Komatsu
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General Information
Platform: PlayStation 5; Xbox Series X/S; PlayStation 4; Xbox One; Switch; PC
Developer: Hidden Fields
Publisher: MWM Interactive
Genre: Horror
Release Date: March 16, 2021
Industry rating:Mature
Mundaun is a striking horror adventure game announced last summer from Hidden Fields, a one-man studio run by developer Michel Ziegler. A press release bills the game as “a lovingly hand penciled horror tale," since it sports eye-catching pencil-sketched art that gives the survival horror adventure a uniquely creepy vibe.
Ziegler began making Mundaun as a passion project in 2014. The game’s story follows a young man named Curdin who travels to Mundaun, a real-life village in the Swiss Alps (a region Ziegler spent many childhood summers visiting) to learn the fate of his grandfather, who died under mysterious circumstances. During his stay, he discovers that Mundaun is haunted by a sinister force, and Curdin must unravel the town’s secrets to figure out what’s happening.
Mundaun’s horror is inspired by local folklore. Instead of fighting enemies head-on, gameplay seems to largely consist of puzzle-solving while also avoiding dangerous enemies, whose presence feeds into the game’s fear system. Similar to games such as Amnesia, the fear system causes players to become disoriented when placed in terrifying situations – something Ziegler describes as a “cause and effect” feature. Since the game is survival horror, expect to collect and juggle an inventory of items as you explore deeper into the village.
Mundaun’s hand-drawn art stands as its most unique feature. Ziegler creates charcoal sketches of characters and maps them onto 3D models. The result is like watching a twisted sketchbook come to life, and gives Mundaun an unsettling atmosphere. You can watch how Ziegler creates the art in the short behind-the-scenes video below. [SOURCE: GAMEINFORMER]
Key Features
- Immerse yourself in a unique setting: An alpine world where reality and myth intertwine.
- Experience a unique greyscale aesthetic thanks to hand-pencilled textures.
- Explore varied and open levels from green meadows to snowy peaks. Beware of the creatures roaming the landscape.
- Inventory system to keep you focused on collecting, find out the story secrets.
- Fear resistance factor – A “cause and effect” for the player within the game eg: the stronger the fear the more slowly you move.
- Solve Puzzles that are integrated into the game world as you make your way up the mountain.
- Interact with its eccentric inhabitants who even have their own obscure spoken language.
- Control vehicles such as sleighs and hay loaders.
- Find out the dark secret behind grandfather's death.
Reception
Reviews
"Undeniably odd, yet constantly willing to be accessible, Mundaun has a lot to offer anyone fond of horror and exploration." - PC Invasion 85/10
"With a creepy vibe, solid gameplay, and intriguing narrative, Mundaun is a good time even. [...] It’s worth checking out if you’re looking to experience a few good scares and to see its wicked art direction in motion. Much like its aesthetic, Mundaun winds up being a rough but respectable depiction of some of the best horror games in the genre." - Game Informer 78/100
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