Experimental Horror Game Vanished Uses No Graphics

[roseofbattle]

Experimental Horror Game Vanished Uses No Graphics

Show, don't tell; or rather, provide only the audio and let your imagination conjure your worst nightmares.

How many times have horror media built the big scary monster up in your imagination just to look laughable when it's finally shown? This time, the visuals have completely vanished in iOS game Vanished. Developer Pixel Heart created an experimental game that forces the player to wander around, relying only on a vibrating iPhone and audio.

"We think that imagination is the most powerful hardware a game needs," Pixel Heart's website states. The idea for the game came from experimenting with iPhone hardware. Pixel Heart wanted to recreate the real world movement. By using the phone's compass and accelerometer, you face the direction you want to move, and tap the touchscreen. Rotating the device like a compass simulates facing a different direction in the world of the game.

In Vanished you arrive in a pitch-black world in an amnesiac state. You can fight monsters by shaking the phone, but you'll never see the monsters. You have to navigate a world relying only on your ears.

Pixel Heart is working on an Android version, but for now the game is available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It's available on the iTunes store [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vanished/id687744410?ls=1&mt=8] for free until tomorrow when it sells for $0.99. Pixel Heart's game is simplistic in design with the potential to be a breath of chilling air in the horror genre.

Source: Pixel Heart [http://pixelheartstudios.com/vanished]

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[Bindal]

A game with no graphics? Isn't that, what text-adventures used to be like? Just saying.

 

[Baldr]

Cool concept, but after about 10-15 minutes, it looses it Novelty and become boring.

 

[Rad Party God]

I remember my cousin showing me an extremely similar game on his iPhone a few years ago, if it's the same game, then YES, I can attest that it frakking works. If it's not the same game, then it's about frakking time more people use the same idea, it's simply brilliant.

 

[Skeleon]

For free? Sure, I'll give it a shot. I'll even go through the hassle of installing iTunes for a few minutes until I have it downloaded.

EDIT: Oh, wait, this'll only work on an iPhone I suppose? I was hoping I could use it on my PC or Android in some manner. Guess I'll have to wait for the Android version.

 

[RJ 17]

and there i thought one direction was already audible horror...

Well if there aren't any graphics, it wouldn't know it was beautiful. That's what what makes it beautiful

I laughed.

OT: I like innovation as much as the next person, but I kinda have to agree with the person who said "It'd likely get old after about 10 minutes". The problem with audio scares is that they always end up just being jump-scares. In order for this game to truly "work" you'd almost have to be playing it alone and in the dark, otherwise you're just fiddling around with your phone while it screams at you.

 

[Alcom1]

Brilliant. A game for blind people.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Awesome. It's simple, it's effective, it's actually scary - but I'll admit it's the kind of concept that flies for one playthrough, not several.

Unless you're like me and know a bunch of deliciously chickenshit friends to whom you can't wait to inflict this.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I've actually seen this concept explored once before, though not in a horror vein- it was a Half-Life 2 Mod called "Blind Monk's Society", where you played (surprise) a blind person who was joining a monastery of the blind... and your first job was to find the place based solely on sound.

It's a pity they're not using graphics, because if I saw something like what's in that picture coming at me, I'd wet my pants, and the pants of anyone within a 10-meter radius.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

I've actually seen this concept explored once before, though not in a horror vein- it was a Half-Life 2 Mod called "Blind Monk's Society", where you played (surprise) a blind person who was joining a monastery of the blind... and your first job was to find the place based solely on sound.

Does it use binaural sound like that thing at Disney World?

 

[Numb1lp]

and there i thought one direction was already audible horror...

Well if there aren't any graphics, it wouldn't know it was beautiful. That's what what makes it beautiful

I laughed.

OT: I like innovation as much as the next person, but I kinda have to agree with the person who said "It'd likely get old after about 10 minutes". The problem with audio scares is that they always end up just being jump-scares. In order for this game to truly "work" you'd almost have to be playing it alone and in the dark, otherwise you're just fiddling around with your phone while it screams at you.

It really is.

I downloaded it after reading this article, and I have to say that it was no where near as immersive as I thought it would be. The novelty wore off after the first level.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I've actually seen this concept explored once before, though not in a horror vein- it was a Half-Life 2 Mod called "Blind Monk's Society", where you played (surprise) a blind person who was joining a monastery of the blind... and your first job was to find the place based solely on sound.

