Trees are scary when they congregate--hence all those terrifying childhood folktales about forests and the dangers that lurk within, such as wolves, giants, and cannibal witches.
*Shudder*
The largest forest in the world is Saskathewan's boreal region. It covers 1 billion acres, mostly unexplored, making it the worst possible destination for a relaxing family holiday, but a fantastic setting for a video game.
And here comes one now.
Beyond the Oaks, from indie developer Jay Cameron and his studio DragonFly Games, is an upcoming open-world action-adventure set in the deep dark bear-infested forests of Northern Canada--though bears are the least of your worries.
You play as Andrew, an intrepid explorer who finds himself stranded in an arboreal nightmare populated by weird people, weird animals, and weird alien puzzles.
Fortunately, you're equipped with a mysterious suit of hi-tech armor that comes with its own AI assistant called E.M.I.L.I. This powerful device is your ticket to victory, but first you have to help E.M.I.L.I. rid itself of a curse and recover its powers.
You regain these powers step by step along three distinct skill trees. You can work on combat mechanics, gadgets, or technology, depending on whether you prefer stealth, carnage, or something in between.
Beyond the Oaks is set across three huge biomes, each one controlled by a powerful witch sister. During the campaign you'll traverse woods, ancient villages, caves filled with futuristic alien tech, volcanic runs, and icy mountain scapes.
Plus, you'll solve a lot of puzzles, and take down a lot of sorceresses, robots, crawlers, minions, and other enemies.
If you've already treated yourself to a glance at the screenshots, you'll know that Beyond the Oaks is shaping up to be a graphically impressive shooter, with a moody aesthetic and an array of disquieting characters and settings.
But what you can't see is the "ludonarrative harmony" that DragonFly Games has pledged to build, with gameplay that explores the game's narrative questions around freedom, control, and technology.
Likewise, you can't hear the top-tier vocal stylings of voice artists like Brendan Hunter, Tarzan Dan, Mark Meer, Zoe Slusar, Mike Anthony, and Caitlynne Medrek. You'll have to wait for the full launch for all that.
Fortunately, you can hurry that date along by signing up for one of the game's 14 different reward tiers on Kickstarter.
As we write these words Beyond the Oaks is close to a third of the way to its funding goal, with a month and a half left to go.
The signs are promising, but you can make Beyond the Oaks a sure thing--and nab yourself some rewards--by pledging on Kickstarter now.
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