Unholy unmasked in latest development details

Written by Peter Mattsson — September 22, 2020 at 10:09

There can surely be nothing more terrifying to a parent than to have their child abducted – except perhaps having to pursue that child into a world "full of demonic and deformed characters and locations" that reflect one's own tormented psyche. This is the daunting task that will face players next year in Unholy, a stylish upcoming stealth-horror from Polish studio Duality Games. 

When Saidah's child is kidnapped, she must brave the crumbling streets of the last remaining city on a dying planet if they are to be reunited. Meanwhile, the city's other denizens are being slowly crushed by a repressive regime that enforces a rigid caste structure. Between hiding from members of higher castes, staying free of a deadly plague, and avoiding a mysterious beast that stalks the night, their lives are dominated by fear. It's up to you, as Saidah, to stay alive, stay sane, rescue your child and find a way back.

Presented in stomach-churningly realistic 3D, the gothic buildings of the Last City exist in a parallel dimension, but Saidah can still see the light and warmth of her home world when she puts on a mask. Through the use of these masks, a dark and dingy room becomes bright and cheerful, and they also grant you several powers, such as control over the environment. In between, the game focuses on first-person stealth mechanics and making choices: do you sneak past the guards, or murder them and leave "a trail of blood" behind you? You can use your outcast status to masquerade as different types of people, but you must also manage your physical and mental health carefully: do you fight the madness or embrace the consequences of going insane? These choices will, according to the developers, have real consequences for this story-rich experience.

There's still some time to wait before we see this otherworldly nightmare come to fruition, but Unholy is set to be unleashed on Steam for PC sometime in 2021.