Preview: Through the Woods

I just finished playing through the demo of Through the Woods from indie studio Antagonist and it’s the best atmospheric horror game that has yet to be made. I jumped more times than I’m comfortable admitting over the course of the fifteen minute demo. I wouldn’t have thought that a third person perspective would make for effective horror, but I was wrong. I must have more of this game.

The basic premise of Through the Woods is that you’re playing the role of Karen Dahl as she’s being interviewed by the police about the disappearance of her son. The game is played as a flash back being narrated by Karen as she describes her journey through the creepiest island ever. It’s night (because who wants to look for missing kids on creep island during daylight hours?) and your choice for seeing where you’re going comes down to moonlight and everything being slightly out of focus or your flashlight which gives bright, sharp focus on a narrower area. Your flashlight and your ability to run are you only means of survival. That’s it — no guns, knives, or anything to defend yourself with.

The real star of the demo was the sound. Nothing is going to put me on edge quite as fast as the sound of bushes being rustled from just off camera in total darkness. Sometimes, however, it’s actually worse to look and see what was making the noise. There are weird, weird things crawling around and avoidance is probably the best course of action. Thankfully, most things can be heard well before they can see you. Just don’t feel too brave and go investigating that weird noise.

Honestly, there’s not a whole lot for me to say about such a short demo besides GO PLAY IT RIGHT NOW AND GIVE THEM MONEY. Seriously, their PR person contacted me to tell me about the game this afternoon and I can only imagine that the reason their Kickstarter campaign isn’t funded yet is that it hasn’t gotten enough press. I’m in love with this demo and I’m sure that the final version of Through the Woods is going to be phenomenal; I can’t wait to play it.

Here’s my first play through:
Watch live video from on www.twitch.tv