Daedalic prepares to enter a new State of Mind

Written by Jack Allin — June 11, 2016 at 11:55

If it seems like people are already starting to lose their humanity by spending more time plugged into technology than ever, imagine what it will be like in the future when we essentially abandon an increasingly dystopian real world in favour of a utopian virtual one. This is the bleak and troubling backdrop for the upcoming sci-fi thriller from Daedalic and writer Martin Ganteföhr called State of Mind.

Set in 2048, State of Mind casts players in the role of Richard Nolan, a "father and journalist from Berlin who discovers that he and his wife and son have been subjects to mind uploads." Something has gone wrong with Richard's upload, however, creating an incomplete dual version of himself existing in a "secret Virtual Reality project" even while he continues to exist in the physical world. Realizing that he has become "literally a torn man, Richard sets out on a dramatic and dangerous search for salvation. He aims to reunite with his family, as well as with his own split self. On his way, he soon realizes that this journey isn’t only about him, but about the future of mankind."

State of Mind is a third-person, story-driven adventure that allows players to switch between multiple protagonists in the two separate game worlds. Although no further story details have been revealed so far, Daedalic claims that the game is an "existential drama"  that "explores themes of separation, disjuncture and reunification". And it's all presented in a distinctive, low-poly art style as seen in the first screenshots unveiled.

There is no firm launch date just yet, but State of Mind is currently on target for an early 2017 release on Windows, Mac, PS4 and Xbox One.