Past Cure

Past Cure is a debut project of an independent Phantom 8 Studio, based in Berlin. The game described herein is an action game with stealth and horror elements clearly visible. Among other platforms, the game is available on PC, PS4 and XONE.

Plot

The main protagonist of the game is Ian – a former soldier, who has been locked in a European prison for years, and subjected to mysterious experiments there that resulted in him acquiring supernatural abilities allowing him to control human minds and use telekinesis. Ian, however, has to pay a high price for his new powers, as he is getting increasingly insane. The loss of his mental health has altered his perception of the surrounding reality.

Ever since he broke out, his main objective is to take revenge on whoever is responsible for his current condition. To achieve this, he uses help offered him by his brother Markus and Sophia – an enigmatic double agent. With their aid, Ian goes on a pursuit that eventually leads him to crime cartels, secret organizations, and corrupted scientists. This situation becomes more complicated when he realizes that an otherworldly creature hunts for him.

Mechanics

In the PC, PS4 and XONE release of Past Cure, players observe the action from a third person perspective (TPP). Gameplay mechanics build on elements that are typical for this video game genre – during the adventure, a player gets to explore diverse locations and fight multiple enemies. Even though the main protagonist is proficient with weapons and melee combat, he occasionally has to sneak past his adversaries and avoid the omnipresent security cameras. To do this, Ian uses his supernatural powers and, e.g. disables the security surveillance.

Things are a bit different when Ian’s consciousness takes him to a nightmarish alternate reality – to push the story forward, a player has to solve more or less complex logical and environmental puzzles. With time, the dimensions begin to overlap, like in the contemporary classic, the Inception by Christopher Nolan, from which the developers drew their inspirations for the game by a handful.

Technical aspects

The 3D visuals of Past Cure feature high-quality execution, which is quite impressive considering we are dealing with a small development studio. Players are bound to appreciate the polished face animations that are based on the technology designed by 3Latera, previously used by the creators of Ryse: Son of Rome and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.

Last updated on 12 March 2019