Silent Hills Meets Gone Home: Allison Road Kickstarter
GHOSTS
Alice spotted Allison Road [official site] when it first started haunting the internet back in July. I've just watched the same 13 minute long prototype video covered in that post and feel the same way about it. Creepy, pleasingly packed with interactive bits and bobs, and somewhat spoiled whenever the protagonist mutters to himself. So what has changed? Well, there's a Kickstarter, as well as confirmation that the game is set on "a quiet street in the suburbs of Manchester, UK". That's where I'm set!
The Kickstarter is seeking £250,000 and the devs explain why that is enough and why it isn't too much. First of all, isn't it a little cheap?
"Indeed it is, but that figure alone doesn't give you the whole picture. We've already put a plan in place using personal finances to get the game done no matter what happens, however this extra money can be used by us to hire a few more talented people, get the game done sooner and allow us to commit to more features and platforms too.
"As stretch goals are reached you can see exactly what additional extras that money unlocks and we'll be transparent with our development not just because it shows fans they can trust us, but we’re so excited to be developing the game and can't wait to share the journey with them too!"
But isn't it a little bit expensive?
"Not at all! Even including the personal money we've already contributed, the cost for this game will be a lot less than most AAA games cost to make! It should be more expensive, but because we are paying ourselves below the industry average, we only have a basic office and we are using Unreal, it really helps us focus every resource we have on to developing the game.
"We're as determined as the fans to get this game made and hopefully, looking at what we've produced so far, you'll agree that we haven’t compromised on quality to do it."
The game isn't due out until the end of 2016, although some form of playable 'experience' will be available before release. That won't be available until mid-2016 and is called the Lucid Dreams Experience, a preview set in the same world (HAUNTED MANCHESTER) that doesn't touch on the main narrative.
Set almost entirely in what looks to be a fairly pleasant suburban end-terrace, Allison Road is likely to rely on a bit of reality-shifting environmental repetition to tell its story. Developers Lilith reckon they're creating a "memorable and truly shocking horror experience", built around a "gripping narrative". I'll confess to having turned the volume on the prototype video right the way down when a ghost knocked on the bathroom door. That's enough of a gripping narrative for me, ta.