UN:Me: An Psychological Thriller Merging Silent Hill and Among Us Gameplay
The latest Day of the Devs digital showcase revealed several fascinating future games, but one in particular has seized the imagination: UN:Me. Developed by Historia and Shueisha Games, this single-player adventure appears to blend the dread-filled setting of a Silent Hill title with the suspicion-driven core of Among Us.
"This is a distinctive experience where a girl harboring several personalities inside her must escape from a labyrinth of the psyche," states producer Yasukazu Kawai.
Stepping Into a Fractured Mind
In UN:Me, players assume the role of an unnamed female protagonist seeming to be of high school age. Within her reside four separate personas, each with unique anxieties and motivations. These entities can seize control at will, unleashing their deep-seated terrors upon her suddenly.
Judging by showcased gameplay, much of the action takes place within a creepy medical facility, though other scenes depict the main character navigating a abandoned church.
An Environment of Personal Dread
"What makes you fearful of? What causes you uneasy?" poses game director Shun Sasaki. "High places. Confined spaces. People in power. Things that appear minor to other people can activate something primal inside us. This game explores that idea — fears that are specific to each person."
The central mechanic involves controlling whichever soul emerges at a particular moment. However, these souls will change against your will during gameplay. While exploring, every persona's fears become exaggerated and attack the protagonist one after another. As the persona changes, so does the particular terror the player experiences.
Unsettling Aesthetics and a Deadly Decision
Initially, UN:Me shares noticeable aesthetic parallels with the Silent Hill franchise. The setting is populated by nurses all sporting the identical visage, with unnervingly wide smiles. Patients in the waiting room have enormous blooms where their necks are. Flowers are an ever-present theme, juxtaposing natural beauty with supernatural dread.
Yet, UN:Me introduces a unique twist. Players are tasked with deducing which of the four entities inhabiting the heroine is the "true" one. "Each of the souls asserts that the physical form is rightfully them," explains a developer. "During the game, you must determine who is real."
Once players have deduced a persona is fake, they must eliminate it. But, because each soul can deceive or hide the reality, it is very easy to make a mistake.
"Perhaps you've already eliminated the true [soul] by your own actions," a voice states. "The final entity standing could be a fake. In any case, your choices are irreversible."
UN:Me does not yet have a publicly announced launch window, but it is can be wishlist on digital storefronts.
