‘Daylight’: PAX East Gameplay Unveiled [Video]

Daylight at PAX East delivered as promised. The gameplay has been revealed.

Not much is yet known about Zombie Studios’ latest horror thriller, except that it’s powered by the all-powerful Unreal Engine 4, the engine deemed too powerful for the current generation consoles. Also, the game is completely randomly-generated.

The game Daylight has nothing to do with the Sylvester Stallone cave-thriller film of the same name.

There has been some hatred surrounding the concept of a randomly-generated videogame. Delver’s Drop, a Kickstarter funded title, garnered criticism over the fact that every detail wasn’t given the utmost attention and planning from the start. However, it can also be said that a randomly-generated game also adds replay value, since you literally don’t know what’s next. Just look at the classic Gauntlet, where each level was randomly selected as you went. Every time you played was something different, though the levels never changed themselves. Daylight takes it a step further, so you never get that feeling of been-there, done-that.

Also, random generation could add to the horror aspect, as part of horror is not knowing what’s next.

The gameplay footage starts with a woman yelling, “Hello, anybody there?” before walking into an abandoned hospital using a smartphone as a HUD and a flashlight. A staticky distortion happens and then we see what look like mazes drawn on the walls and ceiling, kind of like the spirals in the guy’s room in Dark City. There seem to be toys floating everywhere as she investigates. Then the toys disappear and a few pieces of random debris drop before the staticky effect happens again.

If the static effect happens every few seconds like that, it may get old fast and feel like a cheap scare gimmick.

Anyway, back to the gameplay, we then see her holding a teddy bear as it vibrates violently near a door. The teddy bear eventually breaks loose from her grip and flies into the door, which shatters into ethereal wisps. Then the static effect happens again, and we see her advancing down a plain brownish hallway with a small torch. There is graffiti all over the walls as she approaches an open door, which slams shut in her face.

Daylight is expected to be released on Steam some time this year.

What do you think of Daylight?