Dark Tides to begin rolling in late next year
The thought of a quaint, sleepy seaside Victorian town called Cape Fortune may sound idyllic, with its stately residences, gleaming brass candelabra, and gas-lit cobblestone streets. The problem is, there’s been a rash of demonic possessions in town – but then, that adds to the spirit of the adventure, right? The indie team behind the upcoming Dark Tides series thinks so, and is hard at work to begin rolling out the (bloody) red carpet for late next year.
Residing at The Artful Lodger, the “Boarding Establishment Serving Fine Ladies and Gentlemen of High Moral Character since 1875,” is a renowned clairvoyant and medium Madame Theodora Green. Until now, Theodora has been a “fake boardwalk psychic,” but she has recently realised that she can actually read minds. This will be vital as there are macabre goings-on at the Lodger, which appears to be the site of at least one murder and a hotbed of ritualistic shenanigans. If you’re to solve this mystery, you must “become immersed in Victorian mysticism and imagery” and “befriend a bizarre cast of characters” in order to save the town before it’s too late.
Crafted by Hammered Crow Games, a two-person team based in Philadelphia, Dark Tides features artfully illustrated 3D scenes that showcase authentic late 19th century architecture and furnishings, enriched by the moody play of light and shadow and clever camera angles. Eerie orchestral music trails Theodora as she investigates the weirdness in this “horrifying” point-and-click adventure driven by a “Lovecraftian, story-rich narrative” replete with “murder, betrayal, freak shows, taxidermy and so much more.” The game’s “feisty heroine” is accompanied by her “totally unhelpful” sidekick – a critter named Septimus – and together the two of them must overcome “creative, challenging puzzles” that the developers claim will not need a walkthrough to solve.
The three-part Dark Tides series will start with the release of Chapter One: The Haunting of Cape Fortune on Steam for PC in the fourth quarter of 2021. In the meantime, you don’t need to be a mindreader to follow developer's progress at the game’s official website.
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