26 April 1986. It is a day filled with horror that many will remember. For the few who don’t know, it is the day that a surge of power in the Chernobyl nuclear power station caused a massive radiation disaster that still haunts many to this day.
While that description is an oversimplification of the events that unfolded at Chernobyl, the creators of upcoming horror game, S.W.A.N., published a small documentary this past Sunday to commemorate 34th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.
The Polish studio Volframe are busy developing a game inspired by the Chernobyl event. The horror game is called S.W.A.N. The publisher, Art Games Studio S.A., has indicated that the game will be released in 2021 on the PC and Nintendo Switch.
“S.W.A.N. is an intriguing project that defies schemes. If we were to make some kind of genre classification, the best term here would be the psychological FPS horror with elements of logical games and science fiction. Players can count on unique, full of disturbing and surreal elements story referring to both the Chernobyl disaster and the fascinating motive of unknown diseases” – says Jakub Bąk, CEO of Art Games Studio S.A.
You may be wondering if S.W.A.N stands for anything specific. It refers to the phrase “Syndrome without a name”, which is a technical term for very rare and unknown diseases. It refers to the secret program in the S.W.A.N. Institute in the psychological thriller game, with the location being in the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant’s Exclusion Zone.
The horror game S.W.A.N. focuses on events in the year after the Chernobyl disaster, where scientists set off on a search and rescue mission. The gameplay will focus on exploration, solving puzzles, various interactions and horror elements within the world.
“The idea for the game was based on two real elements, namely the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and diseases that remain a mystery to medicine. Therefore, the disturbing world in which players will enter, will be something completely unique and fascinating at the same time. Importantly, S.W.A.N. should particularly appeal to fans of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Silent Hill and Amnesia games” – explains the founder of the Volframe studio and the author of the game, Przemysław Kostrzewa.
We particularly liked the part that it will appeal to Silent Hill games, especially to me as an author of Silent Hill books. If anyone mentions any horror game that has a likeness to Silent Hill, then I am immediately interested. Of course, S.W.A.N. now has high expectations from me, as I will be comparing it to the Silent Hill games from the moment I get a review code from the publisher.
We’ve had a list of good horror games come out. I recently wrote a Doom Eternal review to see if it was worth buying. Andi did his Resident Evil 3 Remake Review and there are a few more horrors slated for 2020 that we are eager to get our hands on.
If you’re interested in knowing what features the psychological thriller and horror game S.W.A.N. has, here is the list:
- secrets of Chernobyl;
- psychological horror with science fiction elements;
- fascinating story;
- rare and unknown diseases;
- abstract puzzles;
- Exclusion Zone around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant;
- stylish audiovisual setting.
As mentioned by the developer, it will be a FPS (first person shooter) game with horror and psychological elements. If you’re a fan of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Silent Hill like me, then you will enjoy the game. We’ll keep you updated. The horror game is slated for release in Q1 of 2021 on PC and Nintendo Switch.
Here are some links for you to check out the game:
We’ve also recently written an article about another upcoming psychological thriller, a hotel management game with horror and dark comedy elements, called PsyHotel Simulator. Be sure to check that out.
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