There's a strong feeling of familiarity when you first learn of Pinewood Valley, an independent development project that is building this psychological horror and survival video game. The screenshots of empty streets and eerie supermarkets are very reminiscent of classic horror movies like the Halloween series. But, Cold Chop Studio, the team behind Pinewood Valley, plans to offer a lot more than pure similarities - it wants to offer a complete blend of scars and terror, but also plenty of gaming excitement.
The game is set in 2006, where the players take on the role of a news reporter. The same character covertly enters Pinewood Valley, a small town where a brutal massacre took place only a day prior. Soon, he learns that he made a life-threatening mistake by going there, as those responsible for the massacre begin to hunt him. Pinewood Valley is created with Unreal Engine 5, which is presently the most powerful game development engine on the market. Its core mechanics include stealth gameplay, where hiding and running are the best options, but also the ability to fight and confront the dangers.
The town of Pinewood Valley will be completely open and almost all of its buildings will be accessible for exploration. This is combined with intelligent AI opponents, who can use the same open world to their advantage. Additionally, the story of the game is both somber and deeply rooted in the same place, so the process of playing also becomes an immersive narrative experience.
By merging the powers of Unreal Engine and the atmosphere and feel of 1980s horror films, Pinewood Valley offers to become a true treat for all fans of these genres. The team aims to publish it in 2023 and it should appear on Steam and consoles. Check out the game on its Kickstarter page and follow the developer team on their Twitter account to stay in touch with the completion of the game!