They Are Here: Alien Abduction will be a First Person Mystery

They Are Here is a new thriller centering on the controversy of alien abductions. This is a first-person game starring a journalist who witnessed an extraterrestrial event at Grayswood farm. Taking cues from such games as Alan Wake, this will be a very opaque adventure with constant twists in the narrative. Not to mention that the player will be armed with nothing but a flashlight. Using detective skills and their wits, gamers must explore the farm and piece together what truly happened. Based on documented events centered on extraterrestrial interaction, this game follows all the tropes therein. Everything from cars dying to strange lights in the sky. Movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Fire in the Sky provide clear examples of how these occurrences took place. Therefore, this game will be a bonafide interactive telling of these types of stories. Of course, the question is “what kind of mechanics will a game like this will have?”

Well, it appears that They Are Here is mostly a survival horror game, than anything else. Players will poke around the farm, take pictures and gather up evidence of the alleged incident. Was it real? That is the answer that players must discover for themselves. This game will be fairly open-ended in terms of exploration. Houses, barns, corn fields, and other locations will be teeming with things to find. This game is obviously still early in development, but it looks like it’s going in an interesting direction. This will be a “slow-burner” of a game. There won’t be much, if any, combat to partake in. It will solely be a “cat and mouse” type of experience. The main protagonist, Taylor Fox, isn’t a mercenary or soldier of any kind. He’s nothing but a humble journalist trying to get to the bottom of a mystery.

Grayswood and the Greys

If anything, They Are Here appears to be within the same vein as The Blair Witch video game. Exploring a nightly map, players will be stumbling around with just a flashlight and camera in hand. There has been a playable demo available for a few months now, providing a nice morsel of gameplay. Graphically, the game goes for a realist approach. Reflecting the grittiness and claustrophobic nature found in other horror games like Resident Evil VII, for example. The environments are highly interactive. Everything from pictures, letters, junk, utensils, and tools can be picked up and examined. The plot of this game will unfold strictly through an environmental narrative. Players will need to hone their detective skills and piece together the incident on their own accord. It’s a very cryptic way to tell a story. However, with the interactive medium, this can be deemed as the most necessary way.

Sound will also play a very important factor with They Are Here. Everything from audio cues of things lurking in the shadows to static interference of walkie-talkies helps immerse the experience. Thus, stealth mechanics are prominent in this game. Taylor can hide in closets and creep around corners to avoid detection. From the looks of things, this game is a fairly linear experience. At least, in terms of how the story progresses. It is currently not known if there will be multiple pathways or endings to unlock with this game. As of right now, this title looks like a heavily scripted experience. Hence, taking a certain action will activate a cut scene or event in real-time. Things like “focusing” on a certain object is a feature to be found in this IP. There is a moment where Taylor focuses on a light in the sky, only to have it zoom out into the horizon, for instance.

Star Elders

As far as enemy design, it appears the main, and only, antagonists players will face will be “The Greys.” These are the classic alien design found throughout pop culture. Mainly, in movies like Signs and Communion. They look to be within the taller variety, giving them a menacing stature. Chances are there will be different classes of these enemies, each with its own behavioral traits. Players will also be able to take pictures at their own discretion. Complete with zooming and focusing. It will be pivotal to completing They Are Here and solving the mystery. Whether or not there will be achievements or a grading system based on the pictures players take remains to be seen. Eventually, Taylor will be able to obtain a radar to help get a better outlook of his surroundings, among other devices. Hence, other tools will be available for players to assist them beyond their mere flashlight and camera.

Even though details are scarce with They Are Here, the gameplay demo that is now available is helping this game garner some recognition. The atmosphere is thick and the gameplay seems to be crisp. There doesn’t seem to be anything in this game that will break new ground or anything. However, the very concept of it taking an incident shown on Unsolved Mysteries and its ilk is refreshing. There really hasn’t been a game before this that has delved into alien abductions. However, there is no doubt that there will be similar titles coming out that will follow in the wake of this game’s release. No doubt this game will spark a whole new sub-category within the survival horror sphere. Only time will tell what will happen with the idea of “alien abduction” after this game’s release in the near future.

Night Skies

When first-person survival horror is concerned, They Are Here hold all the markings of something unique. It is slated to be released sometime next year. As of right now, it shows to be a PC exclusive. However, it is very likely to be coming to consoles, as well. In any case, there is some potential with this new IP and hopefully, gamers within the community will give it a chance. Hopefully, another demo will be available soon to give more insight into how other mechanics work. They Are Here will be dropping sometime in 2023.