The Game UN:Me: A Cerebral Horror That Blends Silent Hill and Social Deduction Gameplay
The latest Day of the Devs digital showcase unveiled a number of intriguing future games, but one especially has seized attention: UN:Me. Created by Historia and Shueisha Games, this single-player experience seems to fuse together the dread-filled setting of a Silent Hill title with the paranoid deduction heart of Among Us.
"This is a distinctive game where a young woman containing several human souls inside her must escape from a labyrinth of the mind," states producer Yasukazu Kawai.
Entering a Shattered Mind
In UN:Me, players take control of an unnamed female protagonist seeming to be of teenage years. Within her reside four distinct souls, all possessing their own fears and motivations. These souls can seize control at will, unleashing their innermost phobias upon her suddenly.
Based on revealed gameplay, much of the action unfolds within a eerie hospital, while other scenes depict the protagonist navigating a abandoned chapel.
A World of Individual Dread
"What are you afraid of? What causes you uncomfortable?" poses game director Shun Sasaki. "High places. Confined spaces. People in power. Elements that seem trivial to other people can trigger a deep instinct inside us. This game delves into that concept — anxieties that are specific to each person."
The central gameplay loop revolves around controlling the persona that emerges at any given moment. However, these souls will change against your will during gameplay. While exploring, each soul's fears become exaggerated and assault the girl one after another. As the persona changes, so does the specific fear the player encounters.
Unsettling Aesthetics and a Deadly Decision
Initially, UN:Me displays noticeable aesthetic parallels with the Silent Hill franchise. The hospital is populated by nurses who all share the same face, with disturbingly broad smiles. Patients in the lobby have large blooms where their necks are. Flowers are an ever-present element, contrasting organic elegance with supernatural dread.
Yet, UN:Me presents a unique mechanic. Players are tasked with deducing which of the four entities inhabiting the heroine is the "true" one. "All four personas asserts that the physical form is rightfully them," explains a developer. "During the game, you must determine who is real."
After a player have deduced a soul is an impostor, they must eliminate it. However, because every entity can deceive or hide the reality, it is very easy to make a mistake.
"Perhaps you've already destroyed the real [soul] by your own actions," the narration suggests. "The final entity remaining might be a fraud. In any case, your decisions are final."
UN:Me does not yet have a confirmed release date, but it is available to wishlist on digital storefronts.
