Live-Action Horror Game Ghosts Announced

Full motion video, FMV for short, is an expanding genre that mixes live-action movies with the interactivity of video games. The genre has seen some interesting titles like the psychological thriller I Saw Black Clouds, which released earlier this year. A new game called GHOSTS has just been announced, and it has a stellar creative team.

GHOSTS is a horror FMV game written and directed by Jed Shepherd, writer and executive producer of the horror movie Host. The game stars Emma Louise Webb, Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Radina Drandova and Caroline Ward in the main roles. GHOSTS is being developed by Visible Games and published by Limited Run Games.

As for the actual content of the game, players take on the role of a TV producer for the fictional FrighTV show, "GHOSTS." In essence, players operate the broadcast van and get to choose what footage gets shared with viewers at home. Further details about how this affects gameplay are not yet revealed. Something that makes GHOSTS unique is that it will be a game played in real-time. It will only be playable at 10pm in a player's local time zone, and has to be completed at one time. If players leave the game or stop interacting, the game will end and the cast gets killed off.

The team in the fictional show "GHOSTS" will be investigating a haunted house, where there have been sightings of The Long Lady, who is supposedly just an urban legend. The Long Lady will be designed by Trevor Henderson, the creator of Siren Head. Since GHOSTS is live-action, The Long Lady will be brought to life by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, which will be exciting to see.

The concept of a real-time horror FMV game is very interesting, though fans will have to wait for the final product to see if it is executed well. Until then, GHOSTS is running a Kickstarter campaign to help meet its funding goals. Currently, the plan is to release the game in February 2022, but that is subject to change.

When it comes to the horror genre, video games can’t just get away with throwing jump scares at the player from start to finish. This does work quite well in horror films because the demand for the watcher’s attention is far lower, especially as horror films tend to be a little shorter than in other genres.

The horror genre in video games, however, needs to hold the attention of the player from start to finish. Whether it’s a 6-hour journey or a 20-hour epic, the need to keep the player on the edge of their seats and interested is much more demanding for the developer. One great way to do this is by making their world as immersive and as believable as possible. Drawing a player in with what feels like a genuine history and lore can make the player feel more emotionally connected and set them up for bigger scares in the long run. Let’s take a look at some of the best horror games with great lore and world-building.