Through the Woods brings psychological horror to the PC in 2016

Creeping horror, in the dark woods of an abandoned Norwegian island, is coming with Antagonist’s Through the Woods.

“Growing up in Norway, our parents frequently told us fables about horrifying atrocities that lived in the woods and preyed on children; not the watered down fairytales Hollywood provides kids today,” Anders Hillestad, producer, Antagonist, explains. “Through the Woods will deliver a terrifying experience, making players fear for Karen and all that she holds dear.”

Now this sounds creepy. Not the jump scares and blood & guts horror that pervades the gaming (and movie really) space, but Through the Woods seems like a true psychological horror title in the classic sense. The game casts players as a mother, looking for her lost son on a lonely island off the coast of Norway.

When the game begins, Karen (the mom) is being interrogated by the police as to the whereabouts of her boy. This questioning continues as the game plays out, as her adventure on the island has the and back and forth dynamic between the cop and mother playing over the action. Not only does it simply play though, but the lines of questioning and the answers given change according to the on screen action and choices that you make in the game.

And there’ll be some spooky avenues to go down here. As you can see in the trailer, this is a seriously creepy island inspired by both Norwegian folklore and Japanese horror games, and you’ll have only your flashlight to guide you along. There’s a catch though, in that the things that go bump in the night are attracted to your glow. Switch it off, and your hearing will tune up a bit, allowing you to hear where the danger is coming from better, but of course, you won’t be able to really see it.

Since sound is such an important part of this game, Antagonist has enlisted the assistance of a pretty impressive team to handle it. The crew includes those whose “resumes’ cite voice-acting on Telltale Games’ Walking Dead series and two Official U.K. Top 40 singles”. Graphically, Through the Woods shouldn’t be a let down either, as the same team that did the mo-cap for PC games The Secret World and Age of Conan is handling it here.

One to watch, Through the Woods is on track for an early 2016 launch.