A project that has been in development for two years by studio PLAYMIND is The Inner Friend. Promising to be a dark journey through memories and traumas with only a mysterious, shadowy guide to lead you as you venture deeper into the depths of the subconscious. See how that vision could be realised with these screenshots.
With an aesthetic borrowed from Brutalist architecture, a style probably most famous for its use in Soviet-dominated Russia and Europe, The Inner Friend has secrets that are hidden within dark, seemingly abandoned buildings. Strange, distorted sculptures litter the environment as you descend, the environment becoming increasingly surreal as the player progresses.
The developers hope to present an experience that is built up slowly over time, with the player slowly putting together the memories and secrets that are collected as the gameplay progresses, offering an air of mystery and oppression, and sometimes of terror. A cinematic soundtrack is also being composed to enhance the most affecting and immersive moments, since there is no dialogue, the only interaction is through movement, imagery and music.
You can see the screenshots below.
VRFocus will bring you further information on The Inner Friend as it becomes available.
In The Inner Friend, players are led through a 3D world by a mysterious Shadow, acting as a witness to his childhood memories and collecting them in order to rebuild what was once a safe haven. Together, the player and the Shadow descend always deeper, unravelling a rich but wordless story, but every journey has to end. What secrets hide in its darkest corners?
The Inner Friend is the first commercial videogame by Canadian outfit Playmind, which was first formed in 2002. Since then, founder Emmanuel Sévigny has been creating augmented reality (AR), VR and interactive installations as well as digital environments and event-based games.