DreadOut
| DreadOut | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Digital Happiness |
| Publisher(s) | PT Digital Semantika Indonesia |
| Director(s) | Vadi Vanadi |
| Producer(s) |
Rachmad Imron Sukmadi Rafiuddin Dai Daks |
| Designer(s) |
Rendy Basuki Ben Luigi Billy Winchester |
| Composer(s) |
Adhit Android KOIL |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux[1] |
| Release date(s) | May 15, 2014[2] |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
DreadOut is an episodic psychological survival horror video game developed by an Indonesian company Digital Happiness and published by PT Digital Semantika Indonesia for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux. Although scheduled, it was never released on PlayStation 4.[3] The core gameplay involves fighting ghosts by using a camera to take their pictures, similar to the Fatal Frame series. The game has been "greenlit" by the Steam Greenlight service, available for download on the Steam platform.[4]
Gameplay
DreadOut is a third-person psychological survival horror game that uses mechanics similar to those found in the Fatal Frame series, with a modern twist. The player character, Linda, uses modern gadgets, such as smartphones and digital video cameras, to interact with (or fend off) various kinds of Indonesian mythical ghosts, and to help her solve various puzzles in a deserted town. When Linda dies in the game, she awakens in darkness surrounded by candles with a bright light in the distance. By running towards the light, Linda will come back to life.[5]
The game features both third and first-person control schemes, with the player navigating environments with a standard over-the-shoulder perspective. If the player decides to use their digital camera to photograph something, they enter a first-person perspective to see through Linda's equipped camera. A recent preview video shows a tablet version of the game, where the player controls Linda via the touch screen.[6]
Plot
When a group of senior high-school students go astray from their vacation trip in Indonesia, they discover an old deserted town. They soon realize that something sinister is about to happen. Linda Meilinda, the protagonist, realises something mystical is happening to her. She gains a spiritual power that could save her and her friends from the unknown.[7][8][9]
Story
Linda Meilinda, alongside her classmates Ira, Shelly, Doni, and Yayan, with their teacher Ms. Siska are traveling for vacation when they take a wrong turn and end up at a collapsed bridge. They find their way around on foot and end up in a deserted town. The group then finds an abandoned school building, in which everyone except for Linda and Ira decides to go inside and explore. Hours later, the sun sets, and the group prepare to return to the car when they discover Yayan is missing, and has not returned from the school building. The group decides to search for him inside. Ira then appears to become possessed, and the group is trapped inside the school building, leaving Linda separated from everybody. For the remainder of the game, the player explores the hallways of the school as Linda, using her smartphone to harm the ghosts by taking pictures of them at certain points.
Linda encounters several hostile ghosts, including a large boar-like creature and a scissor-wielding phantom. She notices some keys hanging from the boar creature's neck, but is unable to obtain them due to the boar creature's hostility. She then finds her way into a hidden nursery-like room, where the scissor phantom attacks her and is revealed to be the ghost of the insane crossdressing principal of the school who believes Linda is attempting to steal his "baby" (a plastic doll). She is able to defeat the phantom, and gains his scissors as a result. She uses the scissors to cut the keys from the boar creature's neck while it is sleeping, and proceeds to use the keys to unlock the front doors of the school to escape. However, a mysterious singing ghost dressed in red stops Linda from opening the door, and chases her throughout the halls, hoping to prevent her from escaping. Linda successfully defeats the ghost in red, and is able to escape from the school, although her classmates are still missing.
Reception
| Reception | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||
DreadOut received mixed reviews from critics. It received an average score of 51.50% on GameRankings[10] and a weighted score of 56/100 on Metacritic.[11]
References
- ↑ "Interview with the creators of DreadOut". SurvivalHorrorOnline.com. 2013-05-29. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
- ↑ Lee, Alice (2014-05-05). "Horror Game Dreadout Gets Release Date". VirtualCrunch. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
- ↑ http://thegamesdb.net/search/?string=dreadout&function=Search
- ↑ "Indie Horror Title "DreadOut" Breathes Life Into the Genre". All That’s Epic. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ↑ "Another take on horror:DreadOut". BeefJack. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ↑ "Dreadout – Eye On". LupoEntertainment. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ↑ "[Indie Horror Spotlight] ‘DreadOut’ Has A Very Persistent Mosquito". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ↑ "Experience The Indonesian Horror". DreadOut. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
When a group of high school students stray from their vacation trip, they discover an old deserted town. They begin to realize that something sinister is happening as soon as they enter the town. Linda, as the main protagonist, feels the stirrings of a strange and mystical power within herself. This spiritual power just might be the only way to save herself and her friends from an unknown evil.
Linda has lots of modern gadgets at her disposal[,] including smartphones, digital cameras, and digital video cameras. With these instruments[,] she can interact with and capture the various kinds of unique South[e]ast Asian [g]hosts that you will have never seen before, and also solve the many varied puzzles of the deserted town[.] - ↑ "Linda Meilinda". DreadOut. 2013-02-10. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
- 1 2 "DreadOut for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
- 1 2 "DreadOut for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
- ↑ Kollar, Philip (May 21, 2014). "DreadOut review: old ghosts". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved October 26, 2014.