The Telos Monument under construction for PC and (likely) consoles

Written by Jack Allin — May 13, 2021 at 10:50

Jesse Makkonen certainly has a taste for the macabre. And we wouldn't have it any other way, as the indie Finnish creator of the Distraint series and Heal is hard at work on his next psychological horror adventure, The Telos Monument.

Players control a young man just trying to survive in a world that no longer exists as we know it today. It's a dystopian future when "electricity, food, and medical supplies are sparse," and people have turned against one other to compete for these rare resources, often savagely. And yet in the midst of all the wreckage and devastation stands a "strange and mind-bending monument" that draws pilgrims from "all across collapsed society ... in the hope of redemption." You are one such young man who has come to the "sinister and cryptic monument," where you must now attempt to survive its dangers long enough to uncover its hidden secrets.

As with the developer's Distraint games, The Telos Monument is a keyboard-controlled, side-scrolling pixel art adventure with a grim, muted colour palette, though here the aesthetic is much more refined. Set in a place where "one can't differentiate reality and fiction," the game will place a "great emphasis on atmosphere" in telling a story "full of intriguing twists and characters." There will be some simple puzzles to solve along the way, along with the ability to "interact with nearby electronic devices with C.R.E.C.," a microchip you'll acquire early on and install in your lantern. There will also be some light stealth moments in order to keep yourself safely concealed from threats at times.

The only bad news is that The Telos Monument is still a fair way off, with a target release set for sometime in 2023 on Steam . For now Makkonen's focus is on the PC version, though as with his other titles he hopes to release the game on consoles as well.