UN:Me: A Cerebral Horror Merging Silent Hill with Among Us Gameplay
The latest Day of the Devs online presentation unveiled a number of fascinating future games, but one especially has captured attention: UN:Me. Created by Historia and Shueisha Games, this single-player adventure seems to fuse together the oppressive atmosphere of a Silent Hill game with the paranoid deduction heart of Among Us.
"This is a distinctive game where a young woman containing several personalities inside her must escape from a labyrinth of the psyche," explains developer Yasukazu Kawai.
Entering a Shattered Consciousness
In UN:Me, players take control of an unnamed heroine seeming to be of teenage years. Within her reside four distinct personas, each with their own anxieties and drives. These entities can seize control spontaneously, unleashing their innermost terrors upon her suddenly.
Judging by revealed footage, much of the action unfolds within a creepy hospital, though additional clips show the main character exploring a desolate chapel.
An Environment of Personal Horror
"What are you fearful of? What causes you uneasy?" poses game director Shun Sasaki. "Heights. Small rooms. Authority figures. Things that seem trivial to other people can activate a deep instinct within us. This game delves into that concept — fears that are unique to each person."
The core mechanic revolves around controlling the persona that surfaces at a particular moment. However, these souls will switch against your will during gameplay. While exploring, each soul's fears become amplified and assault the girl one after another. When the soul changes, so does the particular terror the player encounters.
Unsettling Aesthetics and a Deadly Choice
Initially, UN:Me displays striking aesthetic parallels with the Silent Hill franchise. The hospital is populated by nurses all sporting the same face, with disturbingly broad smiles. Patients in the lobby have large blooms growing from their heads are. Floral motifs are an ever-present element, contrasting natural beauty with unnatural horror.
Yet, UN:Me introduces a singular mechanic. Players are tasked with deducing which of the four entities inhabiting the heroine is the "true" one. "Each of the personas asserts that the body belongs to them," explains a developer. "Throughout the game, you must determine who is real."
Once players have deduced a persona is an impostor, they are forced to destroy it. However, because each soul can lie or obfuscate the truth, it is incredibly simple to make a mistake.
"Maybe you've already eliminated the true [soul] with your own hands," the narration states. "The final entity standing might be a fake. In any case, your choices are final."
UN:Me does not yet have a publicly announced launch window, but it is can be follow on platforms.