Does it use binaural sound like that thing at Disney World?

I'm not familiar with what you're talking about, but the Mod was just regular stereo sound.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

OT: I like innovation as much as the next person, but I kinda have to agree with the person who said "It'd likely get old after about 10 minutes". The problem with audio scares is that they always end up just being jump-scares. In order for this game to truly "work" you'd almost have to be playing it alone and in the dark, otherwise you're just fiddling around with your phone while it screams at you.

I dunno, Amnesia did a good job with sound effects and music. Faint cries in the background, creaking boards, chains rattling... and that's BEFORE the scripted jump scares or monster sections.

And isn't that how horror games work, playing them in the dark? Please don't tell me you don't expect to be playing it on the bus ride home or something XD

 

[RJ 17]

OT: I like innovation as much as the next person, but I kinda have to agree with the person who said "It'd likely get old after about 10 minutes". The problem with audio scares is that they always end up just being jump-scares. In order for this game to truly "work" you'd almost have to be playing it alone and in the dark, otherwise you're just fiddling around with your phone while it screams at you.

I dunno, Amnesia did a good job with sound effects and music. Faint cries in the background, creaking boards, chains rattling... and that's BEFORE the scripted jump scares or monster sections.

And isn't that how horror games work, playing them in the dark? Please don't tell me you don't expect to be playing it on the bus ride home or something XD

Amnesia also had the setting that you were to help build an oppressive atmosphere of dread. There was context for the chains rattling, the faint cries, the creaking boards...you were in a dark, dingy castle. And besides, we already have a testimonial from someone who apparently downloaded and played the game already:

and there i thought one direction was already audible horror...

Well if there aren't any graphics, it wouldn't know it was beautiful. That's what what makes it beautiful

I laughed.

OT: I like innovation as much as the next person, but I kinda have to agree with the person who said "It'd likely get old after about 10 minutes". The problem with audio scares is that they always end up just being jump-scares. In order for this game to truly "work" you'd almost have to be playing it alone and in the dark, otherwise you're just fiddling around with your phone while it screams at you.

It really is.

I downloaded it after reading this article, and I have to say that it was no where near as immersive as I thought it would be. The novelty wore off after the first level.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

Spoiler: Hidden so the board isn't filled

OT: I like innovation as much as the next person, but I kinda have to agree with the person who said "It'd likely get old after about 10 minutes". The problem with audio scares is that they always end up just being jump-scares. In order for this game to truly "work" you'd almost have to be playing it alone and in the dark, otherwise you're just fiddling around with your phone while it screams at you.

I dunno, Amnesia did a good job with sound effects and music. Faint cries in the background, creaking boards, chains rattling... and that's BEFORE the scripted jump scares or monster sections.

And isn't that how horror games work, playing them in the dark? Please don't tell me you don't expect to be playing it on the bus ride home or something XD

Amnesia also had the setting that you were to help build an oppressive atmosphere of dread. There was context for the chains rattling, the faint cries, the creaking boards...you were in a dark, dingy castle. And besides, we already have a testimonial from someone who apparently downloaded and played the game already:

and there i thought one direction was already audible horror...

Well if there aren't any graphics, it wouldn't know it was beautiful. That's what what makes it beautiful

I laughed.

OT: I like innovation as much as the next person, but I kinda have to agree with the person who said "It'd likely get old after about 10 minutes". The problem with audio scares is that they always end up just being jump-scares. In order for this game to truly "work" you'd almost have to be playing it alone and in the dark, otherwise you're just fiddling around with your phone while it screams at you.

It really is.

I downloaded it after reading this article, and I have to say that it was no where near as immersive as I thought it would be. The novelty wore off after the first level.

Oh, I didn't notice. Well, I could argue that there's no reason why you can't have context and a setting anyway, but... Nah Shame though, it sounded interesting... But then again so did baby popcorn and mini-toast.

 

[Milanezi]

I tried it out. Not my thing, I agree that not showing the monster and working on the player's imagination is usually more efficient than going full splasher horror, but... This game fails to entice my imagination to think of a creature or anything for that matter. After a rather short while it was just a boring deal of rotating my cell phone and clicking the screen, I got it for free, so whatever, but for everyone who's had to pay, it's not worth the price, no matter how cheap it is; the iOS have some very amazing games, both original and ports, this game in particular is totally out of its depth...

 

[Fiad]

Shouldn't have wasted the dollar. And I typically love horror games.