ultimately the responsibility for the decisions rests with me. I let things get out of control. I can tell you that I did it for all the right reasons, that I was totally committed to making a great game, but it has become clear to me that we took the wrong path, that we turned our backs on the very people who made this possible, our Kickstarter backers.”

Nightdive Studios Kickstarter goal was $900,000, but they were surprised when they ended up raising $1.35m. Did their ambitions get in the way? Hopefully there’s a silver lining on the way for everyone.

When I was in college, my friends and I broke into an old, abandoned insane asylum for children. Even with the company of friends, we all couldn’t deny the haunting feeling in there.

The Padre On Early Access

The damp floor absorbing each footstep as we tenderly inspected the empty corridors and rooms. There was foliage growing from the walls and the various discarded artefacts sporadically laying around that we had intruded on. The sense of exploration, curiosity and ambiguity of what happened within those walls made for a frightful yet delightful experience.

Developer Shotgun with Glitters‘ upcoming game ‘The Padre’ has you play as Catholic Priest isolated in a haunted mansion. You must navigate through his flashbacks to find the meaning of the sacrifice he has made in this Lovecraftian-inspired horror:

Coined as a ‘Point ‘n Click Survival Adventure Game’ and marketed as a game not for everyone due to the difficulty of the puzzles, this game already leaves an impression. With its blocky, expressionless aesthetic adding more ambiguity than clarity, it seems like an unusual choice, yet perfectly fitting for a Lovecraftian horror.

If this game captures anything like my journey inside the insane asylum, this will be an adventure that will stick with you – you will tell your grandchildren.

The Padre is coming to Early Access on 22nd of February and if the game is successful enough, console ports will follow.