UN:Me: An Cerebral Horror Merging Survival Horror with Social Deduction Gameplay
The latest Day of the Devs digital showcase revealed a number of intriguing upcoming titles, but one in particular has captured the imagination: UN:Me. Developed by Historia and Shueisha Games, this solo adventure appears to fuse together the oppressive atmosphere of a Silent Hill title with the paranoid deduction core of Among Us.
"It's a distinctive game where a girl containing several personalities inside her must escape from a maze of the mind," states producer Yasukazu Kawai.
Stepping Into a Fractured Consciousness
In UN:Me, players take control of an unnamed female protagonist seeming to be of high school age. Within her exist four distinct personas, all possessing their own anxieties and motivations. These entities can take over at will, unleashing their deep-seated phobias upon her suddenly.
Based on showcased gameplay, much of the action unfolds within a creepy medical facility, while other scenes depict the main character exploring a abandoned church.
An Environment of Individual Horror
"What are you fearful of? What causes you uncomfortable?" poses game director Shun Sasaki. "High places. Confined spaces. Authority figures. Elements that appear minor to other people can activate a deep instinct inside us. This game explores that idea — fears that are unique to every individual."
The core mechanic revolves around controlling the persona that emerges at any given time. However, these identities will change involuntarily as you play. While exploring, each soul's anxieties become exaggerated and assault the girl one after another. As the persona changes, so does the particular terror the player experiences.
Unsettling Aesthetics and a Deadly Choice
At first glance, UN:Me shares noticeable aesthetic parallels with the Silent Hill series. The hospital is populated by orderlies who all share the same face, with unnervingly wide smiles. Patients in the waiting room have large blooms growing from their necks should be. Floral motifs are an ever-present element, juxtaposing organic elegance with unnatural horror.
Yet, UN:Me introduces a unique twist. Players are tasked with deducing which of the four souls inhabiting the protagonist is the "real" one. "All four souls claims that the physical form belongs to them," explains a developer. "Throughout the game, you must determine who is real."
Once players believes a persona is an impostor, they must eliminate it. But, because each soul can lie or obfuscate the reality, it is incredibly simple to choose incorrectly.
"Perhaps you've already eliminated the true [soul] with your own hands," a voice suggests. "The final entity standing might be a fraud. Either way, your decisions are final."
UN:Me does not yet have a publicly announced release date, but it is available to wishlist on platforms.
