Oh joy, another investigative game to add to the never-ending pile of “find the missing person” titles, because apparently, we haven’t milked this franchise enough yet. Raw Fury, the Swedish Indie publisher, has teamed up with Fool Moon to bring us Hillthorn, a game that promises to keep us on the edge of our seats with its dark and eerie atmosphere, and a unique twist – no dialogue. Yep, you read that right, folks, a game with no talking, because who needs conversation when you can just read cards and infer everything? Some executive somewhere got a bonus for this, I’m sure.
Hillthorn is set on a mountaintop, where the locals are about as friendly as a troll on a gaming forum, and you play an outsider detective trying to find a missing child. The catch is, time is ticking, and you have to use Clue cards to investigate, explore, and communicate (without talking, of course) to get to the truth. It’s like a real-life game of Clue, but without the fun of arguing with your family members over who killed the victim.
The Unique Selling Point (USP) of Hillthorn
So, what sets Hillthorn apart from all the other investigative games out there? Well, for starters, the “knowledge as progression” approach, which is just a fancy way of saying you’ll have to use your brain to solve the mystery. And, of course, the multiple endings, because who doesn’t love a good replay value? It’s not like we’ve seen that before in every other game released in the past decade. Another day, another roadmap, am I right?
Raw Fury’s Track Record
Raw Fury has been around since 2015, publishing over 50 indie titles, including hits like Esoteric Ebb, Cassette Beasts, and West of Dead. They’re like the indie game equivalent of a factory, churning out titles left and right. But hey, at least they’re giving smaller developers a chance to shine, right? It’s not like they’re just trying to cash in on the latest gaming trends or anything. Shareholders rejoice!
Hillthorn Key Features
So, what can you expect from Hillthorn? Well, here are a few “exciting” features:
- A World on the Tabletop – because who needs a real world when you can have a tabletop, am I right?
- You’ve been tasked to find a missing person, but the locals don’t like outsiders – because that’s not a cliche at all.
- Time is Ticking – because nothing says “fun” like a countdown timer.
- Multiple endings – because replay value is key, or so I’ve heard.
Nature is healing, indeed. Live-service enthusiasts are preparing the candles and summoning circle, no doubt. At this point, even the loading screens have lore, but hey, at least Hillthorn is trying something new, right? You can wishlist it on Steam today, and even play a demo, because who doesn’t love a good demo? The PS2 memory card community is devastated, but hey, progress, right?
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