Zombie survival gets visceral in this intelligent new horror title
Children in video games often get a bit of a hard rap. They’re either the spawn of the devil (‘Rule of Rose‘, anyone?) or they are just fundamentally so annoying that you want to kill them anyway. Even if you’re in charge of their safety. On a mountain. Surrounded by volcanic ash (sorry, getting carried away; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLNIzvpr7Mk&feature=related).
‘AMY’ hopes to change this. Currently being developed by VectorCell Studios, this new download-only title for the Playstation Network and Xbox Live focuses on an all-female duo. Not an altogether inconspicuous choice, given the amount of vulnerable women that bear the cross of having to start in survival horror games (usually with a nifty option to unlock a revealing and totally inappropriate outfit at some point). Then again, maybe not.
Amy, the younger half of our duo, has autism. The game’s lead designer recently noted in an interview with Edge: ”Amy is verbally impaired but she’s not completely autistic … you discover in the story why she doesn’t want to speak.” In this, the game has added a whole new sense of vulnerability to a child character, and when put in a situation such as a future-pending zombie apocalypse gamers will have to face a bigger challenge than just running and gunning.
Ensuring Amy’s well-being and safety is a task placed on the game’s lead and playable character, Lana. She herself is not without her troubles, infection with the zombie plague being her paramount concern. Lucky, then, that young Amy has the ability to cure through touch; an immunity which will undoubtedly come in handy.
Scarce bits of gameplay footage released so far suggest an ICO-like bond between the two, with a hand holding dynamic being key in making sure that a) Amy is safe and b) Lana is able to keep the infection at bay by making contact with the child.
So far, so good. The game is looking pretty stunning, with an early tech demo of Lana’s digression into infection showing off some facial mechanics in good detail. Gameplay and style are still yet to be explored, but expect a different pace and tone to your typical survival horror. ‘AMY’ is a thinker, and may even instill you with enough compassion to put your Sim children in the swimming pool and then sell the steps. God, those kids were annoying.
‘AMY’ is due for download release on PSN and Xbox Live in September.
Words by James Gearing
