Stifled

Release Date: October 31, 2017

Adventure, FPP, survival horror, horror, indie games, experimental/artistic, Meta Quest / Oculus, PlayStation VR, SteamVR, VR, singleplayer

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Steam

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A first-person action thriller from an indie developer, offering support for VR headsets. Stifled bases the exploration mechanics on the original concept of use of echolocation – as they spread, sound waves reveal the layout of rooms and shapes of objects around you. Sounds can be made not only by the protagonist and some environmental objects, but also by the player themselves, using a microphone.

Mechanics
Technical aspects

Stifled is an action thriller game. The product was released on several platforms, including PC, PS4 and XONE, and developed by a small independent studio Gattai Games. The game stands out from the crowd with an original concept for gameplay.

Mechanics

Stifled presents the events from a first-person perspective. As you play, you traverse grim, pitch-black locations, and investigate the secrets hidden in the dark. Gameplay is based on the original concept of use of echolocation – as they move, sound waves reveal the layout of rooms and shapes of objects around you. Sounds can be made not only by the protagonist and some environmental objects (such as a ringing telephone), but also by the player himself, using a microphone (alternatively, you can use a key for that).

However, you must always be cautious, because the darkness hides monsters straight from a nightmare, which actively hunt the main hero. Therefore, in order to survive he must balance between groping in dark and the need to stay hidden. Fortunately, that nuisance can be used to your advantage – making sounds, e.g. by throwing stones, distracts enemies, which allows you to sneak past them undetected.

Technical aspects

Released for PC, PS4 and XONE, Stifled combines 3D environments with highly-detailed vector graphics in an original way. Although most of the time you only see the contour of environments (made up of white or red lines), from time to time you also visit realistically designed locations. Besides, the game offers support for VR headsets, however, they are not required to play.

Last updated on July 27, 2017

Videos and Screens

[1:04] Stifled PGW 2017 trailer

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