System Shock DEEPEST FEAR - IMMERSIVE SIM + METROIDVANIA sci-fi horror FPS with a retro-future aesthetic

[cyborgboy95]

https://subscribe.deepestfeargame.com

ABOUT THIS GAME​

DEEPEST FEAR™ is a sci-fi horror FPS with a retro-future aesthetic. Deep beneath the ocean, a long dormant secret has been unearthed which throws mankind’s future into jeopardy.

ENTER THE DEEP​

As Dr. Danni Carrol, fight your way to the heart of a secret project masterminded by your estranged father and uncover mysteries both deeply personal and terrifying in their implications.

FEAR THE WATER​

Using real time fluid simulation, fight otherworldly entities which manifest spontaneously from any water source, all while the environment around you can flood and take in water at any moment, sweeping you away with unpredictable currents, plunging you into the suffocating depths.

IMMERSIVE SIM + METROIDVANIA​

Deepest Fear combines Metroidvania level design in the context of a classic FPS immersive sim, where the game’s setting is a puzzle to unravel and where creativity and improvisation are your greatest assets.

RETRO-FUTURISTIC HORROR​

Channeling the spirit of iconic and subversive 1980s horror action films such as The Abyss, The Thing, The Fly, and Total Recall, and more broadly the cinematic canons of James Cameron, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Paul Verhoven, Deepest Fear aims to stay true to our inspirations’ blend of visceral horror, vivid characterisation, and confrontational storytelling. Meanwhile in the realm of interactivity, our thoughts are never far from titles such as Metroid Prime, Half-Life 2, System Shock 2, and Dead Space.

 

[Tyranicon]

Channeling the spirit of iconic and subversive 1980s horror action films such as The Abyss, The Thing, The Fly, and Total Recall

How are these subversive? Is everything half-good labeled subversive these days?

I guess The Abyss can be called submersive.

Okay I'm done.

 

[Ash]

Immersive Sim + Metroidvania? Ultima Underworld (1992) was basically a Metroidvania before that was even a thing (1997 - CV:SotN).

Some progression or exploration gated behind abilities or unlocks? Yes.
Large interconnected non-linear world to explore with plenty freedom, complete with full automapping (more elaborate map-uncovering than a Metroidvania). Check.
Action and RPG blending? Check.
Platforming? Check. Though a little more developed/involved in later games such as Deus Ex.

If it is a REAL immersive sim, e.g the classics not any of the new trash far removed, then it is a Metroidvania by default. The only way to make it more 'vania is to make it 2D side-scrolling, which this game is obviously not doing. Or limit game saves, which devs are probably not based enough to do.
I love both genres, but Immersive Sims already ARE metroidvanias. It is already implied. So the devs are either clueless, don't know what an Immersive Sim actually is as originally defined (most likely, most people don't), or this is just marketing at work. It certainly stands out as both those genres are great.

Side note but the trailer with the Hans Zimmer (or whatever the fuck) horns and the ugly feminist protagonist is already a bad sign of things to come.

 

[Morgoth]

Looks woke as fuck. Pass.

 

[lightbane]

In the near-future, we'll have ugly glasses that can resist even an underwater dive.

 

[Fargus]

Seemed interesting but i'm gonna tag this as [female protagonist] and [no thanks].

 

[Necrensha]

I hecking love flashing lights and particle spam!

 

[duskvile]

I hope there won't be too many cinematics because this really reduces immersiveness.

 

[Alienman]

On the first pic, it looks like the mutant virus finally got Jill Valentine.

 

[Spukrian]

Feels like they just added a bunch of buzzwords as marketing. Might be an enjoyable game but I don't think it will be an immersive sim.

Some progression or exploration gated behind abilities or unlocks? Yes.
Large interconnected non-linear world to explore with plenty freedom, complete with full automapping (more elaborate map-uncovering than a Metroidvania). Check.
Action and RPG blending? Check.
Platforming? Check. Though a little more developed/involved in later games such as Deus Ex.

I'd say that the defining trait of immersive sims is an extensive amount of simulated systems. Metroidvanias sometimes have a few but not nearly as many. Also, by your definition here, Thief the Dark Project and Thief 2 The Metal Age aren't immersive sims whereas Bioshock checks almost all of your boxes. So I can't really agree with what you're saying here.

 

[Ash]

Feels like they just added a bunch of buzzwords as marketing. Might be an enjoyable game but I don't think it will be an immersive sim.

Some progression or exploration gated behind abilities or unlocks? Yes.
Large interconnected non-linear world to explore with plenty freedom, complete with full automapping (more elaborate map-uncovering than a Metroidvania). Check.
Action and RPG blending? Check.
Platforming? Check. Though a little more developed/involved in later games such as Deus Ex.

I'd say that the defining trait of immersive sims is an extensive amount of simulated systems. Metroidvanias sometimes have a few but not nearly as many. Also, by your definition here, Thief the Dark Project and Thief 2 The Metal Age aren't immersive sims whereas Bioshock checks almost all of your boxes. So I can't really agree with what you're saying here.

That's....not my definition of an Immersive sim, but a metroidvania. Try reading? Most classic Immersive Sims were metroidvanias and then some. Simulated systems yes, and plenty more.

 

[Spukrian]

Well, you write in the same post:

If it is a REAL immersive sim, e.g the classics not any of the new trash far removed, then it is a Metroidvania by default.

I love both genres, but Immersive Sims already ARE metroidvanias.

So do you think that all immersive sims are metroidvanias or not? If all immersive sims are metroidvanias then your metroidvania definition applies to immersive sims as well.

 

[Ash]

That's an astonishing failure of logic there.

RPG Codex is a forum for RPG discussion, but also politics. Another forum allows RPG discussion only. RPG Codex is two things at once, the other website one thing only...Are you clued in yet?

 

[Spukrian]

RPG Codex is a forum for RPG discussion, but also politics. Another forum allows RPG discussion only. RPG Codex is two things at once, the other website one thing only...Are you clued in yet?

Except that wasn't what you wrote.

Ehh, whatever...

EDIT:

Try reading? Most classic Immersive Sims were metroidvanias and then some. Simulated systems yes, and plenty more.

You're right in that missed reading abit of what you wrote, specificially I missed reading everything after "Try Reading?". Ooops, sorry.

 

[procrastinator]

Channeling the spirit of iconic and subversive 1980s horror action films such as The Abyss, The Thing, The Fly, and Total Recall

How are these subversive? Is everything half-good labeled subversive these days?

I guess The Abyss can be called submersive.

Okay I'm done.

Deepest Fear - Subversive Sim.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Exclusive gameplay revealed in GameStar’s Find Your Next Game Showcase
The team at Variable State just shared a sneak-peek at gameplay for their upcoming Sci-Fi Horror First-Person Shooter DEEPEST FEAR™.

Following up on the game’s world premiere in the PC Gaming Show last week, the footage revealed in GameStar’s Find Your Next Game Shwocase demonstrates the nightmarish claustrophobia of this immersive horror indie; the protagonist, Dr. Danni Carroll, faces down monstrous creatures spontaneously emerging from water sources, as she explores a flooded deep-sea facility.

For players eager for updates on DEEPEST FEAR™, the Variable State team has launched a dedicated newsletter[subscribe.deepestfeargame.com], which will provide development updates— and the game is available to wishlist on Steam.

DEEPEST FEAR™ | Details + Features

About

• DEEPEST FEAR™ is a sci-fi horror shooter, combining Metroidvania level design in the context of a classic FPS immersive sim, where the game’s setting is a puzzle to unravel and where creativity and improvisation are your greatest assets.

Inspirations | Retro-Future Cinema

• Channeling the spirit of iconic and subversive 1980s horror action films such as The Abyss, The Thing, The Fly, and Total Recall, and more broadly the cinematic canons of James Cameron, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Paul Verhoven, DEEPEST FEAR™ aims to stay true to a vision of visceral horror, vivid characterisation, and confrontational storytelling.

Fear the Water

• The immersive sim brings to life a new kind of terror as water itself becomes a living threat, with real-time fluid simulation allowing nightmarish entities to emerge from any water source or submerged space within the hermetic confines of the Neptune facility.
• Using real time fluid simulation, fight otherworldly entities which manifest spontaneously from any water source, all while the environment around you can flood and take in water at any moment, sweeping you away with unpredictable currents, plunging you into the suffocating depths.

Story of Survival

• As Dr. Danni Carroll, players are thrust into the labyrinthine depths of Neptune, a mysterious retro-futuristic facility hiding dark secrets and dangerous truths.
• With survival on the line, players must harness their wits and an arsenal of tools to uncover the mysteries surrounding a project masterminded by Danni’s estranged father.
• Fight your way to the heart of a sinister project and uncover a mystery both deeply personal and terrifying in its implications.

Creative Team

• Featuring an original cinematic score by the BAFTA-winning composer and studio co-director, Lyndon Holland, and the award-winning writing talent behind Virginia and Last Stop, DEEPEST FEAR™ combines the cinematic storytelling the studio is known for with visceral first person shooter and horror gameplay.

For more details, visit DeepestFearGame.com, subscribe to the DEEPEST FEAR™ mailing list[subscribe.deepestfeargame.com], and follow @DeepestFear on Steam, X (Twitter)[x.com], Bluesky[bsky.app], YouTube, TikTok[tiktok.com], Reddit, Twitch[www.twitch.tv], Instagram[instagram.com], and Facebook[facebook.com].

About Variable State

Variable State is the award-winning game studio owned by Jonathan Burroughs, Terry Kenny and Lyndon Holland.

Virginia is the studio's debut game, released in 2016 and published by 505 Games. The game was nominated for multiple awards, including 4 Independent Games Festival awards and 3 BAFTA awards. Virginia won the Writers' Guild Award for Best Writing in a Video Game. Virginia's composer and studio co-owner, Lyndon Holland, won the 2017 British Academy Games Award for Music. Last Stop is the studio's second game and was published by Annapurna Interactive in 2021. POLARIS, the studio’s third game, will be self-published, with a release date yet to be announced.