Here They Lie is a psychological horror game for PlayStation VR and PlayStation 4 with a trailer that makes about as much (or little) sense as its announcement blog post — which was posted by Cory Davis, the Co-Creative Director of the game and part of the game development studio Tangentlemen. Nonetheless, the studio employs some pretty experienced players who have taken the risk of going away from triple-a game development and start their own studio.
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Psychological horror often comes with disturbing scenery, and this game doesn’t look like it’s breaking away from that formula. But this game incorporates that formula into virtual reality, and that is something worth getting excited over. Atmospheric games are well suited to VR, as they focus on audio and lighting, and on surprising the player in different ways. Horror is a great stage for this type of work, where every component adds to the immersive experience.
The game has been developed in collaboration with Sony’s External Development team at Santa Monica Studio. Davis describes it as a “dark psychological horror experience that transports you to a terrifying, surreal world inhabited by strange and malevolent creatures.” Perhaps he’s referring to the creepy deer. He continues, “Unimaginable horrors lurk around every corner, just out of sight, haunting and infecting your mind.” Davis also says the game will force us to “confront the meaning” of our existence. Unlikely perhaps, but a worthwhile ambition. As such the game has a focus on narrative and dread.
Davis describes the birth of the new horror addition to PSVR as a rather confusing night in a Berlin techno club. Toby Gard, creator of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series, Rich Smith, who’s worked on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise, and John Garcia-Shelton, who’s worked on franchises like Medal of Honor and Call of Duty, somehow jointly arrived at the conclusion that they needed to make a game. That game became Here They Lie.
Here They Lie is coming exclusively to PS4 and PSVR this fall.
