Video games are a young medium. As such, there are many serious topics out there that have yet to be tackled. However, games occasionally come along that push boundaries, tackle new subject matters and help gaming mature as a medium. The Church in the Darkness takes place in the tumultuous late 70s, when our country was still coming to terms with the radical changes and ultimate failure of the 60s counter-culture revolution. In the game, you play as someone in search of their missing nephew who’s run off to South America with an isolationist cult. To get him back, you must infiltrate the cult and uncover clues to learn of you nephew’s fate.
This top-down, stealth-action title is procedurally generated in terms of environment, characters and even narrative, making each playthrough wholly unique. While your first playthrough may find that the cult is led by dangerous psychopaths, the second may learn that the citizens of Freedom Town are completely peaceful and only seek to be left alone by outsiders. In my demo, while things seemed peaceful on the surface, I eventually came to discover clues insinuating dark happenings beneath the surface and a potential rebellion among cult members.
The Church in the Darkness is slated for release on PC, Xbox One and PS4 sometime in 2017. For more information on stealth, disguises, combat and 70s cults, check out our in depth interview with Richard Rouse of Paranoid Productions, recorded LIVE on the show floor of PAX East 2017.