Few video game series are capable of creating a sense of atmosphere better than BioShock and Dishonored — their worlds feel real, despite their fantastical elements. The developers at Question Games, which includes former team members from both franchises, look poised to create the next immersive world with The Blackout Club, but this one looks a little bit scarier.
“Set in a small town with a monstrous secret, The Blackout Club follows a group of teens who band together after learning they’ve all been temporarily losing consciousness — waking up with no memory of what they have done,” Question Games said in a press release.
In classic teen-horror genre fashion, the adults in this mysterious town do not believe the kids, and they are forced to investigate the situation themselves, entering a “hostile underground” filled with shady figures living directly beneath the town. To document their findings, they use their cell phones, which we briefly see in the teaser trailer, and they have access to drones and traps in order to deal with enemies.
Designed for cooperative adventuring, The Blackout Club can be played by up to four players at once in a procedurally generated environment, which should contribute to replayability. Each night, you sneak out of your home and explore the town, looking for clues regarding a missing friend’s whereabouts. In addition to the “sleepwalking” adults looking for prey, there is also another “dangerous entity” that can’t be seen with the naked eye.
After each night, you and your cooperative partners return to your hideout, where you can customize your character and get new abilities to use the next time you venture out.
“In The Blackout Club, the horror genre comes home,” said Question Games co-founder and BioShock 2 director Jordan Thomas in the announcement. “Our story is about vulnerable heroes — for whom co-op gameplay is a matter of survival — who unite to save their friends.”
It’s certainly different than Thomas’ previous work, but The Blackout Club‘s sense of place and dramatic tension look to be just as important as they were in BioShock 2. The game launches for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in early 2019. Question Games’ first project, The Magic Circle, is available now.
