Virtual reality games have become increasingly common over the last few years, particularly as high-profile titles like Half-Life: Alyx release to tremendous sales on Steam and other gaming platforms. Horror is a particularly strong subject in this kind of immersive medium, and a "game development and outsourcing studio" focused on utilizing Unreal Engine 4 called Come Over Gaming is looking to get in on that market with a newly announced title: DreamBack VR.
DreamBack VR looks to be a wandering, psychological horror game in a similar vein to titles like Amnesia: The Dark Descent. According to a press release sent out today, it follows an electrician recovering from shock after a terrifying experience in an abandoned Victorian building called Rickfford Mansion who must return, relive their memories and "survive" the "secrets within every mind." It's set to be released sometime late in the second quarter of 2020 for Steam VR, with a final date to be announced soon.
This is the first original title listed on Come Back Gaming's website, and it will focus entirely on environmental puzzles and observation "without combat or action-oriented sections" according to the wishlist page currently available on Steam. DreamBack VR will support the Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality Headsets, and be playable while sitting or standing.
A "mature content" warning is also listed on DreamBack VR's Steam page, indicating that the game has a "realistic representation of a fictional history which can be disturbing," primarily based around paranormal activities, deaths, and mental disorders. A similar first-person horror title called Maid of Sker, based on Welsh folklore, was also just announced for multiple platforms.
As virtual reality technology becomes better, it becomes more ubiquitous in people's lives beyond just providing an avenue to create immersive video games. VR has been used to assist in therapy, and Jak Wilmot recently gave a TED Talk after living in virtual reality for a week straight.
That said, horror games will likely always be a huge draw for the technology. While Valve's in-house games like Half-Life: Alyx have been successful, so too have games like Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted, which was recently confirmed to be coming to more platforms sometime this year. Time will tell whether Come Over Gaming's new title DreamBack VR will similarly make a big splash in the industry.
DreamBack VR will be releasing through Steam VR sometime in the second quarter of 2020.
Sources: Come Over Gaming, Steam