The Tartarus Key is an upcoming indie horror game developed by Vertical Reach and published by Armor Games Studios. The Tartarus Key is being developed by a team of three: Vertical Reach founder and artist Leonor Parra, programmer Kevin Colgate, and composer and sound designer Josie Brechner.
Original PlayStation titles such as Resident Evil or Silent Hill have been immortalized in nostalgia, despite their outdated graphics and controls compared to modern games. These seminal retro titles have influenced many games since, and The Tartarus Key shows its inspirations on its sleeve. Today, The Tartarus Key received a trailer that announces that it will be available for the Nintendo Switch and reveals what players can look forward to from it.
The Tartarus Key's Nintendo Switch announcement trailer demonstrates that players will navigate a terrifying mansion as Alex Young through a first-person perspective, where low-fidelity textures and polygonal character renders create deliberate nostalgia and references to classic atmospheric horror on retro consoles. The Tartarus Key looks like it will primarily emphasize puzzles and exploration in gameplay with a thorough inventory system to perform them with, offering a look at a puzzle that tasks players with assessing plastic human anatomies.
Camera surveillance eggs on the tension, as Alex and a colorful cast of characters know that they are not alone and have been put in this mansion for a particular reason. Interestingly, it looks as if the kidnappers want Alex and these other characters to perform tasks and puzzles as a sort of ritualistic or occult practice, as insinuated through sigils and other similar markings. Characters' portraits are shown and animated during conversations, which also appear pivotal to The Tartarus Key's narrative.
Strange mysteries seem afoot at the mansion, where some characters seem perfectly composed or otherwise whimsical considering their circumstances. This may simply be to try to emulate the same classic horror that Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and other original PlayStation games achieved with their own ensembles of estranged characters.
Further, any intrigued gamers may treat themselves to a demo of The Tartarus Key that is available now on PC via Steam for Steam Next Fest 2021. Steam Next Fest has kicked off today and ends on October 7, but it is currently uncertain when The Tartarus Key will receive a full release on either Nintendo Switch or PC.
The Tartarus Key is in development for Nintendo Switch and PC.
Source: Steam