You may already know about Sam Barlow, the game designer known for the 2015 FMV narrative game Her Story. You may have not heard, however, that Barlow will soon release Immortality, a horror game that also uses the same FMV techniques. Notably, a press release refers to Immortality as “Barlow’s first return to the horror genre since Silent Hill: Shattered Memories in 2009.” Originally, Barlow and his team at Half Mermaid Productions planned to put out his new project on July 26. However, the aforementioned press release stated that the team has chosen to delay Immortality so it can turn out that little bit more polished.
For those who wish to know the gist of Immortality‘s story, it involves the disappearance of an actress named Marissa Marcel who starred in three movies that never saw an official release. To discover the secret behind her absence, players rummage through long-lost footage of these three films and look out for any potential clues.
Leave no frame unchecked
The press release called Immortality the most ambitious and extensive project that Barlow has ever produced. It also amusingly called it an “attempt to deconstruct cinema whilst riffing on the mechanics of Pokémon Snap.” When investigating the movie footage, players can utilize a match cut mechanic to discover secrets through the power of cinematic language.
The new release date for Immortality is August 30. The launch will probably come as a relief more than anything. It has become common for publishers and developers to delay a game for months or even a year or more, so having to wait only an extra month before playing Immortality is hardly a huge ask for fans. Hopefully, that extra month will provide the exact amount of time Half Mermaid Productions needs to polish the game up.
Of course, if things go wrong, the developers can always just delay it again. Let’s hope that isn’t needed.
