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AUSTRALIA — October 24, 2018 – Whether it’s the paranormal, crime, or a particularly busy hospital, the “monster of the week” trope remains one of the most recognizable storytelling formats on television – from The Winchester brothers and Mulder & Scully, to Buffy, the Scooby Gang and the Charmed Ones. While few games have embraced this narrative loop, HellSign, a hardcore supernatural RPG launching on Steam Early Access on November 7, wears its passion for these series’ on its sleeves.
See the hunting loop in action in this GIF series: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MdUQR-eHM6YJukW8iUG0bAGMbil-jvGb?usp=sharing
Inspired by years of paranormal hunting in television and games, the team at Ballistic Interactive have translated one of TV’s most enduring tropes – the infamous monster of the week – into a game that puts players through the paces as a hunter of all things abnormal. Rather than being the Chosen One on a linear quest to take down the Big Bad, HellSign revels in the thrill of the hunt, as though you’re just someone who’s doing their job – albeit a particularly dangerous one.
Adopting an open-ended mission structure, players take on procedurally-generated contracts around the city in whatever order they please. Just like your favourite monster of the week episode, they then have to investigate the disturbance, collect as much information as possible, load up on equipment, and take down the threat, all before hitting the streets and identifying the next bounty to bag. With this tight gameplay loop at its core, players are immediately familiar with what needs to be done, but the how is where HellSign’s encounter engine and reverence for its inspirations offers up continuous surprises and tense hunts.
“As a supernatural lover myself, the monster of the week genre is particularly interesting because of it’s ‘unknown’ element,” noted Ballistic Interactive’s Pete Skyking. “You never know what to expect, what you will encounter, and what might happen at any given time. Couple this with some heavy inspirations from games such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Silent Hill, Dark Souls and more, and the end result is HellSign!”
HellSign lands on Steam Early Access (PC) on November 7, 2018, bringing forth more creepy crawlies, spectres, and creatures from the unknown than you can shake a flare at. For more information on the game, be sure to wishlist and follow the game on Steam, follow Ballistic Interactive on Twitter and Facebook, and check out the official website!
