Mixing the scientific exploration of Mars with supernatural, Lovecraftian, dread, is Funcom’s newly announced horror game: Moons of Madness. The creepy title — which was previously shown in a very early form by then sole developer Rock Pocket Games — is now a more fleshed out collaboration between the two Norwegian studios.
“With Funcom’s support we have been given the opportunity to do all the things we wanted to do with the game and the story,” said Ivan Moen, CEO of Rock Pocket Games. “Moons of Madness has been an internal passion project of ours, one that we’ve worked on in-between other titles for other publishers, and now being able to fully focus on it and put all our creative energy into it is a dream come true.”
In Moons of Madness you play as Shane Newehart, a technician stationed at the Invictus, a secret research base built by the Orochi group. Your low security clearance means you are completely unaware of the existence of a mysterious, intelligent signal that has been detected as coming from the red planet. Your job is simply to keep the lights on until the transport ship Cyrano arrives bringing with it a new team to take over your duties. Soon you discover strange and unusual setbacks. Crucial systems are malfunctioning, the greenhouse is filled with a strange mist and the rest of your team has yet to return from their EVA mission. You begin seeing and hearing things that aren’t there. Visions, hallucinations – or is that even what it is? Is this real… or are you slowly descending into madness?
Moons of Madness draws upon the rich lore and mythology of Funcom’s Secret World Legends. Both games exist in the same thematic universe, but playing one is not a prerequisite to enjoy the other.
Expect to be able to play Moons of Madness around Halloween.