Software:The Church in the Darkness
| The Church in the Darkness | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Paranoid Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Fellow Traveller |
| Director(s) | Richard Rouse III |
| Designer(s) | Richard Rouse III |
| Programmer(s) | Richard Rouse III Carl Chavez Young Ben Young |
| Writer(s) | Richard Rouse III |
| Composer(s) | Ellen McLain John Patrick Lowrie |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | macOS Microsoft Windows Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Xbox One |
| Release | August 2, 2019 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, stealth[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player[1] |
The Church in the Darkness is an action-adventure video game. It was originally announced in 2016 to ship in early 2017,[2] but was finally released in 2019 for Microsoft Windows,[2] macOS,[1] PlayStation 4,[3] and Xbox One.[2] It was designed by Richard Rouse III under the name Paranoid Productions.
Gameplay
The Church in the Darkness is an "action-infiltration" game[4] set inside a religious cult in the 1970s.[3] The game revolves around an ex-law enforcement officer named Vic who attempts to get inside an isolated religious colony called "Freedom Town" to check in on his sister's son, Alex.[4][3] The leaders, Isaac and Rebecca Walker of the "Collective Justice Mission", preach socialism and sustainable agricultural living in a Christian society. They are voiced by the couple, John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain.[5][6] The story unfolds through Isaac and Rebecca's regular updates on the camp's public address system.[5]
Some elements of the game are procedurally generated, with each start changing people's allegiances, beliefs, and camp layout.[6]
Development
The game's premise arises from Rouse's lifelong fascination with cults. Rouse has been a fan of "open-narrative" games since the mid-'80s and he was "stunned" to see the many popular games of 2016 with fixed narratives.[7] The game has been said to have "very obvious echoes of Jonestown".[4] Rouse was particularly intrigued by the Source family, a spiritual commune in the late 1960s which was situated in the Hollywood Hills.[5]
Reception
| Reception | ||||||
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The game received "mixed or average" reception at Metacritic.[8][9][10][11]
Robin Burks wrote for Screen Rant, "the big ideas don't live up to the hype with a game that's so small and gives the player very little to do."[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Store, Steam. "The Church in the Darkness on Steam". http://store.steampowered.com/app/339830/. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 O'Connor, James (28 February 2016). "The Church in the Darkness will let you infiltrate a cult next year". https://www.vg247.com/2016/02/28/the-church-in-the-darkness-will-let-you-infiltrate-a-cult-next-year/. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rouse III, Richard (26 February 2016). "The Church in the Darkness Coming to PS4". http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/02/26/the-church-in-the-darkness-coming-to-ps4/. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chalk, Andy (26 February 2016). "Infiltrate a 1970s religious cult in The Church in the Darkness". http://www.pcgamer.com/infiltrate-a-1970s-religious-cult-in-the-church-in-the-darkness/. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Conditt, Jessica. "Uncovering the glory and gore of a 1970s South American cult". https://www.engadget.com/2016/04/01/church-and-the-darkness/. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 O'Connor, Alice (26 February 2016). "Procedural Cult Infiltration: The Church In The Darkness". https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/02/26/the-church-in-the-darkness-cult-stealth-game/. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ Tach, Dave (15 March 2016). "The Church in the Darkness is about God and guns and socialism, but mostly it's about you" (in en-US). http://www.polygon.com/2016/3/15/11236620/the-church-in-the-darkness-god-guns-socialism-interview. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The Church in the Darkness for Switch Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-church-in-the-darkness/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Church in the Darkness for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-church-in-the-darkness/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Church in the Darkness for PlayStation 4 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-church-in-the-darkness/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "The Church in the Darkness for Xbox One Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-church-in-the-darkness/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ Burks, Robin (August 5, 2019). "The Church in the Darkness Review: Infiltrating A Cult Isn't Fun". https://screenrant.com/church-in-the-darkness-review/.
External links
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