Developer Jukai Studio has released the first trailer for its upcoming gameStray Souls, showcasing a chilling third-person title that takes its cues from some of the best horror franchises ever made. Directed by a former member of theindie horror powerhouse Bloober Team,Stray Soulslooks set to deliver a macabre mix of exploration and action as players attempt to learn the truth about their character’s mysterious inheritance.
From lingering shots of a road sign welcoming visitors to a remote town to fleeting flashes of fog-filled landscapes,Stray Soulsshows clear influences from Konami’s iconic survival horror gameSilent Hill 2. With a complex story that explored themes of trauma, grief, and guilt even as it assaulted players with a steady stream of some of the most iconic monsters in video game history,Silent Hill 2has become revered among survival horror fans and continues to influence the genre over 20 years since its initial release. It was announced in October 2022 that Polish developerBloober Team is developing aSilent Hill 2remakeset to release on PC and PS5.
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The trailer forStray Soulsbegins with narration setting up the spooky story, as the game’s protagonist recounts his excitement at unexpectedly inheriting a house from his late grandmother. Wasting no time getting straight to the scares, the young man states that “all that changed after I met Martha” as the trailer begins flashing through a series of scenes showing influences from some of the biggest brands in horror. From shadowy figures peering out of the darkness in a scene reminiscent of Japanese horror films to a totem-filled forest that brings to mindBloober Team’sBlair Witch,Stray Soulspays homage to horror properties from multiple different mediums.
WhileStray Soulsappears to be making some unmistakable thematic and visual nods to horror games likeSilent Hill 2, the gameplay shown in the second half of the trailer looks to be far more action-oriented than Konami’s creepy classic. Sounding increasingly frantic, the narrator explains that he needs to defend himself against “cultist nutbags” before the trailer shows them running and gunning as they battle monstrous, multi-limbed creatures in a forest. The trailer’s tale of cults and familial terror brings to mind 2022’sunderrated horror gameThe Chant, and looks like it could be a great foundation for a seriously nerve-wracking narrative.
From this short teaser,Stray Soulslooks to be taking elements of some of the stories in horror and blending them together in a unique, and potentially terrifying, way. With its suitably spooky premise, action-focused take on the psychological horror genre, and formerBloober Teammember Artur Laczkowski helming the title,Stray Soulslooks to be a game that horror fans should definitely have on their radar.
Stray Soulsis in development.
MORE:Why Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 Remake Needs to Tread Carefully
