Outside of Twisted Metal, the horror racing game subgenre is pretty damn bleak, but Vscape Studios hopes to change that and have launched a Kickstarter campaign for their inaugural project, Deadlane, a horror/racing game which pits the player against five contestants in a race for survival.
Blending survival horror and racing game elements, Deadlane is said to be inspired by asymmetrical horror games such as Dead by Daylight and beloved racing franchises such as Need for Speed.
Keeping true to the survival-horror genre, the developers have adapted their own version of the "killer/survivor" dynamic, which traditionally acts as the backbone to any horror battle royale.
The Kickstarter campaign explains that Deadlane does this by having two roles that racers can embody: The Chaser and The Chased. The Chased will focus on finding the smartest routes to take, always being aware of their surroundings and protecting themselves against malicious spirits as well as The Chaser’s ill-intents. The Chaser on the other hand, will hold many perks as it increases the player's speed and immunity to spirits. At first glance, it’s common to view these attributes as beneficial; but those playing as The Chaser role will ultimately be eliminated at the end of the lap - regardless of where they ranked in the race.
To avoid elimination, players must pass the curse onto another player. This transfer is only achieved if you can successfully fire at your high-speed target. If landed, the new Chaser will then spawn behind the last ranking player - restarting the chase all over again. The closer to the lap’s end each player is - the less they'll want to play as The Chaser. This cycle continues until only four surviving racers reach the final lap, in which only three will be rewarded - Gold, Silver and Bronze - the fourth, unrewarded player is the last to be eliminated.
Racers will need to look over their shoulder for far more than just The Chaser as they are most prone to the wrath of Telly - the apparition of a young woman who will frequently be caught lurking around the track, patiently waiting for the most opportunistic moment to lash out towards her next victim. What separates Telly from other on-road obstacles commonly seen in many games are her violent tendencies - which are entirely procedurally generated. Keeping you on the edge of your driver’s seat no matter how many times you’ve played.
Vscape Studios has set the campaign goal at $30,000, which they hope to achieve by September 17th. If all goes as planned, Deadlane will launch October 1st, 2021 on Steam. Head on over to the campaign page to learn more and contribute.
Check out the Kickstarter trailer below.
Comments