The Church in the Darkness

The Church in the Darkness is an action-adventure video game. It was originally announced in 2016 to ship in early 2017,[2] but was finally released in 2019 for Microsoft Windows,[2] macOS,[1] PlayStation 4,[3] and Xbox One.[2] It was designed by Richard Rouse III under the name Paranoid Productions.

The Church in the Darkness
Developer(s)Paranoid Productions
Publisher(s)Fellow Traveller
Director(s)Richard Rouse III
Designer(s)Richard Rouse III
Programmer(s)Richard Rouse III
Carl Chavez Young
Ben Young
Writer(s)Richard Rouse III
Composer(s)Ellen McLain
John Patrick Lowrie
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
ReleaseAugust 2, 2019
Genre(s)Action-adventure, stealth[1]
Mode(s)Single-player[1]

Gameplay

The Church in the Darkness is an "action-infiltration" game[4] set inside a religious cult in the 1970s.[3] The game revolves around an ex-law enforcement officer named Vic who attempts to get inside an isolated religious colony called "Freedom Town" to check in on his sister's son, Alex.[4][3] The leaders, Isaac and Rebecca Walker of the "Collective Justice Mission", preach socialism and sustainable agricultural living in a Christian society. They are voiced by the couple, John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain.[5][6] The story unfolds through Isaac and Rebecca's regular updates on the camp's public announcement system.[5]

Some elements of the game are procedurally generated, with each start changing people's allegiances, beliefs, and camp layout.[6]

Development

The game's premise arises from Rouse's lifelong fascination with cults. Rouse has been a fan of "open-narrative" games since the mid-'80s and he was "stunned" to see the many popular games of 2016 with fixed narratives.[7] The game has been said to have "very obvious echoes of Jonestown".[4] Rouse was particularly intrigued by the Source family, a spiritual commune in the late 1960s which was situated in the Hollywood Hills.[5]

Reception

The game received "mixed or average" reception at Metacritic.[8][9][10][11]

References
  1. Store, Steam. "The Church in the Darkness on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  2. O'Connor, James. "The Church in the Darkness will let you infiltrate a cult next year". VG247. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  3. Rouse III, Richard. "The Church in the Darkness Coming to PS4". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  4. Chalk, Andy. "Infiltrate a 1970s religious cult in The Church in the Darkness". PC Gamer. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  5. Conditt, Jessica. "Uncovering the glory and gore of a 1970s South American cult". Engadget. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  6. O'Connor, Alice. "Procedural Cult Infiltration: The Church In The Darkness". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  7. Tach, Dave (15 March 2016). "The Church in the Darkness is about God and guns and socialism, but mostly it's about you". Polygon. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  8. "The Church in the Darkness for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  9. "The Church in the Darkness for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  10. "The Church in the Darkness for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  11. "The Church in the Darkness for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
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