Homebody will be a Slasher Indie with Advanced A.I.

Homebody is a new and fresh survival horror game that is coming out in the near future. With today’s tech, it is now possible to craft video games that provide a slow-burning, intimate, and chilling experience. The advancement of A.I. is now bringing things to a whole new level. The story centers on a group of colleagues who all share a past trauma that hovers above their heads. While they are all trying to move on with their lives, there is a killer lurking in their remote house who will kill everybody one by one unless he is stopped. Even though Homebody is a “survival horror” in some ways, it is also a puzzler that will offer a deeply cerebral experience. This indie has virtually been unheard of until recently and there are some interesting mechanics behind it for sure. Even though the fundamental idea appears to be a shallow venture, there is a surprising amount of depth to be had.

The thing is that in Homebody, the encounter with the killer is unique every time a player runs into him. There will be no repeats with dialogue or action. Developer Game Grumps is going to great lengths to ensure the player that this will be a highly organic series of moments unfolding in real-time. This game is somewhat reminiscent of the old ‘point and click’ games of the 90s. Ironically enough, the story echoes the B-movie slasher movies that were hot and heavy during the 80s. It is a hodgepodge of genres, for sure. However, the idea of a killer hunting down characters who are in the midst of solving a personal mystery is an alluring proposition. This game also potentially spark a new sub-genre with licensed IPs such as Scream, Halloween, or even Nightmare on Elm Street. There are no minions or armies to cleave through, just a small group of people trying to best a lone killer who’s actively hunting them down.

Taking a Stab

The art direction for Homebody will clearly not be everyone’s cup of tea. The developers evidently decided to go to a more animated approach for this game. In regards to this particular title, it looks very reminiscent of TellTale games. It is nothing visually groundbreaking, but it doesn’t really need to be. The core of Homebody is the implementation of A.I. and the brooding atmosphere that oozes throughout this journey. The remote house that the characters are trapped in is rather large. In fact, it appears to be just as big as the Spencer Mansion in Resident Evil. Much like that oversized house, the place is wrought with puzzles and configurations to solve.

Not to mention that there will most likely be backtracking galore in Homebody. Survival horror games are essentially memory exercises and it appears that this game won’t be much different. Thus, there is no doubt that there will be inventory management while trying to survive the night. With the cryptic trailer that was recently dropped, all the hallmarks of a survival horror game seem to be present with this new title. Of course, even though this game is taking inspiration from other titles from yesteryear, there will be more modern features available. To start, this game will be played from 3rd person perspective. The camera angle looks like it will be fixed, with every segment of the house being carefully framed for a maximum setup for jump scares and surprises. This is indeed standard fare for survival horror games back in their infancy. Especially with Silent Hill and its ilk.

Mind of a Killer

Now, one of the most modern aspects that Homebody will have will be with branching dialogue choices. Most likely, this game will have multiple endings, depending on which choices were made. This is all just speculation, of course. However, this will affect the outcome regarding the fate of all the characters involved. If the wrong decision is made, then characters could die. Naturally, this feature will entice players to have multiple playthroughs, no doubt. The ultimate goal with this title is to accumulate pieces of the past and put everything together to solve the mystery. As the player begins seeing the true events of the characters’ past, everything will slowly begin to make sense. Homebody may be survival horror, sure but it is also a character piece that comes in the likes of arthouse cinema.

Luckily, players won’t be in the dark on what to do, either. Homebody also comes with an in-game journal that players can use to keep track of all their clues. This is a nice little element to assist in keeping the journey organized and at least push players in the right direction on where to go next. Conclusively, it seems that Homebody has all the right elements to give players a new survival horror interactive experience. It is still early in development and has a ways to go. However, the general idea it has is enough to start garnering interest throughout the gaming community. Even though there aren’t too many people that know about this indie, maybe it will start circulating around the interweb in due time. More experimental titles are needed in the video game industry because let’s be honest, there is an awful lot of duplication sprouting up and sometimes developers play it a little too safe.

Being Homely

There is still quite a bit to discover with Homebody in the near future. There are currently very few details on the minute gameplay elements that have yet to be unveiled. With that said, there is some potential with this title and it could end up being a cult classic if all the parts fall into place. In any case, there is still quite a bit of work to be done so everything will work seamlessly. It’s a small project, but also an ambitious one. Hopefully, the A.I. works as well as the developers are stipulating because it sounds like a tall order to pull off. Homebody doesn’t have a release date locked in yet, but upon launch, it will be available for