NEXT Studios is pleased to officially announce Unheard, an exciting new take on narrative driven games designed around experiencing gameplay through audio. Prepare to experience an immersive ‘radio drama’ where players play as a ‘sound hunter’ a futuristic detective who is able to travel back in time to solve crimes but is limited by having no vision. Players must investigate crimes by carefully monitoring and listening in on various conversation and actions. Players will need to identify characters, understand their relationships, uncover motivations and then deduce the perpetrator of the crime.
Trailer:
The game’s Steam page has gone live today alongside a teaser trailer. Unheard creative director Nick Zhang is excited to bring a game that experiments with integrating audio into the main gameplay of a detective puzzle game: “We set out to create a unique gameplay experience that not only has players to listen to the conversations in the game but also forces players to really embody a detective using logic, reasoning and deductive power to solve the crimes. It’s a true tribute to the radio dramas of old.”
Unheard’s story is a non-linear experience. Players will not always experience the crime from start to finish but instead must build their own timelines from the clues in conversations they overhear. Each crime has multiple story branches and ongoing moments.
The game simulates the real world in real time, so while players are in one room, other conversations, actions, and perhaps more sinister endeavors may be occurring elsewhere. Luckily players also have control over time and can travel back and forth to experience the events from different areas with different people allowing you to find the truth of the case.
Unheard has already been showcased at a few select festivals where it was nominated for awards including the public choice award at Sweden Game 2018 and was honored at Indiecade Europe. Unhead will be coming to Steam in January 2019, players can wishlist on Steam now.
About Unheard:
Unheard is an innovative detective puzzle game that incorporates audio as the main mechanic of the game. Combining rich voice acting and sound design, Unheard allows players to play through a non-linear story as a detective who must solve crimes. Players will need to combine logic, reasoning, deductive skill and a keen ear to find and exact justice.
- Non-Linear Story: Multiple events, different suspects and characters, all happening at the same time. Players must piece together evidence, clues and experience events in a non-linear fashion. Control time and go back and forth to experiences different events and uncover the truth.
- Simulated World: Events will continue while playing so while you are investigating in one room something of importance may be happening in the next. Each player will experience different playthroughs and events leading to the game having massive replayability.
- Detective Puzzle Gameplay: Unheard’s core gameplay encourages players to use their own intelligence, deductive powers, logic, and reasoning to solve crimes. The game does not hand hold players leaving players to solve tough challenges with their own wits.
- Audience Perspective: Unheard allows something very rare in video games, play from the perspective of the audience. Instead of actively participating in the story and events, you are an observer and must play and solve crimes from that role.
- Tribute To Radio Dramas: Experience a high-quality professionally voice acted audio drama played out right in front of you. NEXT Studios wants to pay tribute to the immersive radio dramas of a bygone day.
Screencaps:
